Church Of St Mary

SU 78 NE HAMBLEDEN HAMBLEDEN VILLAGE

6/93 Church of St. Mary 21.6.55

GV II*

Parish church. C12 cruciform church, much altered C13 and C14. W. tower rebuilt 1721 after collapse of central tower, then raised and altered 1882 by Woodyer. Chancel aisles and N. vestry added 1859, as dated on rainwater heads, the N. chancel aisle incorporating part of E. aisle to N. transept. Late C19 S. porch and extensive restorations. Flint and chalk with stone dressings, tiled roofs. W. tower has octagonal corner buttresses with C19 stone dressings and small battlemented roof turrets with weathervanes. Battlemented parapet above ashlar frieze with alternately blind and louvred cusped niches. Large 3-light windows with plate tracery to belfry, lancets below, 2-light traceried W. window. Nave has 2 bays of restored C14 2-light traceried windows, small blocked N. door with 2- centred arch and hoodmould,and richly moulded C14 S. door, restored, in gabled timber porch. W. wall of N. transept retains 2-light window with plate tracery, and re-set C12 blocked doorway with roll-moulded arch on shafts with carved capitals. Other transept windows are C19, the S. transept with large 4-light traceried window to S. Chancel aisles have single lights with traceried heads, and traceried E. windows. Chancel has 2-light traceried N. and S. windows, and restored 3-light Perpendicular window to E. Below E. window is a blocked 3-light rectangular window. Interior: triple chamfered arch to tower, C19 moulded arches to transepts and chancel. N. transept has crown post roof, blocked doorway with semi- circular arch at S.W. end, segmental arched recess at N. end, and restored 2-bay C13 E. arcade with double chamfered arches on large circular pier. Matching arcades between chancel and aisles, the N. aisle now organ chamber, the S. aisle a chapel. Restored Cl4 ogee piscina and triple sedilia, of chalk, with crockets and carved heads. Fitting: C12 cylindrical font with floriated crosses in lozenge panels; C16 carved wooden panels incorporated in altar in S. transept. Monuments: Perpendicular dresser tomb much restored, in chancel; fine wall monument with carved kneeling figures of Cope D'Oyley 1633, wife Martha 1618, 5 sons and 5 daughters, in bay to E. of N. transept; marble tablet to John Greene 1687, with weeping putti on broken pediment, in N. transept; monument in tower to Raffe Scrope 1572, with stepped pediment on Ionic columns. C17 and C18 cartouches in nave; various C15-C17 brasses. RCHM I p. 184- 186.

Listing NGR: SU7839986604