Parish Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin

This is a parish church of 15th, 16th and 17th century date, located in Silverton. The north aisle was added around 1478, an addition mentioned in the will of John Suffmore, the rector. A north chancel chapel was added in the early 16th century and features a rebus of Lawrence Dobel (rector 1519–31) carved into one of its capitals. The church underwent major restoration and rebuilding between 1860 and 1863 by Edward Ashworth, during which the chancel and the two westernmost bays were rebuilt. A further restoration followed in 1880, again carried out by Ashworth.

The building is constructed of coursed rubble volcanic trap with Bath stone. It comprises a west tower, nave, north and south aisles, chancel, north chancel chapel, south-east vestry, and south porch.

The west tower rises in two stages and is battlemented with corner pinnacles. Diagonal buttresses to the north-west and south-west, clasping to the north-east and south-east, all feature three offsets. A polygonal stair turret to the north is lit by six tiny windows, the lowest of which is pointed. Belfry openings of two lights appear on all sides; the south side has an additional two-light window below to light the ringing chamber. A three-light Perpendicular west window, largely renewed, occupies the tower front, and the west doorway surround appears to be 20th century reconstituted stone.

The south aisle consists of four bays. The porch occupies the westernmost bay, bonded into it and recessed slightly from the aisle plane, with a four-light square-headed window above. A conventional Perpendicular west window is present. The inner and outer doorways are moulded and appear to date from the late 15th or early 16th century, as does the barrel vault to the porch with ribs resting on moulded bell capitals, though Ashworth's modifications may have altered these details. The remaining three windows of the aisle and the east window (Perpendicular, four lights, divided by slender buttresses with three offsets) follow the same style. The aisle is battlemented throughout, with a clear masonry joint visible between aisle and nave.

The chancel contains two-light windows to north and south and a three-light east window, all dating from Ashworth's 1860s restoration. The battlemented south-east vestry, also by Ashworth, features a two-light square-headed window to the south and a priest's door to the east.

The north aisle comprises four bays matching the south aisle. The north chancel chapel projects slightly from the aisle, with a clear masonry joint between them. It is buttressed and battlemented, with a cornice moulding bearing fleurons. A Perpendicular east window is present, alongside a 19th century window to the north.

Internally, the nave rises through four bays with tall piers featuring wavy moulding. All capitals except two display foliage; the two exceptions are larger and bear shield-carrying angels. Ashworth rebuilt the two westernmost piers, apparently reusing the original detailed stone. The tower arch is simply chamfered. The chancel arch features detached shafts with large bases and capitals; windows have nook shafts. The nave roof is a wagon type, repaired and renewed by Ashworth, who deliberately retained the original disjuncture in the ribs above the former screen position. An open wagon roof covers the chancel (all dating from the 1860s), while the north-east chapel has a flat ribbed roof and the aisles have ceiled roofs. One door to the screen (ground floor) survives; the upper door is blocked. Arches into the north-east chapel from both aisle and chancel feature panelled soffits and responds; the chancel arch additionally includes detached shafts.

A fragment of screen wainscoting now resides in the north-east chapel. The west gallery shows two distinct periods of construction: four Doric columns with pronounced entasis support an ovolo-moulded bressumer, appearing approximately a century earlier than the frontal. The frontal is dated 1734 and contains ten panels setting out various parish charities, each pair divided by pilasters, with a moulded rail and dentilled base. The stone font dates from 1834 and the stone pulpit from 1863.

The east window is by Ward and Hughes (1880). The north aisle window is by Warrington, signed and dated 1857.