Church of St Mary

Details

LUPPITT LUPPIT ST 10 NE 6/73 Church of St Mary 22.2.55 GV I Parish church. Norman origins and font, rebuilt in the late C13 - early Cl4, refurbished in the C15 with new tower (the top part rebuilt in 1905) and the south porch, the church was renovated 1885 - 90 and the chancel was rebuilt at the same time, renovated again in 1923. Local stone and flint rubble; original Beerstone ashlar detail; C19 Membury stone ashlar detail; slate roof with some C19 crested ridge tiles. Plan: cruciform plan church, its long C19 chancel lower than the nave and transepts; west tower and south porch. The tower is now used as the baptistry. Exterior: tall west tower of 3 stages with diagonal buttresses to the top of the second stage. The eaves cornice (rebuilt in 1905) is moulded with gargoyle water- spouts. The parapet has moulded coping. Semi-hexagonal stair turret on south side. 2-light belfry windows with Perpendicular tracery. The west tower doorway is a 2- centred arch with moulded surround and directly above is a 4-light window with Perpendicular tracery and hoodmould with carved head label stops. The south side of the nave is 3 bays. It contains a central doorway, a possibly late C13 - early C14 2-centred arch with moulded surround and noodmould with carved head label stops and above it is a shallow image niche. It has a C15 gabled porch with a 2-centred outer arch with moulded surround and hoodmould with carved head label stops. Its open wagon roof with moulded purlins is original. The porch is flanked by 2-light windows with Decorated tracery and hoodmoulds with carved foliage label stops. The gable-ends of the transepts have early Decorated style 3-light windows with stilted Y-tracery; the north transept window is original. The north side of the nave has 2 similar 2-light windows, one either side of a blocked doorway. The chancel has C19 windows with Perpendicular tracery and the south side includes a reset probably late C13 - early C14 priests door with trefoil head. Good interior: the roof of the nave and transepts may be original; that is to say late C13 - early C14, but maybe later C14 or C15 . Whatever the date the roof is magnificant. It is an open, common rafter truss, vault with moulded purlins and wall plates. The crossing is most impressive and made up intersecting arch-braced trusses with a replacement carved oak boss at their intersection. The large moulded arch braces spring from half-engaged octagonal shafts with moulded capitals. The chancel has a C19 open wagon roof. C15 tall panelled Beerstone tower arch with moulded surround and caps to the shafts. The chancel arch has a triple-chamfered arch ring springing from shafts with moulded caps. There is a plain 2-centred arch from the chancel to the vestry and small trefoil-headed piscina in the north transept. The walls are plastered. The floor of the nave and transept is flagged and there are some ancient graveslabs included in the transepts. The chancel floor is C19 tile. C20 oak reredos and C19 altar table. On the south side of the sanctuary a length of Norman carved stone has been adapted to a piscina. C19 oak altar rail with twisted iron standards (similar standards are incorporated in the stall frontals). The furniture is all C19, built of oak, and some have minimal Gothic decoration. The font is very good and though probably Norman may be late Saxon. It is built of Membury stone. It has a square bowl with round rim moulding. The bowl is covered with a rich and elaborate sculpture. The east face features a martyrdom and the other sides feature a fabulous monster, wild animals and patterns. Each corner has a large mask-like head. Most of the shaft and the base are C20. There are no memorials except for a later C13 or C14 sepulchral arch which has been reset in the chancel. The C19 glass scheme is simple but complete. Various old fragments such as part of a medieval brass, acoustic bowls, C15 carved oak bosses from the tower and other architectural fragments are displayed in the church. Source: John Sage. St Marys Church, Luppit

Listing NGR: ST1690406759

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

86626

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Sage, J, St Mary's Church Luppit, ()

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.