Church Of St Mary The Virgin

SO 61 NE BLAISDON FLAXLEY

6/16 Church of St. Mary the Virgin

II*

Parish Church, 1856, by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Red Forest ashlar, with grey ashlar dressings, timber porch, tiled roof with crested ridge, shingles to spire. Nave, north aisle, with tower at its west end, chancel, organ chamber and south porch. Nave of 4 bays, plain plinth, moulded string course at window sill level, angled gabled buttress at west end and square-set east. Stone gutter on carved corbels, with larger carved herds above down pipes; gabled copings with apex cross. 3-light windows with traceried heads, carved stops to hood moulds. Timber porch with carved bargeboards, reticulated tracery on columns-in sides. Chancel 2 bay, angled buttress as nave at corner, square set in centre: two 2-light windows, otherwise as nave but corbels to eaves are ball flower. East window 3-light with spherical triangles as tracery to head. Tower square in three stages with projecting stair enclosure, which starts square, changes to demi-octagon and terminates with stone roof and finial against side of tower. 2- light window to ground floor, second stage window trefoil in spherical triangle, above 4 blind lancets with trefoil heads set on attached columns: centre, openings pierced with smaller lancet with timber louvres. Projecting eaves on corbels, broach spire above with gablets for clock on north and south faces. Internally, main arcade has simple arches with hoodmoulds on quatrefoil columns, no clerestory. Carved hoodmould stops and cornice, and corbels for trusses to open roof. Chancel roof boarded, panelled pointed barrel vault. Encaustic tiles to floor. Font elaborate bowl on stem, with 4 marble columns set outside, all on octagonal base. Decorative stone pulpit, with marble colonnettes to corners. Alabaster reredos, carved by J. B. Philip. (Verey, Gloucestershire 2, 1970, p. 185).

Listing NGR: SO6884915338