Church Of St Mary

BOXWELL WITH BOXWELL VILLAGE ST 89 SW LEIGHTERTON 1/7 Church of St. Mary

GV II*

6.9.54 Parish church. C13 with early C14 north aisle; chancel largely rebuilt early C20. Coursed rubble and ashlar limestone; stone slate roof. Nave with north aisle; south porch and chancel. C13 pointed-arched south doorway with chamfered archivolt and hoodmould; C18 6-panel fielded door; arched stoup in wall to right. Parapet-gabled south porch with offset buttresses flush to south face; moulded pointed-arched opening with hoodmould; internal stone seats and arched braced roof. Nave window to left is C19 two-light with trefoil heads in square opening with hoodmould; C19 two-light to right of porch with narrow C19 single- light further right. C13 or early C14 bellcote surmounts parapet gable at east end of nave, having octagonal conical top on 4 supporting stone posts, those to east and west being bracketed out from base; grotesque carved head at each corner of base. Parapet- gabled west end with large early-mid C14 three-light window having intersecting tracery and hoodmould. Parapet-gabled chancel with 2- light east window having quatrefoil tracery; lancets in side walls. C20 ovolo-moulded 2-light square-headed window in north aisle toward east end. Interior: nave and chancel both limewashed. Nave dominated by early C14 three-bay aisle arcade with octagonal piers. C20 restored collar-truss nave roof; plain lean-to roof to aisle. Chamfered archivolt to plain C13 chancel arch with single corbel above and to left. Squint from north aisle to left. Royal arms painted over chancel arch are of William after death of Mary, but initials and date overpainted to read: 'A.R. 1702'. C20 rebuilt chancel has timber panelled ceiling, and C20 restored piscina and credence shelf in south wall. Timber brattished rail below east window with Morris and Co. hangings below. Early C17 chancel rail with turned balusters. Octagonal stone font of c1300 with panelled sides and pedestal with attached clustered column shafts. Three C15 pews at west end of nave have crude ball flower-decorated ends and are all that survive from complete set known to exist c1900. Many memorials to Huntley family of Boxwell Court (q.v.). At west end of nave marble memorial to Rev. RICHARD HUNTLEY, MA, died 1831, by Cook of Gloucester has obelisk ground and shrouded urn; tablet to right with shrouded urn over to EDMUND HUNTLEY, died 1803. To left of south doorway memorial tablet with bolection moulding and scrolled pediment over to REVD. RD. HUNTLEY, MA, died 1728, by TYLEY of Bristol. Memorial on each spandrel of arcade, left to ELIZABETH GLASSE, died 1757, has flaming urn over broken pediment; right to ELIZABETH JOHNSON, DIED 1775 and MATTHEW HUNTLEY, died 1768, has fluted pilasters with open pediment and paterae in frieze. Church stands in very secluded position adjacent to Boxwell Court. (J.F.B. Huntley, Church Guide, 1970; and D. Verey, Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, 1979.)

Listing NGR: ST8122692698