Church of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a church building, originally the nave of a priory. The structure dates primarily to the late 12th century, with subsequent additions and alterations in the 13th, 14th, and 16th centuries. It was restored between 1875 and 1880 by G.E. Street. The church is constructed of ashlar and coursed squared stone, with a lead roof. The church incorporates elements of the 12th and 13th centuries, alongside a 16th-century, uncompleted tower that obscures the 13th-century west front.

The south side of the nave features a pointed arched blank arcading above six tall, narrowly-set, two-light, pointed arched plate-traceried windows with quatrefoils. These windows are transomed and have continuous hoodmoulds. There is an embattled parapet. The north aisle has a board door, set within a pointed arch, with a cusped, crocketed niche positioned above. Three three-light, 14th-century Decorated windows with pointed arches are present, along with a sill band, hoodmoulds, and buttresses between. The clerestory features four lancet windows, also with a continuous hoodmould.

The west front is characterized by a double board door set within a deeply splayed portal with three orders of colonnettes. The arch has dogtooth mouldings. Flanking the door are similar, smaller arches with blind twin sub-arches within, with quatrefoils in the spandrels. Trefoils are located in the spandrels between the main door arch and the side arches. Above the door is blind cusped arcading, followed by a central blind elliptical opening flanked by pointed arches; all are adorned with dogtooth moulding and a continuous hoodmould. Above this are three tall pointed arched lancet windows, set within moulded arches on colonettes.

The west front of the tower exhibits gableted offset angle buttresses and decorated plinth work. A pointed arched door is set within a moulded surround and flat hoodmould. Shields set in quatrefoils are positioned in the spandrels and a frieze, of Perpendicular style, alternates shields with shoulder-headed niches. The door and frieze are flanked by blank arcading. A large, five-light transomed Perpendicular window, with a crocketed ogee-headed hoodmould, crowns the tower’s west front.

The interior showcases an arcade with four bays and octagonal piers, with a circular pier between. The arches are triple-chamfered, and shafts rise from the level of the hoodmould stops to the ceiling, resting on small corbels. A wall was built at the east of the nave following the Dissolution.