Church of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This parish church dates from the early to mid-12th century, with significant alterations in the 15th century and major enlargement in 1852 by J C Buckler and Son. The chancel was added in 1870. The bellcote was rebuilt in 1901 by M H Medland. The church contains late-19th-century glass and wall-paintings by Clayton and Bell.

The 12th-century parts are built in ashlar, while the 15th-century work is in rubblestone and the 19th-century parts in rough-faced rubble. The roofs are of Cotswold stone with coped verges and cross finials.

The original 12th-century church, comprising nave and chancel, now serves as the south aisle and chapel to the larger 19th-century church, which projects to the east and west. A 15th-century south porch has been added.

The 12th-century church, now forming the south parts of the building, contains the former nave (now the south aisle) and a slightly narrower chancel (now the south chapel). Double-chamfered stringcourses of 12th-century date run across the west and east ends. The former nave has a moulded eaves cornice. The Norman doorway at the western end of the former nave is a round-headed opening with two orders featuring shallow abaci on cushion capitals. The inner order of the arch has a double cable moulding, while the outer has a roll-moulding on the edge. An innermost order of continuous chip-carved diapering frames the tympanum—ten stones skilfully wedged together and cut into a flat arch. This tympanum is carved with a Tree of Life with a dove pecking at its fruit, apparently unfinished. The doorway is sheltered by the 15th-century gabled porch with a hollow-moulded doorway. The former nave contains a three-light pointed-arched rectilinear west window. To the east of the porch is a late-15th-century three-light square-headed window with curvilinear tracery beneath a hoodmould with hollowed stops, set in a deeply-hollowed surround. The 12th-century ashlar of the south wall is interrupted in the first bay west of the chancel where a 15th-century aisle and rood screen were removed in the late 17th century; the blocked openings to the rood stair survive. The upper level of the former nave contains a re-set course of chevron, perhaps from the north doorway. The former chancel has a corbel-table to the south wall with some carved heads. In the south wall of the former chancel are a small round-headed Norman window and a later rectangular low-side window. The east wall contains a late-15th-century two-light square-headed former east window; next to the window is re-set a small pillar of chip-carving. The 19th-century nave and chancel are in Early English style with lancet windows—three stepped to the east end and a pair to the west. The Norman corbel-table is partly reused on the north chancel wall. The 1901 tripartite bellcote to the west gable is in Early English style, with a central pointed opening flanked by Caernarfon arches and clasping columns to either side; two new bells were added to an existing bell of 1683. The stairs to the crypt are to the south, beside the 12th-century chancel.

Inside, the 12th-century church retains noteworthy Norman features, principally the former chancel arch. The arch rests on three pairs of nook-shafts with cushion capitals bearing primitive figure carving. The three outer orders of the arch are richly decorated—one with chip-carving and the next with double cable. The outermost order forms a band of twenty-six symbolical carvings, extremely unusual, including human figures and animals interspersed with patterns. The south window of the former nave, now the south aisle, has an image bracket to its east splay. The arched south window in the former chancel, now the chapel, has a rere-arch to the inner angle of the splays with carved bases and capitals to the shafts. The roof of the former chancel features delicate arched braces joined to coupled rafters, possibly medieval. The floor is laid with Victorian encaustic tiles. The old and new naves are separated by a two-bay pointed arcade with round columns and responds; both parts have open-trussed roofs, that to the 19th-century resting on moulded corbels. There is a squint with a segmental-pointed arch between the former nave and the 19th-century chancel. The 19th-century chancel arch is set within a segmental-pointed frame; within this is an openwork wooden screen with ogival panels, made in 1925 by F E Howard. To the north, the wine-glass pulpit is of the same date, also by Howard, with linenfold panels. The tripartite stepped lancets forming the east window are set within a rere-arch with shafts separating the lights. A niche with piscina and paired trefoil-headed arches is located to the south. The chancel is decorated with a narrative scheme of 1883-84 (the north-west window dating from 1874) by Clayton and Bell, in which wall-paintings combine with stained glass to tell the story of the Passion. The tri-coloured scenes are set in painted architectural Gothic frames with text beneath. The chancel has arched braces to the roof. The sanctuary is protected by a low wrought-iron screen with timber rail; the floor has geometric and encaustic tiles. The organ is set within an opening with a segmental-pointed frame between the new and old chancels. Glass in the church, other than in the chancel, is also by Clayton and Bell, dating between 1866 and 1884, the majority belonging to the 1883-84 phase. The exception is the east window of the former chancel, dated 1841, with vesica panels containing the Virgin and Child and the arms of Christ Church, Oxford. The 15th-century font was re-cut in the 19th century; it is of octagonal chalice-type with Perpendicular-style traceried panelling containing shields bearing the Saltire Cross of the Slaughter family.