Church Of St Mary The Virgin

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a parish church located in Ebberston, North Yorkshire. Its origins lie in the 12th century, with a nave and chancel dating from that period, and a chancel extension from the 13th century. A north aisle was added around 1200, and the tower was likely built in the 14th century. The church was reroofed in 1797, and substantial rebuilding and restoration occurred between 1870 and 1876, led by Ewan Christian, affecting the south side of the nave and chancel and incorporating a new porch. The building is constructed of dressed sandstone with a slate roof.

The west tower is embattled and features two-light bell openings with trefoil heads beneath pointed hood-moulds on three sides; the north side has a single round-headed light. A similar opening is visible on the lower stage of the west face. The gabled porch contains a round-arched doorway recessed in two orders, the outer of which is roll-moulded with renewed spiral shafts, one of which has vestiges of a scalloped capital. C17 ironwork, including a dove with an olive twig, has been re-used in a later door. To the left of the porch is a blocked former chapel arch containing a 19th-century two-light window with foiled tracery. Single lights flank the porch, while the window to the right is within an original square-headed opening with renewed foiled tracery. The chancel has rebuilt single-light windows and a priest's door, all beneath pointed hood-moulds. On the north side are C12 and C13 round-headed lights, one featuring an arch stone with incised decoration. The north aisle windows consist of three intersecting lights beneath a round arch springing from carved head corbels, with reused stones containing a sword, a floreated cross, two grotesque heads, and fragments from an earlier corbel table. The east end of the north aisle is characterised by two dwarf buttresses framing a two-light Geometric traceried window within a quoined surround.

Inside, a three-bay arcade features cylindrical piers and pointed arches of two chamfered orders. The piers have octagonal abaci, one with a two-tier waterleaf capital. The bases have foliage spur ornament and rest on square plinths. A rebuilt pointed chancel arch of two chamfered orders springs from the side walls. A probable C12 tub font stands on a later moulded stem with an octagonal base. A grotesque head is carved into the north aisle wall.