Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church that has been an important site since the 8th century. The oldest parts of the existing structure date back to the 12th century, although it was extensively remodeled and extended before 1897 when the nave was rebuilt, and a north aisle and vestry were added by C.J. Ferguson. The older masonry in the south nave wall consists of coursed blocks, while the later work is made of snecked rubble. The church features graduated slate roofs, with the chancel being lower, and includes stone ridges, copings, and kneelers. A gabled bellcote, dated 1897, is corbelled out at the west end.

The layout includes a nave with a north aisle, chancel, and vestries to the north. There is a gabled 19th-century porch at the south door, which has the original 12th-century surround of the now-blocked north door reset to the right. The nave and chancel are adorned with single-light and traceried multi-light windows, some of which are under hoodmoulds.

Inside, there is a 4-bay north arcade featuring pointed arches supported by columns with octagonal capitals. The chancel arch springs from what may be reset 12th-century carved capitals. At the east end of the aisle, a large niche houses two richly carved hogback tombstones that were found in the foundations of the 12th-century church. Other medieval fragments, including cross-heads and tomb slabs, are incorporated into the jambs of the niche, the spandrels above, and the inner walls of the porch. A small 19th-century octagonal font is located at the west end.

Externally, on the north side of the chancel, there is an early 19th-century memorial to the Hudlestons, John, a land surveyor who died in 1834, and his wife Mary, who died in 1822. The inscription is on slate, with a coat-of-arms on the apron below, and fluted pilasters supporting a cornice that is topped by a low relief carving of a woman with an anchor. The church is graded primarily for the numerous early medieval fragments incorporated into its structure.