Description

SO 9623 and PRESTBURY MILL STREET
SO 9723 (south side)

19/79 & 20/79 Church of St Mary

4.7.60

GV II*

Anglican parish church. C13, probably largely rebuilt C14, C15
Perpendicular, restored 1864-8 by G.E. Street. Ashlar with stone
slate roof. Leaded roof to aisles. Plan; nave, north and south
aisles with south porch, chancel with vestry on south and organ
chamber/vestry on north. Buttressed south aisle lit by four
pointed 2-light windows with quatrefoils. Four C19 three-light
windows with trefoiled heads to C15 clerestory above. Pointed 3-
light window with tracery and finely carved foliate stops at west
end. Projecting south porch with pointed entrance and stopped
hood. Stone bench seats within porch. Double C19 plank doors
within moulded pointed-arched surround with keel-moulded engaged
columns. C19 vestry at east end of south aisle with gable at right
angles to chancel. Cross-mullioned window in gable end. North
aisle. Three C19 two-light windows with pointed surrounds with
tracery C19 plank north door within a moulded 4-centred arched
surround. Two-light pointed window at west end. Three 3-light C19
clerestory windows. Chancel south wall, one pointed C19 two-light
window with quatrefoil at top, similar window in north wall. Oval
memorial plaque to left of the latter in memory of Grace De-la
Bere, died 1746 and Elizabeth De la Bere, died 1753 with moulded
margin and the remains of a painted heraldic shield at the top.
C20 five-light east window comprising 5 graded lancets with stopped
hood. Former Perpendicular 3-light east window with tracery at top
reset in east facing gable end of the organ chamber. C19 two-light
pointed window in north wall. Access to north vestry/organ chamber
via a C19 plank door with an extension at right angles on the north
side. Four-stage tower with large diagonal and small raking
buttresses. Narrow lancets to lower 2 stages. Two-light belfry
windows to third and fourth stages with stone louvres. Upper
belfry windows with trefoil heads and quatrefoils. Battlemented
parapet with gargoyles at each corner. Some merlons with heraldic
shield decoration. Metal gnomon on south side. Single piece of
moulded stonework built into tower base. Stone steps up to plank
door to first floor stage of tower on the north side. Flat and
stepped coping at gable ends. C15 bellcote at east end of the
nave.
Scraped interior. Four-bay nave with north and south aisles.
Chancel with organ chamber on north and Lady Chapel/vestry on
south. Tower at west end. Octagonal piers to 6-bay nave arade
with moulded capitals and bases and hollow-chamfered pointed
arches. C15 chancel arch rising from engaged octagonal piers.
Half arches, acting as flying buttresses to chancel arch divide the
north and south aisle from the organ chamber and Lady Chapel
respectively. Chancel; 2 pointed arches with a stone screen
comprising cinquefoil-headed arches on north side of chancel.
Single C19 pointed arch from chancel to chapel with a similar stone
screen at bottom. C19 roof to nave with simple braced collar beam
trusses. Wagon roof to chancel. Plank flooring with coloured
tile and grey slate in the aisles. Simple stoup inside south door.
C19 figure of Virgin and Child over south door. Basket-headed
archway to right of chancel arch formerly giving access to hood
screen now replaced by simple rood beam. C14 double piscina,
comprising 2 cinquefoil-headed niches both with credence shelves.
Left-hand piscina with drain. Three 4-petalled flowers below.
Small carved aumbry door (probably early C18) with carved
decoration. Fixtures and fittings; C19 marble font inside south
door decorated with painted figures. Early C20 pews and choir
stalls. Early C20 wooden pulpit with finely carved detail. Screen
divides south aisle from the chapel. Monuments; Monument to
Edward Hotheway and Amy his wife, he died 1754, she died 1747:
white marble tablet on pier of northern nave arcade with palm leaf
fronds at bottom and brackets with foliate decoration either side.
Two C19 monuments to members of the De la Bere family and three
other C19 white or black marble monuments at west end of the south
aisle. Finely carved C19 white marble monument depicting the
Virgin and Child at east end of the vestry. Monument to
Christopher Capel, Gent, died 1740 and Sarah his wife, died 1733:
white marble plaque with floral swags either side. Pair of winged
cherub's heads at top. Segmental-headed pediment containing a
skull at top. Painted heraldic shield flanked by putti. Three C19
monuments to members of the Agg family on south wall of chancel.
West window of north aisle by Kempe 1877. Three windows by
Lawrence Lee 1963-7. C20 east window. C19 glass to clerestory.
Decoratively painted organ installed in organ chamber in 1864.
(David Verey, The Buildings of England; The Vale and the Forest
of Dean, 1980; and V.C.H., Vol VIII, p79)

Listing NGR: SO9699223992

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17535392

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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