St.Mary the Virgin, Broadwater Lane, Aston, Hertfordshire. SG2 7EN - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

This is a Grade II* listed parish church with the nave and chancel of c1230, the west tower late C14th or early C15th with low pitched timber roofs and new windows of the late C15th. There was a restoration in 1850 which also gave the north aisle followed in 1883 by a general restoration when the north vestry and south porch were rebuilt by W O Milne of London. The alabaster reredos with mosaic panels is also by Milne in 1896.

Built of flint rubble with a rough plastered finish and corbelled brick crenellated parapet to the tower with stone dressings and tiled buttress offsets. There is a knapped flint uncoursed facing to the rest of the church with stone dressings and flushwork chequer of stone and flint on the porch. A copper low pitched roof to the chancel - similar behind the nave's crenellated parapet, lead roof and 'Hertfordshire Spike' with vane on the tower, slate roof to the north-east vestry.

It is a picturesque irregular church with a two-bay low chancel, taller three-bay nave with three-bay arcade and a north aisle, a square two-stage tower with large diagonal buttresses each with five tiled offsets, a gabled south porch and gabled north-east vestry with chimney and organ chamber.

The Chancel has a two-bay arched-braced oak roof with ridge and one purlin to each slope which have a boss at their junction with a secondary principal at mid-bay. There are rear-arch and jamb stones of a lancet window recorded in the north wall. A double trefoil-headed C13th piscina near altar on the south wall. Two C16th windows in south wall flanking a blocked small C19th pointed doorway visible outside. Carved and panelled oak choirstalls c1886 are from St Mary's Lambeth and installed in 1973. C19th east window. C16th chancel arch with half-octagonal section and fluted mouldings and capitals. Oak screen c1520 with side panels and central opening. Blind tracery panels fixed to lower part.

The Nave has a three-bay roof with cranked tie-beams, four-centred arched braces springing from moulded wall-posts on carved stone head-corbels. Carved bosses at the junctions of ridge and purlins with secondary principals. Octagonal oak pulpit is late C17th with mitred planted mouldings and arabesque frieze around the top. Correct C13th style tall north arcade with pointed arches of two chamfered orders, and circular pillars with moulded caps, ¾ pillars as imposts. There is a good figure brass in the central aisle before the chancel arch to John Kent and his wife, 1592. Two south windows C19th of two-lights with tracery in the heads. Three two-light windows to the north aisle and two-light windows at east and west.

Tall four-centred arch into the tower with caps to the jamb shafts. Three-light west window has had its tracery renewed. The pointed west doorway has continuous deeply moulded jambs without caps intersected by plinth moulding on the exterior of the tower. Pointed louvred bell openings with clock face below on the south side.

The six bells were recast after a fire in 1958 by Mears & Stainbank of London.

There is stained glass by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, east window (1896), chancel south-west (1883) north aisle east (1897). Services are held every week at 1100, the Eucharist on 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays, with Family Praise on 2nd and 4th.

Words from British Listed Buildings amended and added to with own on-site observations.

Co-ordinates are for the south porch.

Building Materials: Stone

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