Description

SJ 3509
18/121

WESTBURY CP
Church of St Mary

13.06.58

GV
II*
Parish church. C13 and C14; tower rebuilt after collapse in 1753, the masons Richard and William Cureton, and the chancel also rebuilt in 1753; church restored (and most windows replaced), chancel re-modelled and vestry added by 1878 or 1887 to Oswell and Smith of Shrewsbury at a cost of £1,879. Roughly squared and coursed red sandstone rubble with red sandstone dressings, east wall of chancel rebuilt in dressed snecked red sandstone; west tower of yellow/grey sandstone ashlar; plain tile roofs. Nave, chancel with north vestry, north aisle with north porch and west tower.

Tower: three stages; chamfered plinth, floor bands, moulded cornice, coped parapet ramped up to corners (minus possible former pinnacles) and low pyramidal slate cap with weathervane; louvred round-arched belfry openings with chamfered-rusticated surrounds and moulded cills, and keyed circular windows beneath (clocks to north and south); large Venetian window in second stage to west with square mullions, impost blocks, triple keystone, bracketed cill, and lead glazing bars; west doorway has two C19 nail-studded boarded doors with strap hinges, three-part rectangular overlight, projecting chamfered-rusticated surround with triple keystone and moulded dentil cornice, and raised part of walling above with illegible date stone; sixteen stone steps up to entrance in second stage to west consisting of door with six-flush panels and chamfered-rusticated surround with triple keystone; one-storey lean-to flanking foot of steps.

Nave; south side: chamfered plinth to centre; coped parapeted gable ends, with cross to east; two large probably C18 buttresses off-centre to right and C19 buttress to right, all with chamfered offsets. C19 window to left of three lights with trefoils and quatrefoils in tracery, and hood mould with carved stops; centre C19 window of two lights with Geometrical tracery, hollow-chamfered reveals, and hoodmould with carved stops; C19 window to right of three cinquefoil-headedlights with intersecting tracery, chamfered reveals, and returned hood mould; left-hand corner rebuilt in ashlar after partial destruction by collapse of tower in C18, straight joint between second window from left and buttress.

North aisle: chamfered plinth; coped parapeted gable ends with crosses at apexes; north side: five C18 and C19 buttresses with chamfered offsets, that to north east diagonal; three C19 carved corbels beneath eaves above left-hand window; C19 left-hand window has two cinquefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil in tracery, hollow-chamfered reveals and returned hood mould; three-light C19 window off-centre to left with trefoils and quatrefoils in tracery, hollow-chamfered reveals, and hood mould with carved stops; C19 north doorway off-centre to right with hollow-chamfered arch dying into-chamfered reveals, hoodmould with carved stops, and boarded door with strap hinges; evidence of medieval doorway in wall behind; C19 gabled porch has timber-framed upper parts and battered stone base, central arch flanked by trefoil-arched panels, brackets supporting ends of wall-plates, and two-bay sides; east end: large C19 five-light window with intersecting tracery, chamfered reveals, and returned hoodmould; west end: late C14 square-headed window with two trefoiled ogee-lights; buttress to left.

Chancel: chamfered plinth, coped parapeted gable end with cross at apex, and integral lateral stack to north with circular shaft; south side: pilaster buttress to left; pair of chamfered lancets; north side: chamfered lancet to left; lean-to vestry with two-light window in left-hand return front, and boarded door with chamfered lintel; east end: low clasping buttresses with splays to form angle buttresses above string, three flutes in apex of gable with string below; stepped triple chamfered lancets with cill string, and continuous hoodmould with carved stops; C20 stone attached to east end inscribed: "This Coemetery / Being the Buying Ground of his Family / was inclosed by / JOHN SEVERNE ESQ / late Colonel of the VIIIth Reg . of Dragoons / in the Year 1755 / When the Chancel of which / this was a Part was rebuilt / and made less."

INTERIOR: tower with ogee-stopped chamfered beam; C19 west doorway with moulded reveals, hood mould with carved stops, and pair of nail-studded boarded doors with strap hinges; west wall of nave is remains of medieval tower, restored lancet to second stage; five bay north side aisle arcade has circular piers with moulded bases and capitals and arches with one chamfer and one roll moulding; restored C15 ten bay nave roof with chamfered principal rafters, chamfered arch-braced collars with V-struts above, three purlins each side, cusped wind braces forming quatrefoil patterns, and ashlar pieces with billet-decorated frieze; rendered lower part of south wall of nave with moulded top and square aumbry to south east; stone corbel on north wall of nave supporting roof; C19 double-chamfered chancel arch, outside hollow with moulded imposts, corbels supporting inner arch and hoodmould; single-framed chancel roof with arch-braced collars and brattished frieze; chamfered trefoiled rear-arches to chancel windows; chancel cill string and boarded vestry door with hood mould; north aisle with waggon roof; south east window of nave with unrestored rear-arch; west window of north aisle with unrestored rear-arch and blocked pointed-arched window above.

Fittings: mostly C19 including altar rails with wrought-iron supports; low stone sanctuary walls with moulded plinths and chamfered top, and incorporating stone pulpit to right with five sides, shafts with moulded bases and capitals forming balustrade, and moulded rail above; eagle lectern; octagonal stone font with two steps, tre oil-panelled stem and quatrefoil-panelled bowl; probably C18 carved and painted Royal coat of arms above north door; four hatchments in north aisle.

Monuments: tablet in nave to Catherine Corbet (d. 1789) with Corbet shield; C18 copper tablet to Richard Burley (d. 1727), tablet in chancel to John Ashby (d. 1779) with moulded base and cornice, urn above and shield below; tablet to John Severne (d. 1779) with urn above and coat of arms below; north aisle with large Grecian tablet to "Johannis Topp" of Whitton Hall (d. 1837) with battered sides, anthemion-ornamented frieze, triangular pediment antifixae, acanthus brackets and Latin inscription; tablet to Richard Topp (d. 1814) signed by C. Lewis of Cheltenham with moulded cornice and guttae. The C18 chancel was shorter than the medieval one.

There seems to be some confusion about the date of the C19 restoration, Kelly's and Pevsner giving 1878 and the V.C.H. 1887.

Listing NGR: SJ3554509428

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17551071

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

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  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
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  Renovating Old Houses: Bringing New Life to Vintage Homes (For Pros By Pros)
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  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)