Details
This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 2 April 2025 to correct a typo in the description and to reformat the text to current standards
SU 03 NE
3/52
STAPLEFORD
CHURCH STREET (east side)
Church of St. Mary
23.3.60.
GV
I
Anglican parish church. C12, C13, C14, C16, C17, 1861 restoration by William Slater. Flint and limestone, tiled roof.
Plan: Nave, north and south aisles, chancel, south chapel, north tower and south porch. Gabled C16 porch, formerly two-storey, with moulded Tudor-arched doorway with square hoodmould, diagonal buttresses, two-light cusped mullioned window with hoodmould over, coped verge with cross finial, cusped windows to sides. South aisle has C14 two-light ogee window to either side of porch, plain parapet with saddleback coping to lean-to roof. South chapel has good three-light C14 window with reticulated tracery and pointed hoodmould, low-pitched roof with coping and gargoyles. Nave clerestory has three C16 two-light cusped windows, moulded stone eaves cornice with rosettes. South side of chancel has ovolo-moulded doorway, two-light Perpendicular window to left and two-light C19 window to right, east end has large C19 four-light Decorated-style window, trefoiled niche below, probably reset, north side has chamfered lancet and C19 two-light window. North aisle has two-light C16 window with hoodmould to east, two cusped lancets to north, parapet, nave clerestory has two two-light C16 windows. Two-stage tower has angle buttresses, C14 two-light pointed window to first stage, offset string course to bell stage with ogee lancet and C17 round-arched louvred windows, west side has roll-moulded pointed doorway, south side has datestone 1675, battlemented parapet with corner pinnacles. West end of nave has C12 clasping buttress to north, C19 Decorated-style window, south aisle has cusped lancet to west.
Interior: Porch has integral moulded stone seat on west side and Medieval tomb with cross on east side; upper floor removed, fine C12 roll-moulded doorway with zig-zag and nailhead ornament, attached shafts, left has scalloped capital, C19 planked door. Nave has four-bay C19 arch-braced collar roof with tie-beams, rendered walls, tiled floor. Fine four-bay C12 south arcade with cylindrical piers with enriched multi-scalloped capitals and square abaci, round arches with nailhead or pellet ornament and red painted decoration to soffits. Triple chamfered tower arch with carved head abaci, C19 Perpendicular-style screen. North chapel with triple-chamfered pointed arch. South chapel, probably C14, has ogee cusped piscina and ogee niche over stone coffin against south wall. Chancel arch double chamfered on cylindrical corbels, two-bay C19 scissor-rafter roof with crown post on tie-beam. Fine C14 three-seat sedilia and piscina with cusped ogee arches and carved finials on south wall. C12 scalloped cylindrical font in south aisle. C19 marble pulpit. Good east window stained glass by James Bell, tower glass by Clayton and Bell, 1862, chancel glass by Lavers Barraud and J.S. Beckham. C19 south chapel window has Seymour crest. Chest tomb in chancel to Christopher Fleetwood died 1705.
(J.P. Adams, Stapleford Parish Guide, 1983; N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England; Wiltshire, 1975)
Listing NGR: SU0704437369
