Church Of St Mary

SP 00 SE AMPNEY ST. MARY A417 (off south side)

5/56 Church of St. Mary

26.11.58

GV I

Small Anglican church. Early C12 nave with C13 chancel, restored 1913. Rubble stone with quoins, stone slate roof with coped verges to nave and bellcote at east end of nave. Nave with south porch, chancel. Nave has raking buttresses on north side and single lancets, trefoil to east, flanking Norman square-headed low doorway with cambered top lintel carved with a scene showing the Lion of Righteousness triumphing over the agents of Evil. On south side, single round arched light with external rebate and drilled holes for shutter to left of porch, and 3-light stone mullion window of C15 to right with arched lights and square hoodmould. Large Decorated 3-light west window with flowing tracery. Bellcote has large base on ridge and single triangular headed cusped arch with bell. Chancel has 2 small lancets of north side, 3 stepped lancets with arched hoodmould and carved stops to east, and central priest's door with shouldered arch to south flanked by single lancet to left and square headed opening to right. Interior: C14 wagon roofs to nave and chancel. All windows have deep internal splays. C13 stone screen on chancel side of pointed chancel arch with moulded edge and elbow of one return stall on south side. Wall paintings survive in nave and chancel from C12 to C15. Decorative treatment of north wall of chancel with cinquefoils and tendrils within painted stone courses. Nave has figures of Saint Christopher and Saint George and the Dragon on north wall, and large painting depicting "Keep Holy the Sabbath Day" on south wall. Norman font with chevron moulding. The church was abandoned after C15 due to an outbreak of the Black Death and is now isolated from the village which moved to the hamlet north of the main road (A417) formerly called Ashbrook, now Ampney St. Mary. (David Verey, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire - The Cotswolds, 1979.)

Listing NGR: SP0756301540