Description

WILLOUGHBY WATERLEYS
MAIN STREET (East Side)
SP59 SE
4/69 Church of St. Mary
11.1.55

GV II*
Parish Church. Partly C13, though most of its dateable features are C14, or
renewed in a C14 style during thorough restoration work in 1875. Rubble or
cobble construction, with leaded nave and aisle roofs and Swithland slate to
chancel. Tower however is of coursed and squared rubble. West tower nave and
north aisle, chancel. West tower of three stages with plinth and angle
buttresses. Paired pointed lights to bell chamber and 2-tier west window,
renewed. Embattled parapet. Buttressed south wall with windows renewed in
reticulated tracery. The middle window has ball-flower decoration in
hoodmould. The chancel is entirely of 1875, steeply roofed with ridge
cresting and cross finials to east and west coped gables. Door and 2-light
window to south, 3-light east window in C14 style. Small lean-to vestry to
north. North aisle is buttressed with small steeply gabled porch enclosing
early C14 doorway with double hollow chamfered jambs. Decorated style
windows, and a central window originally of the C15, with a stilted
hoodmould. Inside late C13 arch to tower, roughly worked with heavy inner
chamfer springing from corbels. North arcade of 4 bays, largely C14.
Octagonal shafts and abaci support double chamfered arches which have outer
hoodmould with label stop heads, but the east and west responds are keeled,
and apparently earlier. The arcade does not run up to the east wall of the
nave and a small 2 centred archway cuts through the last solid section of
wall. Chancel arch of 1875 springs from stumpy corbel shafts. C15 nave
roof: moulded tiebeams have central bosses carved as faces and the braces
spring from stone corbels forming a series of placid or grotesque heads.
Chancel of 1875 with sedilia and piscina in Decorated style. Canted wagon
roof. Reredos of 1919, wood with carved figures. The other furnishings both
here and in the body of the Church date from the restoration and include
encaustic floor tiles, a wood pulpit, pews and screens to west tower and
vestry, these in a heavy gothick style. Stained glass: east window may be
c1840, replaced. On a geometrically patterned background is superimposed an
illustration of the Good Shepherd. Central north nave window has glass of
1913, in a traditional painted style, darkly coloured main figures, but white
and yellow angels in the upper lights. C13 font has shallow chamfered round
basin on tall cylindrical base.

Listing NGR: SP5754092472

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17539967

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

• 
  Northumberland (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Dorset (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)