Church Of St Mary The Virgin

WILBY CHURCH LANE SP86NE (North side) 4/309 Church of St. Mary the Virgin 28/05/54

• II*

Church. C13, C14, chancel rebuilt c.1853. Squared coursed and banded limestone and ironstone with lead and plain-tile roofs. Nave, chancel, south aisle, south porch and west tower. South elevation of chancel of one-window range with 2-light window with reticulated tracery. Low side lancet to left and south door to right. Steep gabled roof with ashlar gable parapet and finial. 3-light east window with tracery. North elevation of chancel has vestry attached of 2-window range of C19 two-light square headed windows and 3-light east window. South aisle of 3-window range of C14 two-light square-headed windows with C19 tracery. 3-light east window has Y-tracery with cusping. Lean-to roof has ashlar gable parapets. Gabled porch to left of centre has double-chamfered pointed arch opening. North elevation of nave of 3-window range of 2-light square-headed windows. South nave clerestory of 3-window range of 3-light square head window with renewed arch head lights. Shallow pitched roof with ashlar gable parapets. Decorated west tower has base of 2 stages with plinth. C15 west door with 4-centred arch head and quatrefoils in the spandrels. 2-light ogee head window above has panel tracery and is flanked by statue niches. Small square windows to each face at base of second stage have four-petalled tracery. 3-stage clasping buttresses at corners terminating in pinnacles having panel tracery, with flying buttresses connecting to an octagonal third stage. Gargoyles below pinnacles. 2-light bell-chamber openings to alternate faces. Shallow buttresses at each corner of octagon terminating with panelled pinnacles with flying buttresses connecting to a recessed spire. Open quatrefoil parapets above and below octagon with similar decoration to flying buttresses. Spire has 2 tiers of lucarnes. Interior: 4-bay south arcade of early C14 double hollow and chamfered arches with octagonal piers. Double chamfered chancel and tower arches. 2-bay north arcade in chancel links to the vestry with C19 chamfered and moulded arches with quatrefoil pier. Double sedilia with piscina in chancel and piscina in south aisle. C19 roof structures. Jacobean panelled pulpit. Plank and panelled door. Font is circular bowl on C19 base. Monuments: nave, north wall, inscribed tablet dated 1748 to the Lord family. Several C19 marble tablets. C19 stained glass to chancel windows and tower window. South chancel window is signed by A. Lusson of Paris and tower window is probably by Kempe. C19 floor tiling to chancel. (Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.463).

Listing NGR: SP8666466174