The Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church largely of 13th-century origin, with additions from the 15th century, alterations in the 18th century, and a restoration in 1854. The church is constructed of roughcast and rubble stone with stone dressings, and has stone-tiled roofs with dressed stone copings. It comprises a three-bay nave, a two-bay chancel, a west tower, a south porch, and a north vestry.

The tower is of Perpendicular style and two storeys high, featuring diagonal buttresses, a moulded embattled parapet with a weathercock, and flat-headed two-light cusped bell openings with dripstones. A west tower door has a four-centred arch with carved labels, above which is a three-light traceried window with a pointed head. A sundial is located on the south face of the tower. The nave’s south wall is punctuated by two re-cut Perpendicular traceried pointed windows; a plain two-light window is situated in the north wall. A small two-light Perpendicular window sits above a renewed round-arched porch entrance. A plain Tudor arch with a dripstone defines the south doorway. The chancel windows have plain round and pointed heads.

The interior is aisleless, with a high Perpendicular arch leading to the tower. The chancel arch comprises three orders, the outer order displaying a possible reset zig-zag pattern. Two Transitional columns with stiff leaf decoration on their capitals are present. Plaster barrel vaults cover the interior, although a tie beam and crown post are visible in the chancel. The chancel’s south wall holds two late 15th-century brasses depicting a husband and wife. The chancel’s north wall features two fine Loveden monuments. The first depicts Margaret, the first wife of Edward Loveden Loveden of Buscot Park, who died in 1784. The sculpture shows her with two putti beside a grey obelisk, with a relief of Charity displaying her giving money to a poor man and bread to a girl. The second monument is dedicated to Elizabeth, the second wife, who died in 1788, showing her reclining on a couch in front of an obelisk, with an angel appearing from the left and holding her hand. Both monuments are signed by Robert Cooke, the former dated 1786. Additional wall monuments commemorate the Rev Robert Reading (died 1791, also by Cooke), Susanna Place (died 1686), and Edward Loveden (died 1713).

A remarkable set of stained glass windows designed by Edward Burne-Jones and executed by Morris & Co. is present. These include a 1892 window in the chancel east wall depicting The Good Shepherd; a 1897 window in the chancel south wall representing Angels of Paradise; a 1921 window in the nave north wall showing Valour and Fortitude; a 1921 window in the nave south wall depicting the Centurion and Christ as Love; a 1922 window in the tower west wall illustrating Hope, Charity, and Faith; and a 1924 window in the nave south wall portraying the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary. An Early 16th-century English Renaissance polygonal pulpit incorporates reset panels from an early 16th-century Flemish triptych, a gift from Sir Alexander Henderson in 1908.