Church of St Mary

Details

HINDERCLAY RICKINGHALL ROAD (NORTH TM 07 NW EAST SIDE) 1/45 Church of St. Mary 15.11.54 -- I Wrongly shown on O.S. map as School Road. Parish church. c.1200, chancel rebuilt and south porch added C14, altered and tower added C15. Restored 1842, 1852, 1871, 1881 and 1897. Flint rubble with ashlar and red brick dressings, part cement rendered, some knapped flint. Steeply pitched slate roofs. Small nave with separately roofed south aisle, south porch, chancel, west tower. 3 stage C15 square tower: chequerwork plinth with moulded offsets, to west a Y traceried 2-light pointed arched window, second stage louvred slit opening, string course to belfry with large tall square headed traceried openings, 2 ogee headed lights, mask stopped hoodmoulds, transoms to lower chequerwork panels with cusped ogee headed tracery, no chequerwork to east; 3 stage diagonal buttresses rise 2 stages, straight buttresses to east, embattled flushwork parapet with traceried initialed panels, gargoyles to north and south, to south a canted stair turret with 2 slit openings, to north an angled projection to east buttress. Line of earlier taller roof is visible on tower to east. Nave to north has an original blocked entrance to west of centre, a slightly pointed arch, double chamfered with semi-octagonal responds, simply moulded impost blocks. Towards west a 2-light window with cusped ogee headed lights, 4-centred arched head, hoodmould, towards east a narrower similar 2-light window with a depressed arched head, a buttress and 2 restored windows of 2 and 3-lights, cusped ogee headed lights, square heads with hoodmoulds, 2 stage buttress to north east. Nave to east has moulded kneelers to coped gable parapet. South aisle has two 3-light C15 windows, cusped arched headed lights in square heads, hoodmoulds, towards west a chamfered pointed arched entrance with an early strap hinged door in C14 timber south porch: outer chamfered pointed arch, renewed brick base to returns, renewed boarded sides with fragments of original cusped traceried openings, inside coved wallplates, arched braced tie beam. Aisle to west has a 2 stage diagonal brick buttress and a 2-light window with a 4-centred arched head, cusped lights, rectilinear tracery, hoodmould, lower part blocked, parapet rebuilt in red brick, a gargoyle in angle between aisle and tower stair turret. Aisle to east has a 3-light square headed window, cusped ogee headed lights, hoodmould, coped gable parapet. Chancel has 3-light C14 pointed arched east window with reticulated tracery, hoodmould, moulded kneelers to coped gable parapet with ridge cross, unbuttressed, scratch dial on quoin to south east; to south a low side door in a hollow chamfered pointed arch with a stopped hoodmould, flanking 2-light C14 pointed arched windows with reticulated tracery, that to west a transomed low side window; to north a 2-light pointed arched window with cusped Y tracery, hoodmould. Interior: C14 pointed chancel arch, hollow and wave moulded, semi-octagonal responds with moulded caps; sharply pointed C15 tower arch, outer chamfers with middle hollow mould, semi-octagonal responds with moulded caps and bases. Original nave arcade of 4 bays, double hollow moulded pointed arches on short round piers with ring moulded abaci. Roofs ceiled, south aisle with a moulded wallplate. South aisle west window has a simply moulded rear arch, chancel windows have hollow moulded rear arches. In tower a splayed pointed arched entrance to stair turret. In chancel to south a restored C14 angle piscina, shafts with moulded caps and bases, cusped arched openings, quatrefoil bowl, dropped sill sedilia to adjacent window. In nave north east angle remnant of rood loft. Early C17 poppyhead ended benches, one dated 1617 with initials 'RL.TC' and JSF.SK', varying diamond shaped terminals, some restored, 2 benchbacks have lozenge patterning. In south aisle 3 large late C18 and early C19 box pews with raised fielded panelling, a ramped up side. Nave to east has mid C19 seating, early C19 semi-octagonal panelled pulpit. Chancel screen is C19 reincorporating five OS traceried panels to each side, fielded panelled dado, cornice is a reused OS moulded beam. Plain octagonal font in nave, rebuilt stem. Mid C19 panelled Gothic screen to vestry in south aisle, similar screen to tower. Painted Royal Arms of George III in tower arch. Chancel north wall memorial to G. Thompson, d.1711, inscribed slate tablet, ashlar surround, flanking putti, seraphs below cornice, arms in a cartouche with garlands, below base 2 seraphs with a heart. Fragments of early glass in chancel east window and nave north windows. South aisle stained glass 1975 by R. Rutherford.

Listing NGR: TM0271176835

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

431217

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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