Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England)
PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), HIGH STREET
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1173980
- Date first listed:
- 22-Feb-1967
- List Entry Name:
- Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England)
- Statutory Address:
- PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), HIGH STREET
Location
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Images of England Project
- Date:
- 2001-06-21
- Reference:
- IOE01/04677/16
- Rights:
- © Mr Les Brunton. Source: Historic England Archive
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Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- II*
- List Entry Number:
- 1173980
- Date first listed:
- 22-Feb-1967
- List Entry Name:
- Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England)
- Statutory Address 1:
- PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), HIGH STREET
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:
- PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), HIGH STREET
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Hertfordshire
- District:
- East Hertfordshire (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Westmill
- National Grid Reference:
- TL 36944 27171
Details
Westmill village TL 3627 WESTMILL HIGH STREET (north side)
8/15 Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (C of E) 22.2.67
GV II*
Parish church. Cll (A-S) nave, C12 N aisle, C13 chancel, C15 W tower and nave roof, S porch rebuilt and church restored 1876 with new lean-to vestry at NE. Flint rubble with coursed flint facing and limestone dressings. Barnack stone long-and-short work in situ at SE corner of nave, and reused in diagonal butresses to N aisle. Knapped flint and limestone chequered plinth to tower. Steep old red tile roofs. Small leaded Hertfordshire spike and vane on pyramidial slated base behind crenelated parapet of tower. Essentially a 2-cell pre-conquest church with unusually wide (and therefore important) nave 21 ft x 41.5 ft and square-ended chancel 15 ft x 25 ft with C13 rebuilding of chancel, and later accretious. Adding N aisle c1190 involved cutting 2 pointed unmoulded arches through A-S N wall having splayed edges, dripmoulds on both sides and moulded abaci on the intrados of each. Upper door to rood loft stair at E end of N wall. Lancet windows in sides of chancel renewed but C13 blocked square headed window with external rebate over S door of chancel. Chancel arch c1330 2-centred with 2 moulded orders, dripmould on both sides and responds of 3 large engaged shafts with fillets between. Brick jambs, head and external label with stops to W window of N aisle c1530. Tall square tower of 3 stages with diagonal buttresses and very tall 2-centred tower arch to nave of 3 chamfered orders without capitals. Elaborate W doorway and moulded jambs with a canopied niche to each splay and spandrels carved with censing angels. 3-light W window and 4 large 2-light belfry openings with traceried heads. Gargoyles in middle of each face below parapet and deep moulded string around base. C15 scissor-braced collar-purlin nave roof with 3 octagonal crown-posts with moulded base and cap and 4-way bracing, and wall responds to short end bays. C13 memorial slab to Nicol de Leuknore on wall in base of tower with Lombardic edge inscription. Octagonal late C15 clunch font with fleurons in quatrefoils on panelled sides. C15 benches with buttressed ends. Polychrome tile reredos concealed by alter said to be the last designed by Sir Ninian Comper. 2 polychrome octagonal riddel posts supporting gilded angels: 2 more now under tower. Late C17 oak communion rails with twisted balusters. Vigourously carved eagle lectern, organ front and panelled pulpit 1931 decorated by Peter Larkworthy. (RCHM (1911) 236-7: VCH (1912) 401-2; Pevsner (1977) 401: Ormerod (n.d.) Notes for Visitors).
Listing NGR: TL3694427171
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 161366
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Sources
Books and journals
Doubleday, A, The Victoria History of the County of Hertford, (1912), 401-2
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, (1977), 401
Other
Ormerod, Notes for Visitors on the Church of St Mary the Virgin Westmill,
Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire, (1910)
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 04-Jun-2026 at 09:10:40.
Download a full scale map (PDF)© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. All rights reserved. Ordnance Survey Licence number 100024900.© British Crown and SeaZone Solutions Limited 2026. All rights reserved. Licence number 102006.006.
End of official list entry