Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is an Anglican parish church with origins in the early 12th century. It features a north-east Bradfield Chapel dating to the 13th century, alterations from the 15th century, a 1870 restoration, and a west tower added in 1880 by Reginald Blomfield. The church is constructed of coursed rubble (on the north aisle), squared and coursed rubble, and squared and dressed stone, with ashlar dressings, copings, and stone slate roofs. It consists of a nave, chancel, north and south aisles, a west tower, and a south porch.

The nave and chancel have 2-light windows in an Early English style, with hoodmoulds; those on the south side have gabled elevations. A round-headed doorway and a single 13th-century lancet window are found on the north side of the nave. The east window is of 3 lights with 19th-century tracery. A round-headed doorway on the chancel’s south side is accompanied by a sundial above. The Bradfield Chapel, an extension of the north aisle, has three lancets to the east end and paired lancets and two Perpendicular windows to the north. A 19th-century organ recess is located in the north aisle.

The three-stage west tower includes a stair turret at the south-east corner, clasping buttresses, moulded string courses, and an embattled parapet. It has Perpendicular style fenestration to the west facade and two-light bell openings with pierced lozenge patterning, with a clock on the east face. The 19th-century gabled south porch incorporates reused 13th-century shafts and capitals.

Inside, the nave has three 12th-century arcades: the north arcade features circular piers with trumpet and scallop capitals and round-headed arches, while the south arcade has pointed-headed arches. The tower arch has double wave moulding. The nave has an open rafter roof, and the chancel has a 19th-century barrel vault. A two-bay 13th-century arcade with circular piers and pointed arches gives access to the Bradfield Chapel from the chancel. The chapel windows have detached Purbeck marble shafts. The north aisle has a 15th-century timber roof, and the south aisle has a 19th-century rafter roof. Notable fittings include 15th-century pew ends, an early 17th-century panelled pulpit, a 16th-century chasuble on the south wall, and a rood screen rebuilt in 1917, incorporating 15th-century sections. The Bradfield Chapel contains a wall monument from 1616 dedicated to Simon James, featuring a chest with fluted Ionic columns. The north aisle holds several wall monuments (from the early 17th to early 19th centuries), a benefaction board in the west window reveal, a 17th-century Flemish wood panel fronting the organ depicting the Sacrifice of Isaac, and a painting of the Virgin and Child. The chancel’s east window is a fine early 20th-century stained glass window, while the south window has late 19th-century glass.