Description

MONTFORD C.P. SHRAWARDINE
SJ 31 NE
4/152 Church of Saint Mary
-
GV II*

Parish church. Nave of 1649 and chancel dated 1722, both incorporating
some C12 fabric, Restored and vestry added in 1892-3. Dressed red
sandstone with red and yellow/grey sandstone ashlar dressings. The
vestry is of tooled snecked red sandstone. Slate roofs. Two-bay nave
with south porch and west vestry, and one-bay chancel. 1892-3 work in
a Gothic Revival style. Nave: parapeted gable end to west with moulded
coping. Weatherboarded square bellcote to west with louvred round-arched
openings and pyramidal roof with weathervane. South side: C19 window
to right of 2 cinquefoil-headed lights with Y-tracery and moulded stone
reveals. Chamfered round-arched south doorway to left; old nail-studded
boarded door with strap hinges. Gabled stone porch with segmental arched
entrance and interior with side benches and painted wooden benefactors'
board to left. North-side: buttress to right with chamfered offsets.
Moulded-arched window to left and trefoil-headed chamfered lancet to left,
both either medieval or C17. West end: central buttress running up to
bellcote, with lancet. Vestry: parapeted gable end with coping.
Chamfered rectangular window to south and 2-light chamfered square window
to west with chamfered stone mullion. Chancel: double-chamfered plinth
to east and parapeted gable end to east with coping and truncated finial.
South side: central C19 window of 2 trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil
in tracery and chamfered reveals. Blocked chamfered round-arched priest's
doorway to left. North side: C19 window of 2 trefoil-headed lights with
quatrefoil in tracery and chamfered reveals. East end: C19 window of 3
trefoil-headed lights with intersecting tracery, chamfered reveals and
hoodmould with carved stops. Datestone (1722) with moulded edge in gable
above. The chancel windows are probably enlargements of C18 windows and
probably incorporate the old reveals. Interior: C19 three-bay nave roof
with arched-braced collar trusses, ceiled above collars. Probably C18
three-bay chancel roof with arched-braced collar trusses, curved V-struts
above, and single purlins. C19 double-chamfered chancel arch, the inner
chamfer springing from moulded corbels. C19 piscina and sedile in south
wall of chancel, the former with ogee trefoil head in moulded square
surround and the latter with trefoil head in moulded rectangular surround.
C19 moulded rear arches to windows. Fittings: C18 raised and fielded
dado panelling (possibly remains of former box pews). C20 bolection-
panelled altar and reredos. C18 (c.1722) oak communion rails with turned
balusters and moulded rail. C19 choir stalls. Low chancel screen
incorporating C17 carved panels and the C18 gates from the communion rails,
with turned balusters. C18 hexagonal wooden pulpit with shaped-headed
raised and fielded panels and moulded cornice. C19 wooden lectern. C19
pews with raised and fielded panelled ends (possibly remains of C18 box
pews). West gallery with C17 moulded beam, resting on carved brackets at
each end, late C18 front with pairs of beaded flush panels flanking central
break with moulded panel, and C19 stairs to rear. C18 raised and fielded
panelled cupboard door beneath gallery with H -hinges. C12 circular stone
font with scalloped bowl, moulded lower part, octagonal base and C19 iron-
bound wooden cover. Rood beam with rood. A few early C19 memorial
tablets. Brass plate in memory of Martha Botevyle, d. 13 February 1781,
aged 80. It is known that there was a church on this site by 1213.
Due to Civil War action [the remains of Shrawardine Castle (q.v.)
are nearby] the chancel of the old church was demolished in 1644-5,
the nave following soon afterwards. The nave was rebuilt in 1649,
the old chancel providing much of the stone, and the chancel was
eventually rebuilt in 1722. B.O.E., p. 247; D.H.S. Cranage, An
Architectural Account of the Churches of Shropshire, Part 9, pp. 776-7.

Listing NGR: SJ3994815278

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17551088

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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