Church of St Mary the Less
CHURCH OF ST MARY THE LESS, SOUTH BAILEY
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1121335
- Date first listed:
- 10-Mar-1988
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary the Less
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY THE LESS, SOUTH BAILEY
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-02-23
- Reference:
- IOE01/03606/25
- Rights:
- © Mr Bob Cottrell. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II
- List Entry Number:
- 1121335
- Date first listed:
- 10-Mar-1988
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Mary the Less
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST MARY THE LESS, SOUTH BAILEY
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 LESS, SOUTH BAILEY
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- District:
- County Durham (Unitary Authority)
- Parish:
- City of Durham
- National Grid Reference:
- NZ 27339 41955
Details
NZ 2741 NW, 16/440
DURHAM AND FRAMWELLGATE SOUTH BAILEY
(West side)
Church of St Mary the Less
GV
II
Parish church, now college chapel. C12 rebuilt 1846-7 by Pickering,
incorporating some original material. Irregularly-coursed squared sandstone
with ashlar quoins and dressings; Welsh slate roof with stone gable copings.
Nave and south porch; chancel. Neo-Norman style. 4-bay nave has shallow porch
in second bay: round-headed double door in shafted surround with chevron
moulding under steeply-pitched gable with moulded kneelers. 3 large round-
headed windows have shafts with cushion capitals; sill string; bracketed eaves.
2-bay chancel has moulded surrounds and head-stopped dripmoulds to round-headed
windows, that at left smaller and transferred from original church. Large
round-headed east and west windows. West bellcote has 2 round arches under
gable.
Memorial slabs built into south wall under first window to right of porch:
(Frosterley marble) to Dorothy and Frances Carnaby (died 1684 and 1692) and
to right of that, Joan Lever wife of Cuthbert (died 1669).
Interior: plaster above-boarded dado, which has battlemented top, in nave;
chancel plaster above C17 carved panelling which has cherubs' heads, Gothic
tracery and pinnacles. Head corbels support arch-braced collar and king-post
roof, with stencilled stars painted on chancel ceiling. Chancel arch
incorporates chevron moulding and is flanked by 2 lower segments set in wall.
Door has roll-moulded chevron surround; lozenge-moulded drip string on griffin
stops; diaper pattern in panel above to gable. Shouldered- arched
north vestry, door under mandorla with seated Christ and symbols of Evangelists.
Cross-slab in south wall with interlaced 8-arm cross and sword. Painted wood
memorial panels to members of Butler family died 1708 and 1710; and to John
Butler - 'a zealous protestant' - died 1597. Large dark funeral hatchment
over chancel arch. Gothic memorial at west end to Martin Dunn, mayor, died
1838.
Listing NGR: NZ2733941955
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 110498
- Legacy System:
- LBS
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 29-Jun-2026 at 18:05:58.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
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