Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building located on Somerton Road in Ardley. It dates from the 14th century, with some parts possibly being older, and was restored in 1865 after being built in 1792. The church is constructed from limestone and some marlstone rubble, featuring limestone-ashlar dressings and a Stonesfield-slate roof. It comprises a chancel, nave, and west tower.

The chancel, built of 14th-century rubble, has a beautifully designed east window with flowing tracery and two-light windows to its west, with the two westernmost windows being square-headed but likely from the same period. There is also a 14th-century priest's door. The nave, built in 1792, is plain ashlar with three simple pointed windows on each side, although the middle window on the south side is blocked. The saddleback-roofed tower features 14th-century diagonal buttresses and marlstone banding on its lower stages, with a pointed western doorway from around 1792 and a square-headed two-light window from the 14th century. The upper stage of the tower, made of limestone rubble, appears older and has simple two-light openings facing north and south, which may be Romanesque.

Inside, the chancel includes an unusual 13th-century double recess, one part serving as a piscina, adorned with linked trefoiled heads and dogtooth ornamentation on the jambs. To the north is a richly-cusped ogee-headed 14th-century tomb recess. The plain chancel arch features 13th-century detached shafts with moulded capitals, though the northern base may be older. The tower arch is likely from the 14th century but is partly obscured by a western gallery added in 1834. Notable fittings include a 12th-century tub font, two 17th-century chests, and a wall monument from 1753 in the chancel, along with several simpler tablets.