Details
TRING RURAL CHURCH LANE
SP 81 SE
(West side)
Puttenham
3/126 Church of St. Mary
30.11.66 (C of E)
GV I
Parish church. Early C14 nave and aisles (proportions 1:2 suggest fabric
of narrow nave may be older); early C15 W tower, nave clearstorey and
elaborate nave roof; chancel largely rebuilt 1851 for Rev Thomas Holme
retaining older features; S porch rebuilt 1869 and again in general
restoration 1888-9 by Carpenter & Ingelow for Rev Robert Merrick when
chancel floor raised and relaid, roofs repaired and tower parapets and
turret-top rebuilt. Structural repairs and restoration 1934-5 by
Sir Albert Richardson. W window restored 1971. Uncoursed limestone walls
to aisles with knapped flints set in the wide joints, more closely
jointed without flints in N clearstorey, tower of large coursed blocks
of Ketton stone with regular squares of knapped flint giving chequered
effect, chancel faced in uncoursed knapped flint over a stone base
course with stuccoed buttresses lined as ashlar, S clearstorey faced in
grey knapped flint, half-timbered porch on high stone and flint
side-walls, steep red tiled chancel and porch roofs, low pitched metal
roofs elsewhere. A small Dec and Perp church serving a shrunken medieval
village, with aisled nave, lower square ended chancel, embattled low W
tower, and gabled S porch. The chancel has a buttress in the middle of
the N and S walls, diagonal buttresses at E end; and a spartan interior
with 3-light pointed E window only, C15 pointed piscina with hollow
chamfered mouldings in 2 orders in S wall, roundheaded trefoil cusped
piscina in N wall, slabs with brass indents within C18 turned alter
rails, 6 roundels of C15 encaustic tiles against N wall of chancel, C17
heavy oak pew, reading desk with C15 poppy-head ends, softwood
arch-braced collar roof of 6 short bays, plate dated 1851 over pointed S
door, and small painted C18 framed board on N wall with text from Psalms
CM ver 2.13. Encaustic tile floor of 1889. The nave of 3 bays has tall
3-bay arcades of slightly different dates in the early C14 both with
slender octagonal piers, moulded bases and fine moulded caps and pointed
arches of 2 orders, plain chamfered on the S but wave-moulded on the N.
The E end of the S arcade is carried on a head corbel. The C14 chancel
arch with half-octagonal responds has a similar design to the S arcade.
The clearstorey has simple 2-light Perp windows in the middle and
eastern bays only. Unusually rich and elaborate early C15 open timber
roof of 3 bays is the finest feature of the church with heavy
roll-moulded rafters, ridge, purlins, principals, sub-principals, and
cambered tie-beams with large standing figures as wall-posts on small
stone corbels to tie-beams, half life-size figures under the wall ends
of the sub-principals, and large carved bosses to intersections. The 4
standing figures on each side are saints each standing on birds with
necks outstretched. The smaller figures on the sub-principals have
diadems and hold blank shields. 2 bosses have the arms of Zouch and
Wykeham, another a rebus for Hutton. The contemporary 5-bays roof of the
S aisle has similar but is said to have been renewed. Pierced medieval
carved wooden cresting with vine scroll pattern, perhaps from a rood
screen, has been fixed to the S aisle wallplate. The nave has also
several massive oak benches with moulded rails of C17 or earlier, early
C17 hexagonal oak panelled pulpit with carved panels of a lozenge below
and coiled scaly serpent above on each side. A similar panel with
serpent is incorporated in the C19 wooden lectern. Stone font with plain
circular bowl, stem and base, medieval re-cut and C17 wooden cover.
Painted panel of Royal Arms of George III, 1760, over chancel arch, and
hatchment on W wall. 2 C18 framed boards with Commandments flank the C15
oak door with C17 moulded battens on outside to give panelled
appearance. Simple 2-light Perp E windows to aisles. N aisle 2 N windows
of late C15 differ, one of 3 cinquefoil lights under a segmental head,
the other of 2-lights with pierced spandrels under a 4-centred arched
head. This has a composite roundel of medieval stained glass. Similar
3-light window in E part of S aisle, 2 light Perp window in W part. C19
small painted organ in middle bay of N aisle. 4-centred arched piscina
in S aisle with chamfered jambs and pyramid stop. Crested deal screen
c.1889 in tower arch with pointed deal door and ornamental hinge plates.
A painting of James Stevens who died in 1911 aged 103 hangs in the S
aisle. Low massive W tower has a projecting rectangular SE stair turret
rising higher with a wind-vane, and its E face a continuation of the E
face of the tower, giving an appearance of greater breadth to the tower.
Chamfered plinth, chamfered string course, embattled parapets, belfry
opening in each face of 2 trefoil lights with quatrefoil in the head
(restored) over 3-light W window of late C15 style with cinquefoil
lights (restored) over late C15 pointed W doorway (patched). In the
tower base the vestry has 2 C18 painted framed panels with Lord's Prayer
and Creed, and framed plan of 1883 signed by Carpenter & Ingelow
architects. In VCH(1908) said to be dedicated to Our Lady. of
outstanding interest for its C14 nave and C15 elaborate nave roof.
(VCH (1908)263-4: RCHM(1911)165-6: Kelly(1914)194: Pevsner(1977)273-4:
Vincent(1983)12,16).
Listing NGR: SP8852014927