Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a small Anglican church, now under the care of the Redundant Churches Fund. The structure primarily dates to the 12th century but was significantly altered in the 18th century. The nave is constructed of limestone rubble, with the north wall and upper portion of the south wall rebuilt in the 18th century. The chancel is also of rubble construction, incorporating some squared and dressed stone, and has a stone slate roof. A rendered bell turret projects eastwards from the junction of the nave and chancel.

The south wall of the nave features three 20th-century raking buttresses, and a pointed 18th-century window with a dressed stone surround is located towards the east end. A panelled 18th-century door, in a pointed dressed stone surround, is situated on the south side. Pilaster buttresses and a string course run along the west end of the nave, with a central pilaster and string interrupted by a pointed 18th-century window with leaded panes. The north wall of the nave also has three 20th-century raking buttresses.

The chancel’s south wall contains a single 20th-century raking buttress towards the east end and a pointed 18th-century window with a dressed stone surround and leaded panes. A single raking buttress is present on the north wall, adjacent to a 12th-century slit light. All 18th-century windows have leaded panes. The bell turret has a pyramidal roof with weatherboarding and a flat gable-end coping to the nave, while the chancel has stepped coping.

Inside, the limewashed interior features a 5-bay nave with 20th-century roof trusses, and a 2-bay chancel with earlier collar and tie-beam trusses, one of which is situated close to the east end, suggesting the chancel may have once been longer. The floor is flagged. A small 12th-century chancel arch is present, with jamb shafts featuring scalloped capitals. Two stone steps are located at the center of the west end of the nave. A late 18th to early 19th century octagonal stone font, designed in a 14th-century style, is positioned opposite the south door. Original 18th-century panelled box pews remain. A notably fine 18th-century octagonal pulpit features star-shaped marquetry inlay on each side, and sounding boarding with a fluted frieze and a large star inlaid in a paler wood. Simple 18th-century communion rails with stick balusters are present, along with an 18th-century communion table with a marble top. A white and grey marble monument dedicated to William Hill, who died in 1786, is on the north wall of the chancel, featuring a heraldic shield and urn, though some details are missing above. Traces of wall paintings are visible on the south wall of the chancel, including a text within a strapwork border, running band motifs at the top in red and yellow, and a reused fragment of moulded 13th-century stonework above. A rectangular pattern in red with rosette decoration can be seen in the splay of the chancel north window.