Church Of St Mary The Virgin

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a parish church with origins in the 12th century, significantly altered over the centuries. The western tower was built in the late 13th century and raised in the 16th century. The chancel was rebuilt in 1748, and transepts, a north vestry, and general restorations were undertaken in 1883. The church is constructed of flint with stone dressings and has tiled roofs.

The western tower features a moulded parapet with shallow gables to the north and south, an original moulded corbel table, and 19th-century angle buttresses. It contains single lights with chamfered semi-circular heads above and below the corbel table. A partly restored 2-light traceried window of clunch is located above a 19th-century moulded doorway. Lancets are present on the north and south sides, the south one being 19th-century. The nave has two bays of 19th-century 2-light traceried windows. The transepts each have single lights to the east or west and 2-light traceried windows to the north and south; the south transept’s east window is cusped and includes a sill course and buttresses. The chancel has a blocked south doorway with a bonded surround of narrow bricks, a semi-circular arch, brick imposts, and a keyblock. A large east window with a semi-circular arch is surrounded by an off-set brick; a date plaque with numbers in tile ends is situated above the window. A 19th-century vestry adjoins the north side of the chancel.

Inside, a double chamfered tower arch rests on semi-octagonal piers, featuring painted texts. Double chamfered arches lead to the transepts, and a semi-circular arch defines the chancel. The chancel itself features a modillion cornice and an east bay articulated with Ionic pilasters. Early 18th-century panelling originally from a chapel at Canons, and intended for the Duke of Chandos, lines the chancel; the east bay panels are richly moulded, with four panels along the east wall adorned with carved gilt drops of fruit and flowers, and a similar spray of trefoil foliage above the altar. The communion rail, pulpit, and reading desk also originate from Canons. The pulpit has moulded raised and fielded panels, a richly carved base and cornice, and corner drops with winged cherub heads. The reading desk has a richly carved frieze. A chair from the mid-17th century is located in the nave. Ornamental scrolls from around 1700 feature in the front pews of the nave and the south transept. Later 19th-century nave seating and stained glass are also present. Armorial glass from 1635, originally from Phyllis Court, Henley, is displayed in the tower lancets, and a memorial window by John Piper was added in 1976. A monument to Sir James Whitelock (died 1620) and his wife Elizabeth (died 1631) is found in the south transept, displaying recumbent white marble effigies within a surround with an open pediment on Tuscan columns; small carved figures of Fame and Peace adorn the pediment, and a cartouche in the nave commemorates Philip and Elizabeth Hilfiar (circa 1719). The chancel was rebuilt by John Freeman of Fawley Court, and the transepts were added by William Mackenzie, also of Fawley Court; both families have a mausoleum in the churchyard.