Church of St Mary is a Grade II* listed building in the Buckinghamshire local planning authority area, England. First listed on 21 December 1967. A Medieval Church.
Church of St Mary
- WRENN ID
- patient-facade-hawthorn
- Grade
- II*
- Local Planning Authority
- Buckinghamshire
- Constituency
- Mid Buckinghamshire MP: Greg Smith (Con)
- Country
- England
- Date first listed
- 21 December 1967
- Type
- Church
- Period
- Medieval
- Address
- Church of St Mary, Bicester Road, Oakley
- OS grid reference
- SP 641 122
- Coordinates
- 51.80553, -1.07035
- Source
- Historic England listing
Description
The Church of St Mary is a parish church, originally dating to the 12th century. It has undergone significant alteration over the centuries, with early 14th-century work to the chancel, a south transept, and a north aisle, a 14th-century west tower, and a 15th-century clerestory. A 19th-century restoration occurred. The church is constructed of coursed rubble stone with lead roofs to the nave and tower, and tiled roofs elsewhere. Moulded parapets adorn the nave, tower, and aisle.
The west tower has two stages, each with single cusped ogee lights. The west side features a two-light traceried window to the bell-chamber, an altered traceried window above a 20th-century door, and a stair turret with an octagonal stone finial at the southeast corner. The nave clerestory has single cusped lights, three to the north and two to the south, with two three-light Perpendicular windows to the south, the left-hand window being largely restored. A medieval south door is set within a 20th-century roughcast porch. A small bellcote is positioned at the east end of the nave. The north aisle has a moulded doorway and three two-light windows to the north, the outer window having cusped lights and flat heads, the central window arched and traceried. A similar traceried window is found to the east, and a single cusped window to the west. The south transept has restored angle buttresses, two-light traceried windows to the east and west, and a fine three-light window with reticulated tracery to the south, overlooking a wide cinquefoil tomb recess. The chancel is largely restored, featuring two paired cusped windows to the south, a 16th-century two-light window, a 19th-century three-light traceried window to the north, and a similar three-light east window.
Inside, the tower has a triple-chamfered arch. The nave arcade has five irregular double-chamfered arches, with a chamfered west pier, circular centre piers, an octagonal east pier, and moulded capitals. A double-chamfered arch leads to the south transept, the east respond featuring a small cusped niche. A cusped ogee piscina with traces of painting is found in the east wall of the nave. The nave has a 19th-century roof, with stone corbels on the north side, some dating to the 15th century, displaying mouldings or carved heads. Two tomb recesses are present in the north aisle. A squint provides a view from the transept into the chancel. The chancel arch is double-chamfered, and the chancel is mostly 19th-century. Notable fittings include a circular font, possibly from the 13th century; a 17th-century altar table with turned baluster legs; and 19th-century stained glass. Monuments include an elaborate marble wall tablet in the transept to James Tyrell (1745), and stone plaques in the north aisle to John Clarke (1722), with scrolled decorations, drapery swags, and skulls, and to Anne Clarke (1713).
Local climate
Church of St Mary sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 730 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 78% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 75% of listed buildings.
It experiences an average of 35 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 56% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.
Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.
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