Description

SO6775; 582-1/13/50

CLEOBURY MORTIMER, CHURCH STREET (North side)

Church of St Mary

12/11/54

GV

I

Church. C12, C13 tower, C13 nave and chancel with C14 roofs,
late C13 chantry chapel and north aisle, C13 south aisle and
porch, C15 north vestry; repaired 1793 by Telford, restored
1874 by Scott.
MATERIALS: coursed and uncoursed stone rubble with ashlar
dressings. Plain-tile roofs, with old tiles on south pitch of
nave, stone-coped gables, oak shingles to spire.

EXTERIOR: chancel has late C13 east window with triple cusped
lancet tracery. C14 lancet with quatrefoil over twin cusped
lancets on west side of north wall and C19 restored
flat-headed window with twin cusped lancets to east side.
North vestry raised in C19 restoration but retaining C16 twin
cusped light east window. Two restored C16 flat-headed twin and
triple cusped lancet windows to south set between C19 restored
stepped buttresses.
Nave: covered on the north side by north aisle and chantry
chapel; aisle with single C13 pointed arched doorway with ogee
mouldings and hoodmould, and to west is pointed window of twin
cusped lancets and quatrefoil; chapel with two arched north
windows with tracery of twin cusped lancets with sexfoil over
and arched window with tracery of triple cusped lancets to
east. South side of nave with five simple rectangular clerestory
windows with chamfered reveals. South aisle with three renewed
broad lancets set between C19 restored stepped buttresses to
right of porch and single broad lancet to left, east window
flat-headed with twin cusped lancets, single lancet in west
wall. South door with C13 pointed arch with hoodmould with
label stops, and capitals with stiff-leaf foliage. C19 door.
South porch: C13 projecting gabled stone porch with
pointed-arched opening with two orders of shafts and roll mould,
hoodmould with label stops, capitals with stiff-leaf foliage
and heads. Reset stone stoup in north-west corner carved with
a large head. Plastered vaulted roof.
Tower: 4 stage tower with lower 2 stages C12 with shallow
clasping buttresses and reset former tower arch set in west
wall. C13 upper stages above offset. Clockface over lancet on
south face, lancet at each lower stage on west face, the
lowest being a wide lancet, single lancet at upper stage on
north face. Top stage with pointed arched bell-opening on each
face each incorporating two lancets. C14 tall shingled
broach-spire with distinctive twist.

INTERIOR: chancel with C14 3-bay double-tenoned purlin roof
with two arch-braced trusses supporting collar purlin with
arched rafters. Trusses with moulded chamfered braces, cusped
with principals at head. Chamfered purlins with cusped
straight braces in middle tier.
Pointed chancel arch with three orders of shafts, two with
shaft-rings, rich stiff-leaf capitals and hoodmoulds each
side. Hagioscope in south-east corner of vestry.
Nave: C14 5-bay double purlin roof of six arch-braced trusses
with cusped collar and principals. Principals and arched
braces set on foreshortened hammer beams with wall posts with
carved side braces set on stone corbels. Straight cusped
wind braces in middle roof tier, together with cusped purlin
faces, form trefoil pattern. Each rafter braced to upper
collar and with lower brace to wall plate.
Late C13 5-bay north aisle incorporating two wide bays for
chantry chapel, 5-bay C13 arcade to south. Both arcades with
circular piers, circular capitals and abaci, and
double-chamfered pointed arches with hoodmoulds. Tower arch
has subsided to horse-shoe shape and is C19 restoration of
original Norman round arch with 2 inner rings inserted during
C19 restoration, outer order with foliate and interlacing
ornamented capitals on shafts, plain chamfered abaci and
hoodmould.
MEMORIALS: on north wall of chantry chapel to Edward Toldery
d.1761 and descendants, by Stephens of Worcester; on south
wall of chancel to James Compson d.1765.
6 bells recast in 1757 by Rudhall of Gloucester. Clock erected
1772 by Mr Donisthorpe of Birmingham.

The church is renowned for the twisted spire which forms a
very distinctive local landmark and has become the main focus
in general references to the town.

Listing NGR: SO6739675786

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Mary's Church, Cleobury Mortimer at Wikipedia
• St Mary's Church, Cleobury Mortimer official website
• Wikidata Q7594306

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

• 
  Setting up a Listed Building Heritage Partnership Agreement: Historic England Advice Note 5
• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)