Church of St Mary the Virgin
Church of St Mary the Virgin, Kempsford
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1089451
- Date first listed:
- 26-Nov-1958
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary the Virgin
- Statutory Address:
- Church of St Mary the Virgin, Kempsford
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2007-05-12
- Reference:
- IOE01/16580/27
- Rights:
- © Mr Anthony Rau. Source: Historic England Archive
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Official list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1089451
- Date first listed:
- 26-Nov-1958
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary the Virgin
- Statutory Address 1:
- Church of St Mary the Virgin, Kempsford
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- Church of St Mary the Virgin, Kempsford
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Gloucestershire
- District:
- Cotswold (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Kempsford
- National Grid Reference:
- SU 16136 96499
Details
SU 19 NE
8/94
KEMPSFORD
KEMPSFORD VILLAGE (south side)
Church of St Mary the Virgin
26.11.58
I
Anglican parish church. Early C12 nave, chancel added C13, alterations in C14, tower and nave heightened mid C15. Restored c1858 by G.E Street and south east chapel added; further restoration 1880s. Coursed and dressed stone, stone slate roof to chancel and chapel, nave roof not visible. Nave and chancel with central tower, north and south porches, southeast chapel.
Large tower of three stages with offsets and stepped diagonal buttresses rising to crocketed pinnacles and openwork parapet. Three-light belfry openings on each side with stone mullions and arched hoodmould with carved stops; middle stage has small single light with square hoodmould below a square framed with three concave moulded lights, centre one blind; lowest stage has very large four-light windows to north and south with king mullion, two transoms and Perpendicular tracery and single-light over to south, niche to north. Clock face on north side of tower.
Nave retains deeply splayed round arch single-lights of Norman period and zig-zag moulded string course below additional Decorated windows added in C14. Clerestorey of mid C15 has three three-light cusped trefoil-head windows with square hoodmould and string course with grotesques. North porch has Norman doorway with chevron arch and carved shafts, porch itself of early C16 with ogee-headed niche and flanking crocketed pinnacles on east wall, a typical feature of the area, and four-centred archway with concave mouldings and angel shields below gable rebuilt in late C19. South porch said to contain equally fine Norman doorway but inaccessible at time of survey (March 1985). Chancel of late C13/early C14 has three-light trefoil-head lancet with cusped sexfoil at east end, north side fills three-light Decorated window with reticulated tracery and small blocked trefoil-head doorway. Chapel by Street of 1858 has two three-light with reticulated tracery on south side.
Interior: eight bay nave roof with three tiers of arched wind bracing, corbels for rood screen at east end of nave. Tower has doorway in north-west corner, lierne vault decorated in heraldry in 1862 and stone seats around side walls. Fine stained glass by Kempe in north window. Chancel has wagon roof, with painted ciborium probably of same date as tower decoration, plaster has been removed from walls in chancel, probably when two bay arcade opened up by Street to form south chapel. Large Perpendicular tomb on north wall with two mutilated seated figures and recumbent effigy probably of earlier date. Pulpit by Street, with marble painted over, choir stalls with fanning leaf finials also by Street.
Listing NGR: SU1613196498
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 128939
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Verey, D, The Buildings of England: Gloucestershire The Cotswolds, (1979)
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 08-Jun-2026 at 11:39:46.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.