Pevsner in his Warwickshire
volume of "The Buildings of England" declares that St.Mary's is one of only four
"Early English" Churches in the county, and describes it as follows:-
"The Church has an uncommonly fine mid 13th century
chancel. The chancel arch is something of a puzzle. The shafts connected in one curve by
deep hollows are typical of circa 1300 and after, and do not go with the chancel, nor with
anything of the nave."
(The north column of the chancel arch leans outwards, and the nave &
chancel are out of line with each other. It could be that the chancel was originally the
entirety of the Church, or more probably Chapel, and when enlarged facilities were
required the nave was built on to the west end of the Chapel necessitating the chancel
arch, which subsequently subsided.)
There is a pamphlet (priced at only £1) available in the Church that mentions ; the fine
15th century low pitched Nave roof with carved bosses; the stone font of uncertain date
with a wooden cover of long thin shafts made in 1927; the Royal Coat of Arms of George
3rd; the 15th century "perpendicular" tower; the priest's doorway of a probably
unique design; the four types of resident Bats (check the pews before sitting); and the
one-handed clock etc.
Pevsner fails to mention the relatively rare
medieval glass, shading from clear though green to rose, the method of fixing the glass in
the frames is even rarer. The windows were restored in the mid 1990's, retaining the old
glass.
Altogether a fine English Church in an
attractive village setting.
Sadly due to security considerations, the Church is kept
locked most of the time, but during weekends (Friday, Saturday, & Sunday) it is
usually open for most of the day. At other times a key can be obtained by consulting
the notice board outside the Church.
Friends of St. Mary's.
The Friends are a non-denominational society that was formed in 1980
and has raised over £20,000 in the first 18 years. Its objective is to enable
all in the locality to share in the maintenance of the fabric, and upkeep, of the Church.