Retaining Wall Around the Churchyard of the Church of St Mary the Virgin

The retaining wall around the churchyard of the Church of St. Mary the Virgin is a structure dating from the late 18th century, with some alterations made in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is constructed of brown brick and stands about 4 feet high along the Church Street frontage, featuring an offset at the top and a brick coping. The wall rises with tiled coping towards the end gate located at the north corner near Old Manor Farm, which has a wrought iron gate adorned with spear heads. The wall extends approximately 80 feet to a new entrance made of red brick and stone, situated opposite the west door of the church. Another section of the wall, also about 80 feet long, runs from the west door to the corner of Church Street and Thames Street, where it rises to approximately 5 feet as the ground slopes down. The wall has a curved corner and includes about 3 feet of wall on either side of double gates that are set between 6 feet high piers on Thames Street, south of the church. These gates feature spear rails and open standards, with decorative scroll work and curved bracket overthrows topped with urn finials. There is also a single gate to the east at the corner of the churchyard.