Church of St Mary

Church of St Mary

This is a Grade I listed church constructed primarily from local fine-grained limestones, with conglomerate and coarse red sandstone, set in fairly regular courses as squared or angular blocks. Yellow sandstone and Bath limestone are used for dressings, particularly in the Victorian work, which is distinguished by normal squared rock-faced blocks in rhythmical snecked courses. All roofs are red tiled and appear to be contemporary with one another.

The church comprises a nave, chancel, north aisle, central tower positioned between the nave and chancel, south porch, and vestry.

The nave's south wall contains three windows and the porch, which projects between the second and third windows. The leftmost window is a square-headed 2-light opening with decorated-type tracery, likely dating to the 16th or even 17th century. The other two are 3-light Perpendicular windows with cusped heads and dripmoulds above; these are Victorian reproductions of original 14th-century windows. The west gable features a Victorian reproduction of the previous west door with a pointed arch and dripmould, above which sits a recessed 3-light window with cusped reticulated tracery within an unusual curvilinear head and no external frame. This is a faithful Victorian copy, nearly identical to the east windows at Redwick and Rogiet churches. A 2-light vent occupies the gable above. The roof is steeply pitched with a plain coped gable.

The chancel contains two decorated windows in its south wall, set in recessed moulded frames with curvilinear heads. The north wall is entirely hidden by the vestry. Stepped diagonal corner buttresses support the structure. The east gable displays a Perpendicular window with through tracery: a 3-light opening with cusped heads and dripmould, another faithful Victorian reproduction. The chancel also has stepped diagonal corner buttresses.

The north aisle, wholly Victorian, replicates the nave's width and height. Its north wall contains three Perpendicular 3-light windows with cusped heads and continuous dripmoulds, similar to the chancel's east window. The west gable features a matching 3-light Perpendicular window with dripmould. The east gable displays a circular window of sixteen radiating lights with a 2-light vent above. Corner buttresses support the structure, and the roof is steeply pitched with coped gables.

The tower is square, rising in two tall stages. The south wall has two stepped buttresses (probably Victorian additions), two slit windows, and a clock above. Single slit windows punctuate the east and west faces. The north face has a single-storey gabled transept projecting outward, with a modern boiler house beyond it. Above the transept are two slit windows. A string course encircles the tower between the two stages. Above this, the bell-stage features a 2-light Decorated opening on each face, appearing to be Victorian. A Victorian castellated parapet crowns the tower, with a pyramid roof rising behind it.

The south porch shows evidence of two building phases. Originally two storeys, it was converted to a single storey when the façade, roof, and battlements were added, probably in the early 16th century. The façade and parapet are ashlar; the remainder is squared rubble. Corner buttresses flank a tall pointed arch with applied ogee decoration of the Somerset Perpendicular type rising around and above it. A cranked string course supports an ashlar castellated parapet with corner pinnacles. The entrance door is a Victorian replacement.

The vestry, covering the north wall of the chancel, shows clear evidence of two extensions, visible through stonework of different colours. From left to right, it contains a 3-light plate tracery window with gable above, a 2-light window, and a single-light opening with plain parapet above—all Victorian.

The interior walls have been stripped of plaster, though this occurred after the Victorian restoration. A five-bay arcade of compound piers separates the nave from the north aisle. This Perpendicular arcade suggests the original north aisle dates to the 15th century. The nave features a canted waggon roof with ribs to each bay carried to a moulded wall plate. The north aisle has a common rafter roof. The chancel has a common rafter roof with arch-braced collars and ashlar pieces. The nave roof is medieval; all others are Victorian. Furnishings are primarily late 19th century in date, with the chancel refitted in 1905.