Church of St Mary

Details

SJ 4800-4900 LONGNOR C.P. LONGNOR

9/63 Church of St. Mary 13.6.58

GV I

Chapel, now parish church. Circa 1260-70 with early C18 and c.1840 alterations and additions. Roughly coursed red (and some grey) sandstone rubble with red sandstone ashlar dressing; C19 plain tile roof. Nave and chancel in one. Chamfered and parapeted gable ends, with cross at apex to east. Square wooden bellcote to west with lead-sheathed lower stage, 2 x 2 chamfered pointed-arched openings, and pyramidal copper cap with weathervane. West front: angle buttresses with chamfered offsets to moulded cill string, and stepped-chamfered tops (cf Acton Burnell); moulded-arched west window with fillet, c.1840 wooden tracery consisting of 3 stepped lights and 3 uncusped circles. 3 steps up to c.1840 boarded door with moulded yellow/grey sandstone arch and returned hoodmould. South side: 4 chamfered lancets to right and continuous hoodmould overall with carved heads as stops. C13 moulded-arched former south doorway off-centre to left with fillet, and hoodmould with carved heads as stops, now blocked, grey sandstone ashlar below with chamfered top and small-paned cast-iron window above with intersecting tracery. Flight of ten external stone steps to left with plain wrought-iron handrail and C19 cast-iron gate at bottom, leading up to external entrance to west gallery with boarded door. Projecting stone brackets between middle 2 windows supporting sundial with copper dial plate dated 1718 and gnomon. North front: 2 groups of 3 chamfered lancets to left, and continuous hoodmould over all-6 with carved heads as stops; pair of chamfered lancets to right, and continuous hoodmould over both with carved heads as stops. C13 moulded-arched former north doorway off-centre to right with fillet and hoodmould with carved heads as stops, now blocked with grey sandstone ashlar below, and cast-iron window above with intersecting: tracery. East end: large window with 3 stepped lights, 3 uncusped circles in tracery, chamfered base, heavily-moulded reveals, and hoodmould with carved heads as stops. Interior: C19 single-framed roof. North and south windows with roll-moulded rear arches; rear arch of east window with heavily-moulded head and roll-moulded reveals. Pair of roll-moulded trefoiled piscinae, rectangular aumbry in north wall; step up to sanctuary with C18 floor. Complete C18 fittings including: box pews dated "RL/1723" (Richard Lewis) with raised and fielded panels, doors with H-hinges, and knob finials, manorial pew with tall sunken panels behind rising to moulded cornice,and vicars- pew. C18 two-decker pulpit with reader's desk, and hexagonal wooden pulpit with tall raised and fielded panels and moulded cornice. Reredos incorporating some C17 panelling with fluted frieze and later cresing. C18 communion rails on 3 sides with moulded base, turned balusters, and moulded rail. Sanctuary with C18 wainscot-panelling and low side benches. C18 west gallery consisting of front with pulinated frieze, splat balusters (shaped to represent barleysugar balusters) and moulded handrail, and supported on 2 square- section reeded posts to front and 2 plain square-section posts to rear with beaded corners. Circa 1840 internal west doorcase with 4-panelled door flanked by reeded pilaster strips with recessed capitals and supporting shallow open triangular pediment. Mid- to late C19 stone font consisting of 4 shafts with moulded bases and capitals supporting large circular bowl with carved frieze around top and wooden cover. Mid- to late C19 organ (brought from Hanwood church in 1976). 5 hatchments. Commandment boards flanking east window. Mainly square- and diamond-leaded clear glass; some stained glass (1857-88) to members of the Corbett family. There was some rearrangment of the fittings c.1840 and at the same time the west-gallery was enlarged, the north and south doors blocked, and the new entrance made in the west wall. In the C16 the church was a chapelry of Condover but in late-medieval times it was used as a private manorial chapel. The church is especially notable as a largely unaltered late C13 chapel (with many stylistic affinities to St. Mary's Church, Acton Burnell) and for its largely complete C18 interior fittings. V.C.H., Vol. VIII, pp.113-4; B.O.E., p.174; D.H.S. Cranage, An architectural account of the churches of Shropshire, Part 6, pp.499-500; Kelly's Directory of Herefordshire and Shropshire (1913), p.137; N.J.E. Dunn, St. Marys, Longnor.

Listing NGR: SJ4880300492

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

259604

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Cranage, DHS, An Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, (1908), 499-500
Dunn, N J E, St Mary's Longnor, ()
Elmington, C R, The Victoria History of the County of Shropshire, (1989), 113-114
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Shropshire, (1958), 174
Kellys Directory in Herefordshire and Shropshire, (1913), 137

End of official list entry

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