Scratch sundial on the south aisle, east of the porch, of St Mary's church, Clipsham.
""The church of ST. MARY consists of chancel 27 ft. 3 in. by 13 ft. 6 in., with north aisle 8 ft. wide, clearstoried nave 36 ft. 4 in. by 13 ft. 6 in., north and south aisles each 13 ft. wide, south porch and engaged west tower 9 ft. 9 in. square, all these measurements being internal. The tower is surmounted by a spire. The width across nave and aisles is 43 ft. 9 in.
The chancel has a modern high-pitched slated, eaved roof and the porch is covered with stone slates, but elsewhere the roofs are leaded and behind plain parapets. The building was extensively restored in 1858, when the north wall of the north aisle was rebuilt throughout its length, and the chancel aisle, which had long been destroyed, was re-erected. Internally all the walls are plastered.
The original 12th-century church seems to have been an aisleless building with short square-ended chancel, and probably a west tower. To the nave of this structure a north aisle was added c. 1190, the wall being pierced for the erection of the existing north arcade of three bays, the semicircular arches of which are of two orders, with a heavy half-round moulding on the soffit. Towards the aisle both orders are square, but on the nave side they have edge-rolls and in the westernmost arch one outer order of cheveron moulding enriched with leaves and pellets. The arches spring from cylindrical piers and half-round responds with square scalloped capitals and moulded bases on square chamfered plinths; the arches are without hood-moulds.
Early in the 13th century a south aisle was added to the nave and the chancel was apparently extended to its present length, the north-east buttress and the lower part of the east wall being of this period. The south arcade, which was pierced through the old wall, consists of three semicircular arches of two chamfered orders on cylindrical piers and half-round responds, all with moulded capitals and high circular moulded bases. The shallow outer order has a series of ornamental stops, except over the east respond, in which the dog-tooth occurs twice, and the capitals of the piers are octagonal in shape, with nail-head ornament. There are no hoodmoulds. The respond capitals are circular, and that at the east end alone has nail-head enrichment. The bases stand on circular plinths.
Later in the same century the north aisle seems to have been extended to cover the chancel and the tower rebuilt. Shortly afterwards, probably early in the 14th century, the building underwent an extensive remodelling, by which it assumed the plan and external appearance that it has since retained. The chancel was rebuilt in its present form (beginning with the upper part of the east wall and proceeding westward from the south-east angle), the nave aisles rebuilt and widened and extended westward to engage the tower, to which a spire was added, and the porch and clearstory were erected.
The chancel is of two bays and has a pointed east window of three trefoiled lights with reticulated tracery and hood-mould with head-stops; the 14thcentury sill string is taken round the south-east buttress, but the chamfered plinth at the east end belongs to the older lower part of the wall. But from the south-east angle of the chancel, westward as far as the tower, there is a moulded plinth, which is repeated along the north aisle in modern form. Of the two windows, each of two trefoiled lights, on the south side of the chancel, the westernmost is square-headed; the other, which is pointed and has geometrical tracery, is either modern or is very much restored. The narrow priest's doorway is also much restored. On the north side the chancel is open to the aisle by an arcade of two wide pointed arches of two chamfered orders with hood-mould on both sides, springing from a pier consisting of four clustered shafts with moulded capital and base and from similar shafted responds. The hood-moulds have notch-stops at the ends and a head above the pier. The arch between the aisles of chancel and nave, though much restored, is apparently contemporary; it is of two chamfered orders on moulded corbels supported by heads. The chancel and nave are of the same width and the arch between them is modern. No ancient ritual arrangements remain."
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