Church Of St. Mary

Church of St Mary

This Grade I listed church stands at the centre of an important group of related buildings within an extensive churchyard. Adjacent listed structures include the old Mortuary Chapel in the churchyard, the old Vicarage to the south, the old Rectory to the southwest, and almshouses nearby.

The church occupies a rise and is dominated on approach by the substantial bulk of its Perpendicular tower. The nave is comparatively low, as it is roofed separately from the aisles and does not rise above them; its roof is lower than that of the chancel. The plan includes a north transept and a south porch. The masonry is generally random rubble in local sandstone, though the tower is of higher quality, built in courses of varied thickness.

The Perpendicular tower is of a Somerset type, divided by string courses into three main storeys. It has angle buttresses at three corners and an octagonal stairs turret at the northeast corner. The battlements feature large crenellations with a central rib to each face, standing on a gargoyle. The belfry lights are coupled with louvres and a Tudor hood-mould. The tower appears to have been built a short distance from the nave and later joined by extending the nave to meet it.

The chancel has large stepped buttresses crossed at the corners. Similar buttresses appear at the end of the north transept. The windows display fine Decorated tracery, some re-cut. A blocked original north doorway to the north aisle is visible externally.

The chancel is large and retains original medieval features: a piscina, sedilia, and a low-side-window (now blocked). The sanctuary pavement is of medieval encaustic tiles, many believed to have come from Carew Castle. Three tomb-recesses occupy the north side, with one small recess to the south. The vestry was formerly a Carew family chapel and features a pointed stone vault.

The nave has transept arches on both sides. The north transept is a true transept, known as the Carew Aisle, while the south transept arch opens onto a bay of the south aisle separated from the rest by a cross-wall. West of the transepts, the arcades comprise two arches on octagonal piers and columns. In the south aisle, a small blocked round-headed recess lies below a window. The porch is vaulted and contains benches and a water-stoup by the door.

The west window is a Crimean memorial of 1857, replacing an original Perpendicular window. The south windows were similarly restored in 1857. The east window, in Perpendicular style, was made by Alexander Gibbs and Co. of London in 1879 as a memorial to Vicar Phelps, and represents the Resurrection. The north aisle windows date from 1833. The chancel and north transept windows were restored in 1893, and the south transept windows in 1912. The altar and reredos are war memorials of 1923 by John Coates-Carter.

Notable monuments include the tomb of Sir Nicholas de Carew, died 1311, builder of the Edwardian castle, positioned at the north of the chancel. Opposite stands a child's tomb or heart-burial with a small female effigy. In the Carew Aisle is the Jacobean-style tomb of Sir John and Elizabeth Carew, adorned with fine simple wrought-iron railings. Two marble monuments with weeping figures occupy the west of the south aisle, including a fine memorial to Hannah Brown, died 1845, by J Evan Thomas of London. Numerous tablets commemorate members of the Allen and other leading families.

In 1844, Vicar Lloyd replaced the Norman font with a copy fashioned from West Williamston limestone.