Description

TQ 16NW SUNBURY-ON-THAMES, FORMER UD CHURCH STREET
Sunbury

4/22 Church of St. Mary
11/9/51 The Virgin

GV II*

Church. 1752, designed by Stephen Wright (Clerk of Works to Hampton Court) to
replace a medieval church on the same site; apsidal chancel with south chapel
and north vestry and western extensions to aisles added in extensive remodelling
by S. S. Teulon in 1857. Choir vestry to north added in 1900 and interior
extensively remodelled in 1950's. Dun coloured and brown brick with coloured
and glazed brick decorations in white, yellow, red and blue. Stone dressings on
tower and low pitched hipped slate roofs with bands of green and blue slate.
Copper dome over tower supporting wooden lantern with lead roof and gilt sphere
and weathervane finial. Original church had wide nave with small chancel and west
tower. Chancel enlarged, vestries added, porch added to west and aisles extended
in C19. 4 stage tower crowned by octagonal lantern with keystoned arch, on
compass axes and roundels over in canted angles. Flat lintel openings to corners
with iron balcony railings across front. Angle pilaster-pier buttresses to main
body of tower rising through all stages, corbelled eaves to top with chamfered
angles. Plat bands between each stage and additional square pier buttresses
rising to the second stage under stone obelisk and spherical finials. Large
round-headed louvred openings on each face of upper stage under keystone and with
impost blocks. Stone and gilt clock face below on north and south sides under
large stone open pediments supported by console brackets. Plate tracery roundel
below on west front with roll moulding and two-step brick surround (the outer
course being in red and blue brick in cog pattern). Elaborate string course over
second stage with square tiles alternating with stone pyramids on brick dentil
course. Plate tracery,two-light window below with short,round centre mullion on
gablet. Jamb shafts flanking under round caps; cusped lights and coloured brick
round-head arch over with carved keystone. Tiled impost courses extending to
buttresses. West doors under round arch with stone foliage cap imposts and
carved keystone. Glazed brick roundel with decoration in panel over chamfered
and shouldered door surround. On north and south lower stages of tower are C19
bays,angled to corners with brick broaches. Double brick dentilled eaves,
corbelled, with dog tooth band above. Lancet fenestration under round brick
arched head; two-step surrounds to doors. Strip-buttressed,5-bay north and south
sides with plinth and plat band over ground floor. Diagonal brick dentil course
with plain brick dentil bands to eaves decorated with cut brick quatrefoils and
additional corbel course. Outer bays narrower, centre three with round headed
2-light and roundel windows under decorated heads. Apsidal chancel to east with
flanking ends each under sloping roof. Two bays to north and south sides with
chequerwork brick plinths. Two-light fenestration with round-columned jamb
shafts to windows under foliage caps. Plate tracery wheel windows to east
flanking main apse. North vestry and choir vestry with two bay loggia to ground
floor on north end, originally open on octagonal columns. "Venetian" window in
gable above.
Interior:- largely gutted in 1950's. Only chancel and chancel chapels remain.
Tall chancel arch on giant attached columns with coloured and striped brick arch.
Stone and marble arcades to north and south of chancel with tall broach-stop
pedestals with cusped arcading. Sgraffito decoration of chancel illustrating
the gospels,by Heywood Sumner in 1892. Octagonal plinth to grey marble bowl font
with gadrooned top.
Monuments:- Three good monuments in north chancel chapel:- Early C18 one to left
with foliate edge to inscription panel on corbel brackets and garland swag.
Composite columns flanking support segmental pediment crowned by urn and cherubs.
Central Monument:- to Lady Jane Coke. 1761. Very rich coloured red marble with
grey stele. White marble oval sculpture with swans neck pediment above. Female
figure and angel in main panel, inscription panel below with egg and dart scrolled
surround. Monument to Robert Dyer, 1746. White marble and flanking scrolls.
Grey marble aedicule with pediment under crowning cartouche. Three cherubim in
apron.

PEVSNER: BUILDINGS OF ENGLAND, SURREY (1971) pp.470 & 599.
V.C.H. Middlesex (1962) Vol. III pp. 51 & Frontispiece.

Listing NGR: TQ1062168514

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Mary the Virgin at Wikipedia
• Church of St Mary the Virgin official website
• Wikidata Q17547999

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Churches: An Architectural Guide (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Wiltshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5