Church Of St Mary The Virgin

The Church of St Mary the Virgin is an Anglican parish church located in Ston Easton. It dates back to the 11th century, with significant rebuilding in the 15th century and further alterations in the 19th century by the architect Blomfield. The church is constructed from coursed and squared rubble with freestone dressings, featuring ashlar, and has roofs made of tile and lead sheeting. The building includes coped verges with cruciform finials and small gabled dormers.

Architecturally, the church consists of a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel with north and south chapels, and a west tower. The style is a mix of Perpendicular and neo-Perpendicular. The west tower, which dates from the 15th century, is embattled and has three stages, diagonal buttresses, and pinnacles. It features single-light bell-chamber windows with quatrefoil interlace and a two-light west window. The remainder of the church is predominantly from the 19th century, with three-bay north and south aisles that have three-light windows. The south door is adorned with a label and paired plank doors that have medieval-style hinges.

Inside, the church has a plastered interior with wood block and encaustic tile floors. The roofs are from the 19th century, with the nave featuring an arch-braced design. The arcades to the north and south aisles are likely from the 15th century, supported by piers with a four-hollows section. There is a similar arch between the north chapel and the chancel, while the south chapel was added in the 19th century. The Norman chancel arch has a semi-circular head with colonettes, and there is a simple tower arch with two chamfered orders.

The church contains an 18th-century bowl font and 19th-century furnishings including pews, choir stalls, altar rails, a pulpit, and a font and screen. A notable feature is a brass lectern shaped like an eagle, dated 1890. There are three 18th-century wall monuments by Reeves of Bath, Lancaster and Walker of Bristol, and H. Blacker of Clutton, along with nine 19th-century wall monuments, many dedicated to the Hippisley family of Ston Easton Park, particularly in the north chapel. A small 18th-century bracket in the form of a cherub and three windows featuring late 19th-century stained glass complete the interior.