Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary, Upper Swainswick

An Anglican parish church, primarily 12th century in date with alterations from the 14th and 15th centuries. The building was restored in the mid to late 19th century by C.E. Davis of Bath. It comprises a west tower, nave, north aisle, south porch, chancel and north chancel chapel. The structure is built of ashlar and coursed rubble with a stone slate roof featuring coped raised verges.

The west tower is probably 14th century and is built into the west end of the nave. It has three stages with a plain ashlar parapet and quoins, and a saddleback roof. The second stage contains a single square light, while the bell chamber has a 2-light cusped window. A buttress with off-sets is positioned at the west corner.

The nave contains several windows of different dates. To the left of the porch is a 2-light window with cusped ogee-headed tracery under a square hood mould, with a single narrow light at the left. To the right is a fine 3-light window with an ogee head, moulded mullions and surrounds, and reticulated tracery in the upper part, topped by an ogee hoodmould and finial. At the far right is a 2-light casement window with segmental heads and ovolo moulded surrounds. The south porch is gabled and projecting, with a plank studded door set within a fine moulded and ogee headed doorway.

The chancel is mostly 19th century in date. Its south side contains two windows: one plain 3-light window and one single cusped light. The east window is of Perpendicular style but dates from the 19th century and has four lights.

The north chantry chapel features a 4-light late Perpendicular style east window with cusped heads under a square dripmould. A similar 2-light window is positioned on the north side, with a doorway nearby that has a chamfered and 4-centre headed surround with leaf carving in the spandrels.

The north aisle contains the remains of a stoup close to the chantry door. It has a large 4-light Perpendicular style window on the left with a 4-centred head; a 2-light window to the west with a small square light at the right; and a 3-light west window in ovolo moulded and round-headed surrounds.

The south door is of mid to late 12th century date. It features single columns with scalloped capitals and an arch with two bands of zig-zag ornament. The hoodmould is decorated with a band of dogtooth moulding and carved head stops.

The interior reveals three octagonal tower piers, visible and decorated with stops on the south piers. The arches to the east and south are double chamfered with continuous hoodmoulds and string course; the head stops are coarsely cut, with a figure of a demi-angel on the south-east pier.

The north arcade comprises two bays with piers of alternating hollow mouldings and engaged shafts. The arches are 4-centred but round-headed and chamfered, with a narrow chamfered arch to the east. The chancel arch features ogee moulding. The arch from the aisle to the north chantry chapel has engaged columns with foliate and crocketted capitals. The arch from the chancel to the north chapel is of Perpendicular style with a panelled soffit and sides.

A stoup to the east of the south door has an elaborate canopy with an ogee head and crocketted pinnacles. The piscina in the north chapel is surrounded by a plain 4-centre headed recess with carved spandrels and thin columns.

The pulpit dates to the late 19th century and is in Early English style. The font is possibly early 13th century, though it has been recut. It is of ashlar construction with an octagonal bowl on a cylindrical stem and a moulded base.

Monuments within the church include: in the tower, a marble monument to Mary Morgan (1794) by William Reeves of Bath, featuring a draped urn; in the nave, the Royal Arms of Charles I (1647); in the chancel, a marble monument to Catherine Winsloe by T. King of Bath with an oval medallion bearing a draped urn on a plinth decorated with heraldry, and a brass to Edmund Forde (1439); and in the north aisle, inscribed tablets to John and William Turner (1678 and 1678 respectively) and Anne Danvers (1682).