Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a church with a history spanning the 13th and 14th centuries, substantially restored in 1870 by J.P. St. Aubyn, funded by Sir Reginald Loder of Whittlebury Lodge. The tower was raised in 1887. The church is constructed of coursed squared limestone and ironstone, with plain tile roofs. It comprises a chancel, vestry, and organ chamber, a nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, and a west tower.

The 2-bay chancel has a 3-light east window with geometrical tracery and 2-light Decorated style windows to the south, all with hood moulds. The vestry and organ chamber have a 3-light Decorated window to the north with a hood mould, a hollow-chamfered door to the north-west, and a 3-light straight-headed window to the organ chamber. The north aisle features a tall 4-light arch mullion window to the north-east of ironstone, with cut spandrels and a hood mould, along with inscribed stones reading "GW" and "IR 1775." A buttress sits mid-way along the north wall. A blocked, chamfered north door, a 2-light window with Y-tracery and a hood mould, a 1638 datestone in the north-west corner, and a rose window of 1870 complete the north side. The south aisle comprises 2-light Decorated style windows to the south and a single-light window to the east, with a quatrefoil in the head and hood mould. The south porch has a double sunk-quadrant moulded arch with a hood mould, and the south door has a sunk-quadrant moulded arch with a hood mould.

The 3-stage west tower has a chamfered west door with a hood mould, 1-light windows recessed within chamfered surrounds on the middle stage, a stone clock face dated 1808 to the middle stage, 2-light bell openings with Y-tracery and hood moulds, diagonal buttresses, and a battlemented parapet. The chancel, south aisle and porch exhibit stone chamfered eaves and stone-coped gables.

Inside, the chancel has encaustic tiled floors and an elaborate marble reredos with three mosaic panels above the altar. A piscina is set within the splay of the south-east window, featuring two pointed trefoil arches and corner colonettes. The chancel also has a fine 19th-century arch-braced collar-truss roof. The nave boasts 3-bay arcades with octagonal piers and polygonal responds, except for a semi-circular respond with a shaft in the south-west corner, plain moulded capitals, and double-chamfered arches. A fine 19th-century crown-post roof is also present. The tower arch possesses chamfered jambs, moulded imposts, an arch chamfered to the head with a nailhead and beaded fillet surround and an outer arch with similar ornament, alongside a nutmeg frieze higher up on the west wall. The floor of the south porch is laid with slate in square blocks, alternating directions. A parish chest dating to approximately 1300 features fine ironwork. 19th-century stained glass windows are found in the north-east and south-east aisle windows and the east and south-east chancel windows. Several 19th-century marble wall monuments are also present, including a large monument to Charlotte Bradshaw, who died in 1820, created by Chatney.