Church Of St Mary

WATERPERRY SP60NW 6/190 Church of St. Mary 18/07/63

GV I

Church. Saxon, early C13 and early C14, restored 1840. Limestone rubble with ashlar dressings and some weatherboarding; artificial stone-slate and lead roofs. Nave, chancel, south aisle and west tower. C13 chancel has 3 original lancets in each of the side walls, plus a fourth to south dated from the C19 rebuilding of the east wall with its 3-light window of Reticulated tracery; blocked priests door to north. The steep-pitched roof has the base of a sanctus bellcote on the west gable parapet. The south aisle has an early C14 east window of 3 lights with a large sexfoil in the tracery, and, to south, a low C15 window of 2 ogee lights and a 3-light C15/early C16 window of 3 cinqefoil lights; C14 south doorway has a keeled roll dying into wave-moulded jambs. The north wall of the nave has 2 more identical windows with sexfoils in the tracery and a blocked C14 doorway. At the east end of the wall is a rectangular stair projection. The west wall has a 3-light window with Perpendicular tracery between deep stepped and gabled buttresses; to right is a C14 doorway and the central gable is taken up to form the base of the weatherboarded tower which has a shallow pyramid roof. Interior: Chancel has a plastered 7-canted roof, with 3 heavy tie beams, and a late-medieval aumbry in the north wall. C14 chancel arch springing from corbel heads is set beneath a high Saxon arch with plain imposts. Transitional 3-bay arcade has fluted and scalloped capital to east and masonry pier to west. King-post roof to nave, probably C16. West tower is supported on internal posts with large curved braces. Fittings include C18 panelled pine box pews, reading desk dated 1632, elaborately-canopied pulpit inscribed "GM/1677", C17 barley-twist communion rails, late C18 Gothic screen forming entrance lobby (removed from former chapel in Waterperry House (q.v.)), and a painted Royal Arms dated 1757. Stained glass in windows include C13, C14, C15 and C16 figures, shields and quarries, plus some C19 and C20 glass, Monuments include C14 full-length effigy under elaborate double-cusped and crocketted canopy; C17 alabaster wall monuments to Sir Francis Curson, with kneeling figures, and to Magdalen Curson with framed inscription; large marble group by Chantry dated 1821; a series of brasses including one palimpsest, plus many C17, C18 and C19 ledgers to Cursons and others. (V.C.H.: Oxfordshire, Vol.V, pp,306-8; Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, pp,826-8).

Listing NGR: SP6295306319