Parish Church of St Mary

Details

TL 4245 FOWLMERE HIGH STREET (South Side) 18/113 Parish Church of St Mary 22.11.67 GV I Parish Church. Nave early C12, western walls of chancel later C12; central tower and chancel rebuilt late C13; west tower arch and second stage, north arcade and north aisle early C14; south transept c.1300; north transept mid C14; clerestory, north porch and top stage of tower C15. Restorations include west window 1857, transept roofs repaired and vestry and buttress built north of the chancel 1859, part of north transept and clerestory, rebuilt 1863-4. Complete restoration, by T. Whitehead in 1869, and 1956. Walls of flint and pebble rubble with dressings of clunch, Barnack limestone and freestone. Roofs possibly of lead. South elevation. Nave with plain parapet and embattled gable parapet with cross finial. Three clerestory windows of three recessed cinquefoiled lights with four-centred arches; two C14 Y-tracery windows below in two-centred arches, and to the east and at a higher level a two trefoiled-light window with tracery in a square head c.1330. South doorway, c.1300, two-centred arch with moulded jambs. Central tower of three stages with an embattled parapet, and small lead covered spire, surmounted by a weather vane in 1759; single lancet light second stage windows, belfrey window of two cinquefoil-lights with spandrels and four-centred arch. South transept with diagonal buttresses, plain parapets, and four cinquefoiled-light south window c.1300 with tracery in two-centred arch with label. Three chancel windows with Y-tracery in two-centred arches and with a single cinquefoiled-light to the west with blocked low side window remains on internal wall; angle buttresses. Interior: Nave arcade of three bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders with quatrefoiled piers with small rolls at the angles and corresponding respond; moulded capitals and bases. North doorway C19; C14 or C15 door of vertical boards with horizontal rails and integral moulded battens, large lock case and key. C12 coffin lid fragment above door. Tower arches; west wall two-centred arch of two plain chamfered orders with semi octagonal responds with moulded caps and bases, east wall two-centred arch of two hollow-chamfered orders with moulded label carved on semi octagonal responds with moulded capitals and 'hold-water' bases, similar but later arches to north and south walls. North transept arch to north aisle two-centred of two chamfered orders. Niches with moulded ogee heads C14, and stone bracket and shelf. South transept niche with vaulted head and canopy with crockets and finials, C15. Chancel, C19 doorway to vestry in north wall; piscina C12 with plain round head and projecting chamfered rectangular stone shelf and square sinking to drain; late C13 piscina with two trefoiled arches in round head with central round column with engaged shafts with moulded caps and bases. Font, clunch octagonal bowl with quatrefoil and foliate spandrels on each face C15. Roofs: to nave C15, low pitched of three bays with tiebeams supported on short wall-posts with carved braces, each bay subdivided by moulded principal rafters with carved bosses at intersections; north transept, C15 of three bays with heavy cambered tiebeams and short king-posts with curved braces to ridge; south transept, two bays with moulded central tiebeam, moulded ridge and purlins, short king-post, bays subdivided by moulded principal rafters; north porch of two bays with chamfered principal rafters and ridge. Glass in west window of south wall of chancel a shield of arms of De Vere; in east window of north transept fragments of medieval glass; south transept C14 and C15 pieces. Monuments: north wall of chancel, white marble pedestal with Latin inscriptions to William Mitchell d.1745 and Elizabeth his wife d.1748, above pedestal a seated draped female figure representing Elizabeth carrying a cartouche carved with head and shoulders of a man representing her husband, signed Th ADY fecit; in south transept white marble tablet to John Crown Agnis of Longford d.1829 by Gaffin - London. Floor slabs: in chancel, slate slab to Rev Wm. Metcalf d.1850 and Susanna his wife; slate slab inscribed 'The burying place of James Mitchell Esq and his family July 1715; slate slab to Henry Hall d.1757; slate slab to Alexander Chisholm late of Sidney New South Wales, husband of Emily 3rd daughter of Wm Metcalf d.1845; marble slab with brass inlay to Anna Maria Blackburn d.1842 and her infant son d.1843. R.C.H.M. Report 1949 V.C.H. Vol. VI, p.163 Pevsner. Buildings of England, p.387 Gunnis. British Sculptors, p.15

Listing NGR: TL4225045932

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

52928

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Salzman, L F, The Victoria History of the County of Cambridgeshire and the Isle of Ely, (1978), 163
Pevsner, N, The Buildings of England: Cambridgeshire, (1954), 387
Gunnis, R, Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851, (1953), 15

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