Church Of St Mary The Virgin

ST 69 NE BERKELEY CHURCH LANE (south side)

10/60 Church of St. Mary the Virgin

30.3.60

I

Anglican parish church. C12 foundation, altered in C13 and C15, and in C19. Random coursed rubblestone, lead roofs with coped verges and cross finials. Nave and aisles of 7 bays with clerestory windows to south only, north porch, lower chancel with flanking chapels. Aisle windows of 3 stepped lancets with cinquefoil heads with buttresses between, stepped on north side. Chancel has triple and single plain lancet on north side of C12, 9- light east window atered from 7 lights in 1843. North porch of 2 storeys built at 2 stages: lower stage C14 with rib vault with carved central boss and corner corbels and stepped diagonal buttresses and large ogee doorway, upper stage c1450 with twin ogee lights for priest's room to north and west and trefoil-head panelled parapet with pinnacles on north. West end has 5 stepped round-headed lancets of mid C13 with 3 pointed moulded arches below under steep gables, and central cusped cinquefoil doorway. South door (opposite north porch) has triple round-headed moulding and colonettes in jambs with square roll-moulded doorway and plank door with elaborate applied ironwork. Berkeley Chapel in south east corner is Perpendicular of mid C15 with 3-light ogee windows and elaborate carved parapet with crocketed pinnacles over each bay buttress, and small priest's door with ogee moulding and Berkeley arms on tablet above. Interior: pointed arcade with piers of clustered shafts and stiff- leaf capitals c1225-50, walls decorated with medieval patterns in red and black including fragment of Doom scene on chancel arch. C15 timber roofs with chamfered and moulded beams carried on corbels. Tall flattened pointed chancel arch with rood stair in pier to left and C12 piscina to right and C15 stone screen with large 2-centred arch containing 3 smaller cusped pointed arches with quatrefoil and mouchette over; chancel roof has openwork quatrefoils etc., over main beams. C19 Reredos with 5 aedicules and statues, large inset ogee arch to left, and to right tomb of James, 11th Lord of Berkeley, died 1463, with Perpendicular canopy in archway through to Berkeley Chapel. Memorial stone to Edward Jenner on south wall. Generally C19 stained glass, fine tomb slabs of C17 and C18 throughout, and wall memorials. In south arcade, large chest tomb of Thomas, 8th Lord of Berkeley, died 1361, and wife Katharine, died 1385. Square Norman font by south door on 4 columns with central round pier and scalloped lower edge. (David Verey, Buildings of England - Gloucestershire: The Vale and Forest of Dean, 1980; local guide by J.Gethyn-Jones, 1971).

Listing NGR: ST6847099031