Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St Mary the Virgin

This Church was built between 1908 and 1930 to designs by Sir Ninian Comper. It is constructed of ironstone ashlar with limestone dressings and a lead roof. The building is planned with an aisled nave, chancel, north and south chapels, a north porch, and a west tower, all designed in Perpendicular style.

The south elevation features a projecting chancel with a three-light window, a six-light chancel east window with Reticulated tracery and a statue niche above. The south aisle contains eight bays of three-light windows separated by two-stage buttresses with pinnacles above. The east window is similar, with a small octagonal spire at the south-west corner and a lean-to roof with limestone parapet. The eastern three bays of the south aisle have a two-storey south chapel and parish hall attached, which has a four-window range including three- and five-light windows on the first floor and an east window with intersecting tracery under a four-centred arch head. This section has a shallow gabled roof with castellated parapets.

On the north elevation, the chancel projection mirrors the south side. A single-storey vestry projection between the chancel and north aisle has five-light square-headed windows and a four-light north aisle window above. The north chapel features three- and four-light windows with three-stage gabled buttresses between them, similar to the south return wall elevation. The north chapel has a shallow gabled roof with castellated parapet. A two-storey porch to the right of the north chapel displays Perpendicular openings with a first-floor statue niche having an ogee head and flanking square-headed windows, together with a quadripartite ceiling vault and three-stage clasping buttresses in the corners. An octagonal turret of four stages is attached to the right of the porch, featuring bellchamber openings on each face of the upper stage and a castellated parapet.

The north aisle has a four-window range of three-light windows with three-stage gabled buttresses between them, and a similar two-light west window with entrance below. It has a lean-to roof with castellated parapet and square pinnacles at the corners. The nave clerestory runs for nine bays with four-light windows and short square pinnacles between them, covered by a shallow gable roof with plain parapet.

The west tower rises in three stages with large four-stage clasping buttresses at the corners. The west entrance comprises a pair of panelled doors beneath a painted arch enclosing a statue niche with flanking windows above. A large three-light west window appears in the second stage and two-light bell-chamber openings occupy each face of the third stage, which is topped by a castellated parapet with panel decoration and square truncated pinnacles at the corners.

The interior has an eight-bay arcade of four-centred chamfered arches resting on tall octagonal piers with concave hollows. The two eastern bays form part of the chancel, whilst the six western bays comprise the nave. A similar three-bay arcade serves the north chapel, with a smaller three-bay arcade, partially enclosed, serving the south chapel. The tower arch has triple chamfering. The nave and chancel have a fine pendant vaulted wood and plaster roof, with sections at the east and west ends and above the chancel screen painted in blue and gold. The panelled north aisle roof is painted at the east end, whilst the similar sloping south aisle roof has a pointed section adjacent to the chancel screen. The north chapel roof is panelled with painted bosses and angels.

Wrought iron and wood screens enclose the chancel arcade and the front of the chancel. The chancel screen is a triple outer arcade with corresponding pairs of inner arches in early Renaissance style with Gothic decoration. Above the screen is a crucifix flanked by figures of St Mary, St John, and angels with God the Father above. The screen contains many painted and relief figures and is richly decorated in blue and gold. The gold-fronted altar has a baldacchino supported on four Corinthian columns with decorative figures above, all finished in gold.

The north chapel screen and organ case above the north porch are both painted in blue and gold in Perpendicular style. A linking gallery between the rood loft and organ loft is similarly decorated. Stained glass appears in the chancel east window, north chapel east window, and porch window, with several other windows containing stained glass insets. An octagonal font with canopy, supported on eight small Doric columns painted blue and gold, is surrounded by an octagonal wooden enclosure at the base. Panelled oak furniture includes the pulpit and pews, with some wall panelling also present.

Sir Ninian Comper was responsible for all the internal fittings. The financing of the work was largely due to the Misses Sharman of Wellingborough.