Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary, built in 1854, is a Roman Catholic church designed by the architectural firm Messrs Hanson of Bath. It was constructed at the expense of Hon Laura Maria Petre, the widow of Hon E R Petre, to serve the growing population of Irish labourers in the area. The church is made of hammer-dressed stone with ashlar dressings and features a pitched slate roof in the Decorated style. Its layout includes a nave, chancel, lean-to aisles, and a tower above the south door topped with a broach spire and diagonal buttresses. At the west end, there is an apsidal baptistery, along with a vestry and sacristy. A notable feature is the exceptional north-west chapel, which is decorated internally with undressed stone resembling a grotto. Inside, the church boasts an elaborately sculpted pulpit, a contemporary font, and a crocketed font cover. There is a three-bay arcade leading to the west gallery, and the church contains stained glass windows, including an east window by Wailes and a window in the Sacred Heart Chapel by Ball.