"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.
At the east end of the south aisle is a large pointed window of three trefoiled lights with curvilinear tracery, the outer hollow moulding of which is enriched all round with ball-flower and the hood-mould has head-stops representing a king and queen. The windows in the south wall, two east of the porch and one west of it, are square-headed and of three trefoiled lights with quatrefoil tracery: the west window is of two lights with a cusped triangle in the head. The south doorway has a continuous wave-moulding and hood with head-stops. In the usual position at the east end of the aisle is a pointed piscina with deeply recessed trefoil tracery, projecting fluted bowl and wooden shelf, and on either side of the east window an image bracket supported by a head. Externally there is a moulded sill string round the aisle and the buttresses are of two stages with triangular heads. The hollow moulding below the parapet is enriched with ball-flower along the south wall, but not at the raking ends. The north aisle reproduces in modern form many of the same features, but the windows are of two lights and of different design. The hollow moulding under the eaves of the porch has also ballflower enrichment. The much-restored porch has an outer pointed doorway of three continuous hollow chamfered orders and a trefoiled niche in the gable. The clearstory windows, three on each side, are squareheaded, and of two trefoiled lights without tracery.
The tower is of three stages, with moulded plinth, and a single-light trefoiled west window in the bottom stage. The vice is in the south-west angle, which is thickened at the second stage, where the western buttresses stop and the wall sets back, in the form of a slightly projecting clasping buttress. The pointed bell-chamber windows are of two trefoiled lights, with soffit cusping, and quatrefoil in the head on the north and south sides; on the west the spandrel is solid. The openings have modern stone quatrefoil filling. The spire, which is of somewhat unusual design, rises from a cornice of notch-heads, immediately above which there is a short slope and shorter piece of upright walling crowned with coarsely constructed battlements, or diminutive turrets, behind which begins the spire proper, which is of the 'stone-timber' type, twice banded, with two tiers of gabled lights in the cardinal faces, each of two openings and surmounted by a cross. The angles are plain. Internally the tower opens into the nave by a pointed arch of three chamfered orders, the inner order on clustered responds with moulded capitals and bases, and into the aisles by similar but less lofty arches.
The font has a 12th-century circular bowl with a band of hatched ornament round the rim, standing on a circular stem and moulded base.
The oak pulpit and fittings are modern, and there are modern screens in the chancel arcade. The reredos has modern carvings of the Last Supper (after Leonardo da Vinci), Transfiguration and Ascension.
In the east window of the chancel aisle are some pieces of old glass which are said to have been brought from the old church at Pickworth. They include shields with the arms of Thomas Neville of Pykale, the royal arms (France modern and England quarterly), the town of Stamford, and the royal arms of the Stewart sovereigns; there is also a Lancastrian rose.
The west end of the north aisle is used as a vestry, and the organ is at the east end of the chancel aisle. A carved panel with the arms of the Stewart sovereigns is in the vestry. There are no monuments earlier than 1738–9.
There are three bells in the tower: the first dated 1671, the second by Tobie Norris (II) of Stamford 1675, and the tenor by Thomas Norris 1657. On the timber framework supporting the clock is inscribed 'I.W. 1688.'
The plate consists of a cup and cover paten of 1691–2, with the maker's mark 'M.K.' On the cup is engraved a representation of Our Lord as the Good Shepherd with the lamb on His shoulder. There is also a plated paten.
The early registers have been lost. Those before 1812 which remain are as follows: (i) baptisms and burials 1726–90, marriages 1726–54; (ii) baptisms and burials 1790–1812; (iii) marriages 1754–1812."
SOURCE - (
visit link)