Church Of St Mary The Virgin

Church of St Mary the Virgin

This church on the south side of Main Street at Tansor is a substantial medieval parish church of late 11th-century origin, substantially rebuilt and extended during the 12th and 13th centuries with some early 14th-century work. The building was restored in 1886. It is constructed of squared coursed limestone with lead and Collyweston slate roofs.

The church comprises an aisled nave, chancel, north and south porches and a west tower. The chancel's south elevation displays a 2-window range: a single lancet to the left and a 2-light window to the right with carved label stops. A single-stage ashlar buttress stands at the corner. The roof is steeply gabled with Collyweston slates and an ashlar gable parapet with finial. The 3-light east window is Perpendicular in style with panel tracery and is flanked by single-stage buttresses. The north elevation of the chancel is similar to the south, featuring a corbelled and chamfered stringcourse above the window heads with a rendered panel between the windows.

The south aisle comprises 5 bays with a 4-window range. Two early 14th-century long 3-light windows to the right have roll moulded surrounds with cusping to the heads of the outer lights. A double lancet window sits to the left of centre, with a single lancet to the far left. A 2-stage ashlar buttress stands at the right corner and a shallow corner buttress at the left. A 3-light east window similar to the adjacent south windows is present, along with a small low lancet in the west wall. A 19th-century gabled porch projects from the bay to the left of centre, with a roll moulded and chamfered outer doorway. The inner doorway is Transitional in style with one order of shafts and nailhead decoration.

The north aisle comprises 6 bays with a 5-window range. A small single lancet stands at the far left with a 2-light square-head window adjacent. Two lancets sit to the centre with a 2-light window, restored in the 19th century, to the far right. A stringcourse below the windows rises beneath the sill of the square-head window. A 2-stage clasping buttress stands at the left corner and a gabled clasping buttress at the right. The 2-light east window features plate tracery. The west elevation contains a small quatrefoil light. A lean-to roof with ashlar gable parapets covers this aisle. A 19th-century gabled porch, similar to the south porch, projects from the bay to the right of centre. The inner doorway dates from the late 12th century and features 2 orders of shafts with stiff leaf capitals and zig-zag decoration to the arch.

The nave features a clerestory of 3 windows in a 2-light square-head pattern; those on the south side have no tracery. The roof is a shallow gabled structure with plain ashlar parapets and finial.

The west tower incorporates 11th, 12th and 13th-century work across 5 stages with a plinth. The middle 2 stages are not delineated on the north and south faces. The second stage of the north face contains a small single-light window with a crude arch head, while the south face has a similar squared-head light. The third stage west face displays a single-light arch-head window. The upper stage features 2-light bell-chamber openings with central shafts set in semi-circular arch-head recesses on each face. A plain ashlar parapet crowns the tower. A large 4-stage buttress abuts the west wall of the south aisle with a stair turret in the angle with the tower, incorporating 2 small lancet windows. A similar irregular 3-stage buttress abuts the west wall of the north aisle.

Interior

The nave features a 5-bay arcade on the south side and 6-bay on the north side. Two bays on the south side and 3 bays on the north side are 12th-century work with semi-circular double-stepped arches, circular piers, square abaci and scalloping. The undersides of these arches display 19th-century painted leaf and scroll decoration. The remaining bays have double-chamfered pointed arches with circular piers, one of which retains nailhead decoration to the capital. All semi-circular responds are similar with square abaci. The eastern arch of the north arcade is partially blocked to form a vestry and contains a doorway with a 2-centred-arch head with nailhead decoration.

The chancel arch is 19th-century wooden construction with open traceried spandrels. The original 12th-century tower arch is similar to the western arcades of the nave, though a 13th-century double chamfered arch has been built into the original opening. The reveal of a blocked opening above the tower arch may date to the 11th century. A relieving arch stands above the doorway to the tower staircase to the left. An arch-head tomb recess and niche appear in the south aisle, along with a carved bracket attached to the sill of the south east window.

A double piscina with central shaft stands to the right of the altar. Evidence of an earlier window pattern is visible around the east window. Stone benches line the north aisle wall. The roof structures date from the 19th century.

Fittings include a Jacobean pulpit, an 18th-century communion rail with turned balusters, and seven stalls with misericords from the Church of St Mary and All Saints at Fotheringhay. The upper part of a Perpendicular screen stands behind the south aisle altar. The south aisle altar likely incorporates some medieval woodwork. An octagonal font stands on 5 shafts decorated with 4 large ballflowers. Three pews in the north aisle feature fleur-de-lis bench ends. Three medieval altar slabs are present: one in the chancel, one in the south aisle, and one reset in the belfry.

Stained glass of late 19th and early 20th-century date decorates the east window of the chancel and a south aisle window.

Monuments include a brass effigy of John Colt, Rector (died 1440), on the wall to the right of the altar. A partially legible late 17th-century inscribed tablet with cherubs head above stands to the right of the altar. Joseph Foster (died 1819) is commemorated by a plain inscribed tablet with brackets in the north aisle. An inscribed tablet to John Cave (died 1821) by Harrison of Oundle appears in the south aisle, featuring a reeded pilaster and urn above.