Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building located on Church Approach in Thorpe. The chancel arch dates from the 12th century, while the nave was constructed in the 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries. The tower was added in the 16th century, and the aisles were rebuilt in 1848. The church has a plan consisting of a chancel and nave with three bays, along with north and south aisles and shallow transepts. The tower is situated at the west end and features walls made of mixed types of stone, tiled roofs, and brick corner buttresses.

On the west side of the tower, there is a plain door with a stone surround, above which is a three-light cusped window with a square hood mould and a brick drip mould. The upper window is a two-light semicircular headed design, topped with a louvred crenellated parapet. Similar louvred windows are found on the south and north sides, the latter also featuring a clock face with black background and gold numerals made by Tucker of London. The bells were recast in 1958.

Inside the chancel, the east window has three lights with 20th-century glass, while some 14th-century glass can be found in the north windows. The altar rail is made from a former gallery front, featuring oak spiral balusters. There are two graded sedilia with an ogee arch and dividing column, along with a piscina and side shelves. Each of the north and south walls contains a single and a double light window. Notable tombs include that of Admiral Townsend from 1765, which has a marble inscription panel and a flat recessed arch, along with a cherub on a pedestal with a coat of arms and mantling at the base, and a slate floor slab dated 1656.

The Norman chancel arch has 15th-century traceried openings on either side. Behind the arch is a tablet commemorating Michael Harrison from 1709, adorned with drapes and a cherub. Above the arch, the Ten Commandments are painted on two boards. The pulpit, made of oak, is octagonal and dates from the 19th century. The south transept chapel is dedicated to 1485. The nave features two bays of a crown post roof and a pointed barrel roof, with a double row of pointed panels and a painted Crucifixion on the tympanum. Medieval tiles are present in front of the organ. The south aisle contains a piscina and a carved niche, while the north aisle has a tablet commemorating Gideon Travers from 1706, two brass chandeliers, and brasses for Bonde from 1578 and 1850, as well as Denham from 1583. One column in the north arcade is octagonal and dates from the 13th century.