Church of St Mary

Details

FETCHAM LOWER ROAD TQ/15/NW (south side, off) 2/52

7.9.51 Church of St Mary

GV II*

Parish church. C11 and C12 nave and tower, with C13 chancel and north transept, tower partly rebuilt in late C17 or early C18; restored, porch added and north aisle added or rebuilt in C19. Knapped flint incorporating some Roman tiles, with limestone quoins, and brick quoins and bands to tower; roof mostly of red tiles, but with graduated stone slates on aisles and south side of chancel. Nave with north and south aisles, north porch, north transept and south tower opposed to it, and chancel. The 3-bay nave has full-height aisles under cat-slide roofs, that on the south side embracing the tower at the junction with the chancel which also overlaps it slightly. The 3-stage tower, each upper stage slightly set back above a weathered band of moulded brick, has large diagonal buttresses to the exposed corners (each with 3 brick-clad offsets), 2 restored round-headed lancets at ground floor, a similar lancet in the 2nd stage with a chamfered brick surround, a similar but taller belfry window in each side of the 3rd stage, with wooden louvres, and above that on the south side a deep band of diapering; and an embattled parapet. The west end of the nave has a large C19 2-centred arched 3-light window; to the right of this a vertical joint shows that the south aisle was an addition at the time it was rebuilt (confirmed by picture hanging inside church); both aisles have C19 coupled lancets, and in the centre of the north aisle a C19 gabled porch with deeply-moulded 2-centred arched outer doorway protects a C13 2-centred arched inner doorway with double-chamfered surround. The tall gabled north transept has a large C14 2-light window in the gable wall with trefoil lights and mouchette tracery, and 2 chamfered lancets in the east side. The chancel has 2 similar lancets in this side, a C19 3-light east window, and a large C15 square-headed window on the south side with 3 cinquefoil lights, chamfered surround and a hood mould. Interior: Norman 3-bay south arcade with massive circular piers and semicircular responds, scalloped square caps, and semicircular arches, and in the wall above the 1st pier a deeply splayed C11 window; C13 north arcade of 2 wider 2-centred chamfered arches on octagonal columns without capitals; a large 2-centred double-chamfered arch to the transept, which has a wide arched altar recess with dog-tooth enrichment, and a triangular-headed piscina; to the left of the chancel arch, remains of a similar but smaller recess; in the south pier of the chancel arch, a small 2-centred arched doorway to stone spiral stairs which formerly led to a rood loft (the corresponding upper doorway in the west side of the pier now blocked); deep splays to the lancet windows in the transept and the chancel; in the chancel, tripartite sedilia with polished colonettes (probably C19), a piscina with wooden shelf, and wall monuments to Anthony Rous (d.1631) and Henry Vincent (d.1631), the latter including a praying bust with an open book, in a cartouche with Corinthian colonettes; in the left side of the porch, a large lettered tablet dated 1717 recording details of a charitable trust.

Listing NGR: TQ1497755625

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

290439

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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