Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This is a parish church with origins in the early 14th century, substantially rebuilt in the 15th century with early 16th-century additions, and extensively restored in 1884 with further works. The building combines local stone rubble construction for the chancel and north nave wall with granite ashlar for the tower, porch and south aisle. It is covered by a gable-ended slate roof.

The church comprises a nave, chancel, south aisle, south porch and west tower. The chancel contains the earliest work, evidenced by an early 14th-century west window. The nave probably dates from the early 15th century, as does the tower. The south aisle is judged by its windows to be early 16th-century, though the porch built in front of it appears earlier. During the 1884 restoration by Fulford, the north wall was rebuilt and evidence of a former north transept was discovered. A vestry and organ chamber were added at this time.

The three-stage west tower features crocketted pinnacles and set-back buttresses. The belfry openings are two-light with ogee heads. The west doorway has a four-centred head with hollow chamfered rebated chamfered square surround, quatrefoils in the spandrels, and an image niche above. Similar ogee-headed niches are set in the buttresses to either side. The three-light west window displays surprisingly simple Perpendicular tracery without cusping.

The rebuilt north nave wall includes a vestry at its eastern end with a hipped roof and a projecting stack. The rood stair projection has a two-light granite mullion window. On the north aisle wall, the easterly window reuses early fabric with two cinquefoiled lights and trefoils above; the window to its right is completely restored in Decorated style. The chancel has a notable early 14th-century three-light east window with reticulated tracery, above which is a datestone of 1656. The south aisle east window is a large four-light opening with late Perpendicular tracery. The south side features three early 16th-century three-light granite mullion windows with segmental heads and square hoodmould; a similar window occurs at the west end of the aisle, though the mullions have been renewed. A small two-centred arched priest's doorway, probably reused from the original south wall, is also present. The one-storey south porch has a doorway with a depressed four-centred head, imposts and moulded capitals.

Internally, the porch retains a simple chamfered south doorway with four-centred head and an original wagon roof with moulded purlins and principals and renewed bosses. A seventeenth-century plank door with trident hinges survives. The main church contains a four-bay granite arcade of Pevsner A-type piers with four-centred moulded arches. A tall four-centred double-chamfered tower arch opens to the nave. The internal walls are plastered. A crocketted internal arch to the east window was carved by Hems during the restoration. The nave and chancel roofs are late 19th or early 20th-century boarded wagon roofs. The aisle retains an early but restored wagon roof with moulded purlins and principals.

A 15th-century rood screen extends across the nave, originally longer. Though considerably restored, it retains mainly original Perpendicular tracery and parts of the frieze. A panelled pulpit inscribed "S.W.1665" survives. The font is composite, with an old base and shaft of different stones, but a 19th-century bowl. At the east end of the aisle is a wall memorial with inscribed slate flanked by Ionic columns and a segmental arch above with a ball finial, commemorating Simon Westlake who died in 1667.