Church of St Mary

CHURCH OF ST MARY, CHURCH LANE

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

Explore this list entry

Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1251599
Date first listed:
09-Dec-1955
List Entry Name:
Church of St Mary
Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST MARY, CHURCH LANE
North elevation.
Contributed by Johnnie Shipley This photo may not represent the current condition of the site. Over 400,000 images and stories have been added to the Missing Pieces Project so far. Share your story.
View all

Location

Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places. 

There is a problem

Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.

What is the National Heritage List for England?

The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.

The list includes:

Icon Buildings
Icon Scheduled monuments
Icon Parks and gardens
Icon Battlefields
Icon Shipwrecks

Find out more about listing

Images of England Project

To view this image please use Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Edge.
Archive image, may not represent current condition of site.
Date:
2004-06-29
Reference:
IOE01/11849/21
Rights:
© Mr T. P. C. Bramer. Source: Historic England Archive

Local Heritage Hub

Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.

Discover more

Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
I
List Entry Number:
1251599
Date first listed:
09-Dec-1955
List Entry Name:
Church of St Mary
Statutory Address 1:
CHURCH OF ST MARY, CHURCH LANE

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

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.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
CHURCH OF ST MARY, CHURCH LANE

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Suffolk
District:
Mid Suffolk (District Authority)
Parish:
Somersham
National Grid Reference:
TM 09102 48457

Details

SOMERSHAM CHURCH LANE TM 04 NE 6/154 Church of St. Mary 9.12.55 - I Parish church, mediaeval. Nave, chancel, west tower, south porch. Rendered rubble walling, partly limewashed with limestone dressings; the tower is of unplastered flint, septaria and limestone rubble. Plaintiled roofs. The nave has features of c.1300; a Y-traceried window and two lancets, and north and south doorways, all with scroll hood-moulds. The chancel was remodelled in mid C14; a canted and ceiled roof with moulded tie-beam and cornice, a good net-traceried east window and 2 smaller windows in south wall. Of mid/lace C14 is the good timber-framed porch with a heavy 2-centred doorway, drop- and mouchette-traceried side windows and coupled-rafter roof. The tower is also mid C14 with a 2-light west window, traceried belfry openings to east and west, and lionhead gargoyles. The C14 or C15 south door has original scrap- hinges and sanctuary ring. In the north wall is a 2-centred arched roodloft - doorway, made, unusually, of wood. The sanctus bell bracket is still attached to a beam in the chancel. The nave was reroofed in C15; canted and ceiled with moulded arch-braced tie-beams and cornice. Small early C16 priest's door in the north wall, and a cusped piscina opposice. The altar reredos has enriched panelling dated 1601; also in the sanctuary are C18 panels bearing the 10 Commandments, Creea and Lord's Prayer, flanked by fine paintings of Moses and Aaron, believed to have been given to the church in 1750. Late C17 altar rails with turned balusters. A fragment of C13/C14 wall painting on the south wall of nave. Blocking the outer face of the north nave doorway is a slab with inscription of 1786. On the south external wallface is another, dated 1717/18.

Listing NGR: TM0910248457

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:
434313
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.

Ordnance survey map of Church of St Mary

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 05-Jun-2026 at 18:03:09.

Download a full scale map (PDF)
© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

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.

Previous Overview
Next Comments and Photos