Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is an Anglican parish church that dates from the 13th and 15th centuries, with a west tower and significant rebuilding completed in 1856 by S. B. Gabriel of Bristol. It is constructed from rubble stone and features stone tiled roofs. The church has a striking three-stage tower, which resembles those found at Yatton Keynell and Burton (Nettleton). The tower includes a south stair projection leading up to the second stage, a two-light Y-tracery west window on the first stage, small single-light cusped openings on the second stage, and an ashlar 15th-century top stage with panelled sides. This top stage has three panels, each with two tiers of paired cusped panels, and features a central pair of bell openings with pierced stone screens. The tower is topped with high panelled battlements and crocketted pinnacles.

The body of the church consists of a nave and transepts of equal size, a narrower chancel, a south porch, and a northeast vestry. The windows are of the Decorated style, generally two-light with quatrefoils, and some are three-light, all with hoods. Buttresses are located at the angles of the structure. The south doorway is a reused 13th-century feature with circular shafts, square abaci, and imposts decorated with interlace, topped by a chamfered pointed arch.

Inside, the church is broad and aisleless, with wide scissor-braced rafter roofs. The tower arch is adorned with dogtooth ornamentation. The east window is elaborate, featuring Purbeck shafting and painted texts on the chancel walls. Stained glass from around 1856 by Bell of Bristol can be found in the east window, as well as in the chancel's north and south windows and the west window. A fine 15th-century Perpendicular style wooden pulpit with ogee arches to the panels is also present. In the south transept, there is a reset 16th-century wall monument with relief figures dedicated to A. P. (likely Anne Prator). Various tablets, mostly from the early 19th century, have been reset in the tower. Notably, Bishop Hugh Latimer, who lived from around 1490 to 1555, served as the rector from 1531.