Church Of St Mary

Church of Saint Mary

A Grade I listed church on Church Road, Thame, with origins in the early 13th century. The building comprises an early 13th-century chancel, nave, transepts, and tower, subsequently enlarged and rebuilt in phases through the medieval period. The 14th century saw the widening of the aisles and addition of the south porch, while the late 14th century brought the clerestory and upper stages to the tower. The north and south transepts were substantially rebuilt in the mid-15th century. The church underwent restoration around 1889 by J.O. Scott.

The exterior is constructed of squared coursed stone with ashlar stone dressings. The building features a five-bay aisled nave, tower, six-bay chancel, and transepts, with lead roofs to the aisles. Roofs to the nave, chancel, transept, and tower are not visible from outside. Various stone stacks are present.

The south porch is a two-storey structure with a two-centre moulded archway opening into a two-bay quadripartite vault with carved bosses. Stone benches line the east side of the porch. The entrance comprises 19th-century double plank doors with decorative wrought-iron hinges set within a two-centred moulded stone doorway with a hood mould featuring faces to the end stops. The first floor of the porch contains an ogee-canopied image recess at the centre, now housing a 20th-century statue of Saint Mary, flanked by two trefoiled lancets.

Windows throughout the church reflect various medieval periods. The aisles and chancel contain three-light reticulated tracery windows. The nave clerestory has two-light Perpendicular tracery windows. The south end of the south transept features a five-light Perpendicular tracery window, while the west side of the same transept has a five-light rectilinear tracery window. The north side displays four lancets to the chancel, a three-light Plate tracery window to the right of the chancel, three-light reticulated tracery windows to the aisle, two-light Perpendicular tracery windows to the clerestory, a five-light Perpendicular tracery window to the north end of the north transept, and a five-light rectilinear tracery window to the west side of the north transept. Plain parapets border the chancel, aisles, and transepts, while a battlemented parapet crowns the clerestory.

The north side of the building includes an early English doorway with a plank door positioned to the right of the chancel. At the west end, the nave has a five-light Perpendicular window dated to around 1672, featuring uncusped panel tracery and crenellated transoms. The north aisle west window is a two-light reticulated tracery window. The east end displays a five-light geometrical tracery window.

The tower has three-light Perpendicular tracery windows to each side of its lower stage and two two-light stone mullion and transom openings with reticulated tracery above to each side of the second stage. It is topped by a battlemented parapet.

The interior retains significant medieval and later features. Roofs to the chancel, nave, and aisles are probably 19th-century Perpendicular-style work. The transepts have late 19th-century wood ceilings with moulded wood ribs. A shoulder-arched piscina sits to the right of the chancel. The chancel floor holds an altar tomb to Lord Williams of Thame and his first wife Elizabeth, featuring reclining figures at prayer on a richly carved chest, attributed to Gerard Johnson the Elder and repaired by William Bird of Oxford after the Civil War. Sixteenth-century choir-stalls with linen-fold panelling occupy the chancel. A 17th-century chancel screen features linen-fold panelling to its base and an arcade on decorated columns. Two-centred arches span the crossing, accompanied by late 19th-century choir-stalls. A 14th-century screen to the north transept has a plank base and reticulated tracery above. An early 18th-century octagonal wood pulpit with sounding board stands to the left of the nave arch. The font has an octagonal stone bowl set upon re-used 12th and 13th-century stonework.

The church houses a fine collection of monuments. Two windows in the chancel are by Clayton and Bell, while the north aisle west window was designed by Morris and Company around 1923.