Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church with origins dating back to the 12th century, significantly rebuilt in the mid 13th century. Extensions followed in the 14th and 15th centuries, including a central south vestry, a north-west chapel, aisles to the nave, and an east tower to the north aisle. Further alterations occurred in the 15th century with the rebuilding of the aisles, adding porches, and installing clerestories to the nave. A restoration took place in 1901-1903 by C.F. Ponting, who rebuilt the vestry and filled in its eastern side. The church is constructed from flint, with some ironstone, ironstone dressings, later Chilmark ashlar, a lead roof, and plain tiles.

The building comprises a chancel, a north chapel and south vestries, a nave with north and south aisles, a tower at the east end of the north aisle, a north porch with a parvise above, and a south porch. The chancel features a 3-stepped east lancet window from the 13th century, with its outer arch on a detached shaft. The south wall contains lancet windows, and the gabled south vestry has a similar style. Inside the north chapel is a 5-light Dec (Decorated) east window dating to the 19th century, along with late 13th-century 2-light windows with trefoiled bar tracery and a tomb recess.

The tower is three-stage, with buttresses at the north angle and a stair turret that is slightly higher. It has a crenellated parapet. The nave clerestory contains 2-light trefoiled windows. The flat-roofed aisles have 14th and 15th-century windows. The north porch, dating to the 15th century, has a 5-centred archway, now glazed. Above the archway is a 2-light window in the parvise. The west front features a 4-centred door with recesses on each side, above a large cinquefoiled 5-light transomed window.

Internally, the chancel has 13th-century rear arches with hoodmoulds having leaf-stops. The chapel arcade consists of three bays on shafted piers, with the east arch being later. A trefoiled piscina and a priest’s door to the vestry are found on the south wall, alongside a 1638 monument to Philip Clifford. The chapel has a good 15th-century hammerbeam roof with angels against the hammer beams, tracery above the hammers, and cusping below. A monument from 1801 to J.B. Coventry Bulkeley is situated on a pier of the tower. The chancel arch is 2-centred and the capitals have been renewed. In the nave, a brass is set into a timber frame from 1568 commemorating the Bulkeley family. The nave arcades have 4 bays, with round piers and imposts. A 15th-century queen-post roof covers the nave. In the south aisle is a 14th-century Purbeck octagonal font.