Church Of St Mary

SO 72 SE HARTPURY MURRELLS END ROAD

8/52 Church of St. Mary

2.10.54

GV I

Parish Church; C12, 14, 15, restored 1882. Roughly coursed stone with larger quoins to tower; random rubble to nave, some herringbone masonry; larger, coursed, squared stone in chancel and vestry. Slate roof to nave and vestry, tiled to chancel. West tower and porch, nave, chancel, vestry. Tower: 3 stages with plain string courses, square-set corner: buttresses to bottom stage; narrow, square-head windows with relieving arch to lower stages, single-light window with louvres above, 2 light window, ogee-heads to lights below 2-centred arch to third stage: crenellated battlements. Early timber-framed porch on west face, sides rebuilt, gable blind tracery on posts and braces forming doorway, cambered tie beam with struts to collar and principals; moulded bargeboards. Nave, south wall, blocked semi-circular arched doorway to left, corner shafts in red stone, cushion capitals in white. To right 2 two-light geometric-tracery windows, no hoodmoulds. One length herringbone masonry above door, one at east end. Parapet gables, cross-gablet to east apex with stump of stone cross. Single-storey vestry projects, pointed arch to boarded door, left return. 2 cinquefoiled lancets in gable; gable copings with double outlet to flue at apex, small gabled lancets to side and ends. Crested ridge. Chancel 2 two-light reticulated-tracery windows, with boarded door, 2-centred arch between: relieving arches to all three. Cross gablet to parapet gable to east. East window butterfly tracery. Interior: nave unplastered, plain semi-circular arch to tower, wide ditto to chancel, one recessed arch. 5 tie beams to roof, moulded with wall posts and braces from stone corbels to third and fifth, corbels to third crude figure of man one side, leaf scrolls other. Panelled, boarded barrel vault above with crown posts. Chancel plastered, stone-paved floor, 5 bay roof, king-post trusses with 2 pairs purlins and no ridge piece. Late C19 aumbry in north wall, trefoil head below steep gable with crockets. Chancel screen c1900, timber, Norman style, central semi-circular opening, 3 interlaced each side, chevron moulding to beam. Hexagonal Jacobean wooden pulpit, arched panels below, strapwork above, on C19 stone base. Octagonal stone font, quatrefoil panelling to bowl, blind tracery to stem; flat wooden lid, moulded edge, wooden handle, dated 1668. C19 organ case, crocketed pinnacles each side on octagonal bases, ogee arch in centre rising to floriate cross, blind panelling in spandrels. Various C18 and early C19 wall monuments, one dated probably 1704 with cherubs heads, poppies, drapery and flaming urn. Some medieval glass in head of north-east nave window. 7 pendant brass oil lights converted to electricity. (D.Verey, Gloucestershire, The Vale and the Forest of Dean, 1970.)

Listing NGR: SO7806623645