Description

TRING RURAL CHURCH LANE
SP 81 SE
(West side)
Puttenham
3/126 Church of St. Mary
30.11.66 (C of E)
GV I
Parish church. Early C14 nave and aisles (proportions 1:2 suggest fabric
of narrow nave may be older); early C15 W tower, nave clearstorey and
elaborate nave roof; chancel largely rebuilt 1851 for Rev Thomas Holme
retaining older features; S porch rebuilt 1869 and again in general
restoration 1888-9 by Carpenter & Ingelow for Rev Robert Merrick when
chancel floor raised and relaid, roofs repaired and tower parapets and
turret-top rebuilt. Structural repairs and restoration 1934-5 by
Sir Albert Richardson. W window restored 1971. Uncoursed limestone walls
to aisles with knapped flints set in the wide joints, more closely
jointed without flints in N clearstorey, tower of large coursed blocks
of Ketton stone with regular squares of knapped flint giving chequered
effect, chancel faced in uncoursed knapped flint over a stone base
course with stuccoed buttresses lined as ashlar, S clearstorey faced in
grey knapped flint, half-timbered porch on high stone and flint
side-walls, steep red tiled chancel and porch roofs, low pitched metal
roofs elsewhere. A small Dec and Perp church serving a shrunken medieval
village, with aisled nave, lower square ended chancel, embattled low W
tower, and gabled S porch. The chancel has a buttress in the middle of
the N and S walls, diagonal buttresses at E end; and a spartan interior
with 3-light pointed E window only, C15 pointed piscina with hollow
chamfered mouldings in 2 orders in S wall, roundheaded trefoil cusped
piscina in N wall, slabs with brass indents within C18 turned alter
rails, 6 roundels of C15 encaustic tiles against N wall of chancel, C17
heavy oak pew, reading desk with C15 poppy-head ends, softwood
arch-braced collar roof of 6 short bays, plate dated 1851 over pointed S
door, and small painted C18 framed board on N wall with text from Psalms
CM ver 2.13. Encaustic tile floor of 1889. The nave of 3 bays has tall
3-bay arcades of slightly different dates in the early C14 both with
slender octagonal piers, moulded bases and fine moulded caps and pointed
arches of 2 orders, plain chamfered on the S but wave-moulded on the N.
The E end of the S arcade is carried on a head corbel. The C14 chancel
arch with half-octagonal responds has a similar design to the S arcade.
The clearstorey has simple 2-light Perp windows in the middle and
eastern bays only. Unusually rich and elaborate early C15 open timber
roof of 3 bays is the finest feature of the church with heavy
roll-moulded rafters, ridge, purlins, principals, sub-principals, and
cambered tie-beams with large standing figures as wall-posts on small
stone corbels to tie-beams, half life-size figures under the wall ends
of the sub-principals, and large carved bosses to intersections. The 4
standing figures on each side are saints each standing on birds with
necks outstretched. The smaller figures on the sub-principals have
diadems and hold blank shields. 2 bosses have the arms of Zouch and
Wykeham, another a rebus for Hutton. The contemporary 5-bays roof of the
S aisle has similar but is said to have been renewed. Pierced medieval
carved wooden cresting with vine scroll pattern, perhaps from a rood
screen, has been fixed to the S aisle wallplate. The nave has also
several massive oak benches with moulded rails of C17 or earlier, early
C17 hexagonal oak panelled pulpit with carved panels of a lozenge below
and coiled scaly serpent above on each side. A similar panel with
serpent is incorporated in the C19 wooden lectern. Stone font with plain
circular bowl, stem and base, medieval re-cut and C17 wooden cover.
Painted panel of Royal Arms of George III, 1760, over chancel arch, and
hatchment on W wall. 2 C18 framed boards with Commandments flank the C15
oak door with C17 moulded battens on outside to give panelled
appearance. Simple 2-light Perp E windows to aisles. N aisle 2 N windows
of late C15 differ, one of 3 cinquefoil lights under a segmental head,
the other of 2-lights with pierced spandrels under a 4-centred arched
head. This has a composite roundel of medieval stained glass. Similar
3-light window in E part of S aisle, 2 light Perp window in W part. C19
small painted organ in middle bay of N aisle. 4-centred arched piscina
in S aisle with chamfered jambs and pyramid stop. Crested deal screen
c.1889 in tower arch with pointed deal door and ornamental hinge plates.
A painting of James Stevens who died in 1911 aged 103 hangs in the S
aisle. Low massive W tower has a projecting rectangular SE stair turret
rising higher with a wind-vane, and its E face a continuation of the E
face of the tower, giving an appearance of greater breadth to the tower.
Chamfered plinth, chamfered string course, embattled parapets, belfry
opening in each face of 2 trefoil lights with quatrefoil in the head
(restored) over 3-light W window of late C15 style with cinquefoil
lights (restored) over late C15 pointed W doorway (patched). In the
tower base the vestry has 2 C18 painted framed panels with Lord's Prayer
and Creed, and framed plan of 1883 signed by Carpenter & Ingelow
architects. In VCH(1908) said to be dedicated to Our Lady. of
outstanding interest for its C14 nave and C15 elaborate nave roof.
(VCH (1908)263-4: RCHM(1911)165-6: Kelly(1914)194: Pevsner(1977)273-4:
Vincent(1983)12,16).

Listing NGR: SP8852014927

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17528844

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.

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