Church of St Mary the Virgin

Church of St Mary the Virgin

This church in Bletchingley combines work from the 11th to 20th centuries. The 11th-century tower, north chancel arcade, and south chancel chapel date from the 13th century with 15th-century alterations. The south aisle and porch are 15th-century additions. A north aisle was added in 1856 by Rhode-Hawkins. The church underwent major restoration in 1870 by J.L Pearson, and the upper stage of the tower was renewed in Perpendicular style by Baker-King in 1910.

The structure is built of ironstone rubble with ashlar dressings to the tower and coursed stone elsewhere. The parapets are battlemented and partly obscure the slate roof. The tower has a plain tiled pyramidal roof with an iron and wood crowning weathervane. The tower stands to the west, with an aisled nave, a two-storey porch to the south, a rood turret between the south aisle and south chancel chapel, and a vestry to the north.

The unbuttressed three-stage tower features a two-light window to its west face. The top stage has Perpendicular-style windows and angle gargoyles. The 19th-century aisle windows are in elaborate Perpendicular style, with lancets to the east dating from 1870. The south chancel chapel has 15th-century three-light segmental-headed windows with a quatrefoil opening below associated with Roger the Hermit of Bletchingley. The arched west door has jamb shafts and human head stops to the hood moulding. The south door is set beneath a 15th-century roll-moulded surround within a richly battlemented and crocketed Perpendicular porch.

The interior has a four-bay nave with arcades on lobed and convex compound piers of quatrefoil section. The 15th-century timber nave roof has tie beams supported on carved stone brackets shaped as human and devils heads. The tower arch to the west stands on square responds and corner shafts with upright leaf and volute carving. The chancel contains a Norman window on the east end of the north side, with chamfered reveals to other northern chancel windows resting on short shafts standing on wall seats.

The reredos at the east end of the chancel was designed by G.E Street in 1870 and includes a portrayal of Bishop Wilberforce amongst the apostles. A trefoil-headed Perpendicular-style piscina occupies the east wall of the south chancel chapel. The north aisle has a 15th-century stone canopy in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit. A Jacobean oak pulpit dating from 1650 features a central stem with panelled sides and fluted pilasters to the back board flanking an arched niche. The 15th-century stone font is octagonal with a quatrefoil-decorated bowl, an octagonal stem, and trefoil-headed niches.

Two south aisle windows contain stained glass by Camper and Kempe.

The monuments include a 1705 monument to Sir Robert and Lady Clayton by Robert Crutcher on the south chapel east wall. This is the only known example of Crutcher's work and features veined grey marble with a darker grey ground. Life-size standing figures of Sir Robert and Lady Clayton appear in an aedicular surround beneath a crowning segmental arch inside a broken and split pediment supported by fluted Corinthian columns and panelled pilasters on a panelled plinth. Their son appears as a swaddling child between them, with mourning cherubs on the ends and in the top of the central drapery inscription panel. Iron railings with twisted standards front the monument.

On the south chancel chapel's south wall is a monument to Anna, Lady Clayton (died 1772) by William Tyler, featuring marble with a standing cherub leaning on a draped urn.

A chest tomb to Sir Thomas Cawarden (died 1559, steward to Anne of Cleves) occupies the south chancel arcade's east bay. The stone tomb has angle pilasters and recessed panels to the north and south sides containing strapwork rosettes and bars, with a small brass plate and italic inscription on top.

The north aisle's east bay holds a monument to Sir William Beasley (died 1809) by J. Bacon Junior. This stone work features a grey ground with a white marble female figure carrying scales, a draped urn on a pedestal, and references to his East India Company service including ships and elephants.

Also in the north aisle wall is a monument to Nathaniel Harris (1625), comprising a black inscription panel flanked by pilaster shafts, brown stone with dentilled cornice, and gadroon-type decoration to the apron.