Building record 0168700000 - ST MARY'S CHURCH

Dimensions - Length 25m, Width 12m.
Plan Form - Rectangular.
Church entirely repaired 1777. E end of aisles formerly chantry chapels (B1).
Rebuilt mid-C14 retaining some early C13 features. Restored C19. Rubble stone, tiled roofs. W tower plain C13 lower stage, saddle back roof above. Early C13 S doorway. Porch 1639. Chancel reduced in length C18/19 (B2-6).
At NGR (B7).
Grade I. Parish Church. Rebuilt mid C14 retaining some early C13 features. Restored C19. Rubble stone, tiled roofs. W. tower has plain early C13 lower stage with Decorated openings to bell-chamber and saddleback roof above. S. wall of nave has narrow clerestory of C19 2-light windows. S. aisle has parapet, two Decorated windows, 3-light with reticulated tracery to E. end and 2-light to left of porch and one Perpendicular window with three uncusped lights to right. Early C13 S. doorway with moulded arch on double order of shafts with waterleaf caps. Porch 1639. Chancel has Decorated windows, 2-light to S., reticulated 3-light to E. N. aisle widens into chapel with vestry in angle and has 2-light Decorated windows. Interior: steeply pointed arch to tower. Nave arcades of three bays have C14 double-chamfered arches on octagonal piers with moulded caps, ending on carved head corbels to W., S. arcade has clerestory in spandrels, N. arcade has hatchments. S. aisle has chapel with squint to chancel, double traceried piscina and sedile. N. aisle has organ. Double-chamfered arch on corbels to wide chancel. Whole interior stripped of plaster and restored C19. Fittings: chancel has early C18 communion rails with turned balusters, reredos panels of similar date 'with Our Farther and Credo' in surround of Doric pilasters and entablature, and C17 chair. Pulpit has C17 arcaded panels restored on early C19 base. Box pews, modern font. Monuments : brasses to William Risley and wife 1516 in nave, to Thomas Clarell and family 1471 and brass of bleeding heart to John Merstun 1446 in chancel. N. aisle has three fine wall monuments to Cresswell family, two dated 1768 and 1784, with obelisks and urns in coloured marbles. Chancel has late C17-early C18 cartouches, and wall monument to Colonel J.B. Delap 1853 by E. Davis with figured relief in white marble (B5).


The Parish Church of St Mary is built of stone rubble with stone dressings. The roofs are tiled except those of the North chapel and South aisle, which are covered with lead. The two lower stages of the West tower are of the C13th and the South doorway is ca.1210, but the rest of the church was rebuilt ca.1340, when the nave was considerably lengthened towards the East, the chancel much widened, the South aisle added or rebuilt on a larger scale, and the North chapel and third stage of the tower were built. The nave is unusually narrow, and the arcades and narrow North aisle were probably built on former foundations. The South porch was added in 1639, and the roof of the nave, aisles and North chapel were probably renewed at this time. The chancel was probably reduced to half of its former length in the C18th or C19th. The church was restored and the North vestry built in 1891-2. The C13th South doorway and the C14th piscinae and sedilia are of especial interest (B2).

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 4 June 2025 licensed under the Open Government Licence.