Parish Church Of St Mary

The parish church of St Mary dates primarily to the 14th century, with significant rebuilding and alterations across subsequent centuries, including the 17th, 16th, and early 20th centuries. Group value is demonstrated through its historical and architectural significance. The chancel’s east wall was rebuilt in the 17th century, and the aisle walls mostly date to the 15th and early 16th centuries. The west tower is unusually located within the main body of the church and originates from the early 16th century. A clearstorey was added in the early 16th century. The church was restored in 1870 under T.H. Wyatt, involving the removal of a wall above a stone screen and the construction of a new arch. More recent 20th-century restorations include work to the nave roof.

The building is constructed of stone, flint rubble walls with ashlar and freestone dressings, all covered with lead roofs. The chancel extends one bay east of the aisles; the north wall features a single-light window with a trefoiled head from the 14th century, with a blocked window on the south wall. The east window is a 6-light design, reset from the 15th century. The aisles have five windows to the north and four to the south, each with three lights in a Perpendicular style, with later additions to the west. The west tower is built of Ham stone ashlar with three stages, featuring octagonal buttresses, finials, pinacles, string-courses and ornamentation to the second stage. A Perpendicular-style doorway provides access to the church. A four-light west window is also present. The tower’s bell openings are three-light, transomed with 'Somerset' stone tracery. The south porch has a 15th-century outer archway with moulded jambs and a four-centred head. A panel on the parapet is inscribed “C W Willi Tulledge, Tho Dussell, 1696”, marking a restoration date.

Inside, the nave has four bays with late Perpendicular piers and pointed arches. The chancel arch dates to 1870 and was formerly a solid wall. The nave roof was originally of low pitch with tie-beams and short king-posts, but was rebuilt in the 20th century without tie beams. A medieval font, with an octagonal bowl and chamfered under edge, stands alongside more recent stem and base elements. The oak pulpit is octagonal, with enriched rails, a cornice, and a sounding board, dated 1640. A 15th-century stone screen separates the chancel, featuring six lights on each side and a central doorway. Wall-paintings depicting four scenes from the life of St John the Baptist are present within the chancel, dating to the 14th century. 17th-century paintings and an inscription are found within the north aisle. Numerous monuments and wall tablets, predominantly from the 17th and 18th centuries, are also present.