Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a parish church with a history spanning several centuries. The nave likely originates from the late Pre-Conquest period, with the addition of a west tower and a south aisle in the mid 14th century. The chancel was substantially rebuilt between 1872 and 1873, incorporating some older stonework, and a north vestry and south porch were added at this time, along with restoration of the remaining structure.

The church is constructed of coursed rubble stone, while the tower and south clerestory are rendered. The nave and tower have lead roofs, the chancel is tiled, and the south aisle features 20th-century pantiles. The two-stage west tower has a plinth, a battlemented parapet, angle buttresses, and a square stair turret with a parapet at the southwest corner. The bell chamber has a two-light traceried opening, a small lancet window to the south, a two-light traceried window, and a clock on the west side. The north wall of the nave features a moulded parapet, an offset buttress, and a 11th-century window with a semi-circular head and double splayed sides. A carved doorway is flanked by 15th-century traceried three-light windows. The south side of the nave has a clerestory of three 15th-century cusped three-light windows with flat heads; the window in the east bay has a hoodmould, and a small quatrefoil window is located between the east bays. The south aisle has a 19th-century moulded cornice and three two-light traceried windows, two of which are 14th-century with ogee tracery and arched heads, while the window in the west bay is later with a flat head. A traceried round window in the east wall has been rebuilt in the 20th century. The moulded south doorway has some carved foliage ornament. The chancel has a moulded plinth and sill course, with two two-light traceried windows and a small door on the south side, a similar window to the north, and a three-light window to the east.

Inside, the church features a triple-chamfered arch to the tower, a five-bay south arcade with double-chamfered arches on shaped quatrefoil piers with flattened lobes and moulded capitals, and blocked openings to the rood-loft stairs. It has a 15th to 16th-century roof with chamfered and hollow-chamfered beams. The south aisle contains a piscina with a triangular head and a four-centred arch over the reveal of the southwest window. A 19th-century chancel arch separates the nave from the chancel. The chancel has an arch to the organ in the north wall, a cusped piscina, and a window seat sedilia on the south side. The church contains a small 17th-century chest, a painted stone and glazed tile reredos dated 1899, 19th-century glass, and other fittings. There are monuments, including a painted stone and marble monument to Sir Robert Lee and family (1616), featuring a relief of figures at a reading desk with the family behind, flanked by Doric piers with entablature blocks and obelisks. The base of a monument to John Wood is also present, along with marble tablets commemorating Richard Harris (1613), William Barker (1669), John Dummer (1694), and James Fussell (1760) in the south aisle.