Church Of St Mary

The Church of St. Mary is a parish church dating from the late 12th to early 13th century, with alterations made in the 14th and 15th centuries. It is constructed of flint with stone dressings and features lead roofs. The church comprises a nave, a narrow central tower, and a chancel, along with a 15th-century south porch and a 20th-century vestry to the north of the nave.

The nave contains 14th-century two-light traceried windows, with two on the south side, one on the west, and one on the east. One of the south windows was completely restored around 1980. The western bay is likely a 15th-century addition, supported by diagonal buttresses, while there are 19th-century brick buttresses on both the north and south sides. The south doorway in the porch is unmoulded, featuring a moulded four-centred arch with cusped lights on either side. The porch roof is adorned with arched wind-braces and an embattled cornice.

The central tower has two stages, with narrow lancets on the lower stage and wider altered lancets in the bell chamber. Below the upper lancets on the east and west sides are partly blocked openings with arched heads, along with a blocked doorway and a small window to the south, and a slight staircase projection to the north. The chancel has brick-raised eaves and two bays of 14th-century two-light traceried windows, with one on the north side mostly blocked. The east side features a series of three widely spaced narrow lancets, with the central light being taller.

Inside, the church has a simple whitewashed interior, with traces of 13th-century figured wall paintings and early 17th-century texts in painted cartouches in the nave. The fine 15th-century nave roof includes embattled tie beams and wall-plates, slender arch-braces, and traceried spandrels. The tower features unmoulded two-centred arches with moulded imposts, and the east arch has painted ashlaring and consecration crosses. The east windows of the chancel have deep splays with 13th-century paintings of figures in cusped niches, with the central window depicting Christ enthroned at the apex. Additional features include a shaped piscina, a chamfered aumbry, a rough medieval font, and an 18th-century panelled pulpit. A re-sited brass commemorates William and Sebell Este from 1534.