Church of St Mary

Church of St Mary

A simple Gothic style church consisting of a nave and chancel under a single roof, with north and south aisles under outshut roofs, a south porch, and a south tower. The west end of the nave and north aisle beyond the tower serves as a separate church hall. The three-stage tower is the earliest part of the building, with datable features probably belonging to the 17th century. It is constructed of rubble stone, battered at the base. The west wall contains a segmental-headed doorway that was inserted or renewed in 1891 and has a replaced door. Above this is a single narrow slit and a small square-headed belfry window with a moulded surround and hood. The other faces have similar belfry windows and narrow slits below. On the east side, the shadow of the roof of the earlier church is visible. The projecting battlements have embrasures with saddleback copings on which flat slabs are laid. The merlons rise in two stages, with the upper stage battered externally, and have projecting flat slab copings.

The main body of the church is constructed of snecked, rock-faced stone with brick dressings to the pointed windows and doorways, and has a concrete pantile roof replacing the original slate. To the right of the tower is a porch with a canopy carried on wooden brackets. To the right of this, the south aisle has a single window followed by two groups of triple windows, with a vestry doorway at the right end. At the angle is a foundation tablet bearing the date of the building. The chancel has a pair of windows in the south wall and three stepped lights forming the east window. The north aisle has five groups of triple windows with a pair of windows at the east end. Three stepped lights in the west wall light the hall. On the south side, to the left of the tower, is a doorway with a moulded triangular stone head and jambs that are re-used from the earlier church. Further left is a pair of windows.

The porch has steps leading up to double half-lit doors with Gothic tracery. Inside, the nave arcades are of timber, with four bays on the south side and seven bays on the north side where it is continuous with the hall at the west end. The piers have tall bases and diagonal struts and carry long paired spine beams. The roof has collar beams with raking struts above and further raking struts below carried on the piers. The nave has a plaster ceiling. The chancel, which extends into the easternmost bay of the nave arcade, has a trefoil-section boarded ceiling. In the east wall of the tower is a plain round-headed doorway with a plastered arch, above which is a deeply splayed window.

The font is probably 13th century. It has a round bowl with roll mouldings around the rim and base, and stands on a concave pedestal. The chancel has a plain panelled reredos with central Gothic panels in high relief, added around 1929. A plain altar rail with a simple arcade of six two-centred arches was added in 1934. The choir stalls with Gothic panelling to the ends and front were added around 1909. The polygonal pulpit was added around 1905. In the south aisle is an alabaster tablet to Lewis Thomas (died 1817) and his wife Elizabeth (died 1826), reclaimed from the earlier church. A plain boarded screen separates the nave from the church hall.

Several windows contain stained glass. The east window shows an Ascension scene, unsigned but dating to around 1922 and German in style. In the south aisle, a group of three windows depicting the Crucifixion, Mary and John was created by S. Belham & Co of London to the design of J.P. Seddon in the style of William Morris. Another group of three windows in the south aisle shows the Virgin Mary in memory of the Reverend Walters (died 1948) and was created by Celtic Studios. In the north aisle is an undated single window by Celtic Studios showing an Adoration scene.