Church Of St Mary

Church of St Mary, Dymock

Parish Church. Dating from the 11th century with 12th, 14th and 15th century phases, probably 18th century work, and 19th century restoration.

Exterior

The church comprises a west tower and spire, long nave, staggered transepts, south porch, chancel, vestry and organ chamber. Construction is predominantly of well-squared coursed stone to the tower, random rubble with ashlar dressings to the west end of the nave and east end of chancel, and roughly squared coursed stone with ashlar dressings to the transepts and vestry. Tiled roofs with a shingled spire cover the structure.

The south-facing tower features a moulded plinth, an octagonal turret for the stair on the left with a diagonal corner buttress, and blind panels at the foot with ogee heads and stands for statues and coats of arms. The buttress has a slight offset. The tower rises in three stages: the lowest contains a wall monument with a moulded string above and a slit window for the stair; a square-headed window occupies the centre face with a circular clock face above. A moulded string with a pointed-headed recess topped with a gable hood marks the next stage. Above this, the stonework changes from red to green, with a two-light Perpendicular-tracery window, louvres (the centre mullion replaced with wood), a moulded string and plain parapet with corner finials above. A low pepperpot roof caps the stair turret. The octagonal spire carries lean-to ventilation openings to each face low down and to cardinal faces above, with a weathervane.

The nave's south wall displays a diagonal buttress on the left, a chamfered plinth, and three pilaster buttresses to the base. Above these is a wall monument of 1821, a three-light reticulated-tracery window with a hoodmould, and a break in the stonework. A moulded string with a pilaster buttress to the eaves follows, with a semi-circular-headed lancet featuring nock shafts and roll moulding to the arch. Further pilasters rise over the porch roof.

The south porch has a chamfered plinth, twin lancets on the left return, a diagonal corner buttress, a moulded door surround and sunken carved spandrels above. An ogee-headed recess in the gable contains a statue of the Virgin and Child, dated 1927 and created by Owen Wynniatt. A parapet gable with a stone cross crowns the porch.

The south transept is low and adjoins the porch on the right, with a plinth, a three-light Perpendicular window with hoodmould, and a painted wooden sundial above dated 1770. An 1818 wall monument and diagonal corner buttress appear to the right.

The nave wall steps back slightly on the right, featuring three pilaster buttresses with a string course below, above which rises a semi-circular-headed four-light Perpendicular-tracery window. Part of a blocked window sits immediately to the left, with brick infilling on either side of the window head. A corner pilaster rises to the eaves.

The lower chancel on the right has a plinth and moulded string to its first section. A two-light window with trefoil heads and slight ogee apex is cut into the wall, with a 1695 wall monument below. Where the moulded string reappears to the right, two bays of blind arches rise above with a centre pillar of triple columns with scalloped capitals and diaper-pattern infilling to the semi-circular heads. A pilaster to the right angles slightly for the start of a polygonal apse. To the right, there is no plinth, a blocked door opening and a rectangular window above with chamfered reveals, followed by a square-set buttress, a two-light window with trefoil heads but no hoodmould, and a diagonal corner buttress. A parapet gable with a cross-gablet apex topped by a floriate cross marks the chancel's end.

The east end features diagonal corner buttresses and a five-light Perpendicular-tracery window with two king mullions. The bottom of the centre three lights are infilled with quatrefoils. A Dancocks wall monument (for Great Netherton Farm) appears on the right, dated 1849. The vestry's side wall sets back on the right with a plinth, a boarded door with hoodmould and carved head stops, a diagonal buttress and a parapet gable.

The north face of the tower is generally as the south side but lacks the clock and stair turret. A two-light flat-headed window occupies the second stage.

A diagonal buttress marks the north face of the nave, with four pilaster buttresses to its lower part. A two-light window over two buttresses (probably flanking a former doorway) sits above, with a string course on the left and pilaster buttresses to the eaves. A three-light reticulated-tracery window with hoodmould follows.

The north transept features a two-light window in the right return with trefoil heads and no hoodmould, a diagonal corner buttress and a gable with an 1860 wall monument to the right. A three-light Perpendicular-tracery window with hoodmould and vertical joint to the left occupies the gable, with a parapet gable above.

Two-light windows with semi-circular heads to the lights and a flat hoodmould appear in the nave over the transept roof on the left. A slight setback on the left contains a boarded door in a deep recess with a square head.

The twin-gabled vestry against the chancel has diagonal corner buttresses and a square-set centre. Two-light windows occupy each half, with spherical triangles in the head and hoodmoulds with head stops. The window on the left, in a projection with offsets above (formerly carrying a chimney), completes the composition.

Interior

The porch features an arch-braced collar-rafter roof and a plinth for the transept on the right. At the rear, an early 12th-century doorway stands between pilaster buttresses with nock shafts and Ionic volutes to the capitals. The door has roll moulding to the jamb and a semi-circular tympanum depicting a tree of life with pellet surround, topped with two rows of chevrons to the arch and hoodmould.

The nave walls have been scraped. The west end holds a three-light Decorated-tracery window to the tower over a boarded door, with the wall thickened slightly internally above the eaves and a semi-circular arch over the window.

Unmoulded semi-circular arches open to the transepts. To the east, on the north side, a semi-circular tympanum marks a low door with dummy voussoirs, followed by a low infilled pointed arch. Above is the outline of a semi-circular arch with a flat relieving arch over and a vertical joint to the left.

The south wall shows brick infilling to blocked openings either side of the present window. A wide chancel arch with a large hollow chamfer rests on corner columns with volutes to cushion capitals.

A wooden screen with central doors and three-light openings to each side spans the nave, with leaf decoration to the beam above and blind panelling below. A plaster barrel vault covers the western part of the nave, with a flat plastered ceiling east of the transepts.

The chancel features a large arch on the left for the organ, with a slab bearing a foliate cross reset on the south window sill. A short length of Norman string course appears to the right of the organ arch. Pilaster buttresses flank the organ arch by the communion rails, rising approximately 2.5 metres high with quarter columns on the corners. A 19th-century aumbry with carved back and stone shelf on brackets occupies the left side. A segmental panelled wooden ceiling finishes the space.

The north transept contains a statue recess on the east wall with an ogee head and finial, with a vault inside. An arch-braced collar-rafter roof crowns the space.

The south transept has a collar-rafter roof with semi-circular bracing and an oak screen to the nave.

An octagonal stone pulpit with marble corner columns on four clustered columns was fitted around 1880. A circular stone font on a stem with four panelled external supports finished with angels stands nearby.

17th-century communion rails feature a moulded rail with urn balusters and square newels.

Monuments and Fittings

A benefactions board hangs in the porch. The chancel contains an 1718 Wintour monument with a broken pediment and Corinthian pilasters with gadrooned bases. The north transept displays an 1670 Winniatt monument. The nave holds a 1790 trompe d'oeil monument to Ann Cam, along with one 17th-century and ten late 18th or early 19th-century monuments.

A 17th-century turned oak font stands in the north transept.

Historical Notes

H. M. Taylor considers the oldest parts of the church to be late Saxon. The west tower was added in the 15th century. The church underwent restoration in the 1870s by J. Middleton, with a chancel screen by Waller added in 1891.

The church forms a group with High House nearby.