St. Marys Church.
This venerable church is situated on a parallel with Castle-street, at the north-east part of the town, in a small area; and with the exception of St. Giles’, is the only structure of this place, which has been handed down to the present time in an entire state. It is built in the form of a cross, consisting of a nave side isles, transept, choir and its chapels, with a west steeple. The exterior presents various styles of ancient architecture. The basement of the tower is of red stone, and contains the small round-headed windows of the early Norman era. From the bell story the pointed style takes place, and is of the grey free stone of Grinshill quarry, as is also the greatest part of the fabric. The tower is large, but low. The upper story has on every side handsome double windows. From the tower rises a lofty and beautiful spire. The windows of the lower parts bear the remains of rich spiring canopies and pinnacles. The height of the tower is 76 feet, of the spire 140.
Upon the south side of the church is a stone porch of early Norman architecture. Its outward arch is circular, with diagonal or zig-zag mouldings, the inner rib obtusely pointed. The small pointed windows on each side are curious specimens of the very earliest rudiments of the mullioned window. The ceiling also presents an example of the most ancient kind of groined vault, and consists of four round massive ribs crossing each other in the centre, without any boss or ornament. The semicircular arch of the interior door is a good specimen of the style of building in fashion from the conquest to the days of Henry II. The north door is an elegant example of this ancient kind of building. Formerly it was an unsightly wooden porch, which was removed in 1801. The arches of the north and south doors of the transept are in the same early style. The decorations of the latter are rather uncommon, having lozenge pannels placed alternately, and each filled with an embossed flower. The side aisles, with the upper story of the nave and choir, have pointed windows with mullions, while those of the transept are long and lancet shaped, without any. The higher walls of the nave were, in the repair of 1786, very injudiciously raised some feet above their original level, which altogether destroys the ancient proportions, and gives the whole building a top-heavy appearance. Formerly the church was crowned with pinnacles, which issued from the spaces between each window and the corner buttresses of the transept and choir, but now, excepting those on the chapel, not one remains.
Within, the church is spacious, lofty, interesting, and from its venerable and solemn appearance, admirably adapted to the purposes of religious meditation.
As chanced, the portal of the sacred pile
Stood open, and we entered. On my frame,
At such transition from the fervid air,
A grateful coolness fell, that seem’d to strike
The heart, in concert with that temperate awe
And natural reverence which the place inspired.Wordsworth.
The walls of the nave are supported on each side by four semicircular arches, with moulding peculiar to the pointed style, and these spring from finely clustered pillars, their shafts having the small flat rib which belongs to the 13th century. The capitals are highly enriched with foliage, and, as is usual in ancient churches, are all of different designs. Above the arches is a clere-story, with a high range of short windows on both sides, running the whole length of the church. These are irregularly ranged in couplets, and have heads very obtusely pointed, each divided by a single mullion. The ceiling of the nave, which is of oak, rises into an extremely flat arch, separated by its principal beams into square pannels, including circles richly adorned with quatrefoils and foliage. The ribs and bosses at their intersections, are carved, with double roses, devices and knots; those attached to the centre beam having pendant ornaments, pelicans, angels with musical instruments, and grotesque sculptures. The chancel is considerably elevated by two ascents of steps. On each side is a pointed arch, blocked up, resting upon imposts similar to the clustered pillars in the nave. Several
— marble monuments are here displayed
Upon the walls: and on the floor beneath
Sepulchral stones appear, with emblems graven
And foot-worn epitaphs, and some with small
And shining effigies of brass inlaid,
belonging to the Lyster, Morhall, Lloyd, Gardner, and Sandford families. On the north side, near the altar, is a beautiful triple window, with arches remarkably sharp pointed, the centre rising much higher than those of each side and supported upon slender insulated columns, whose capitals are adorned with foliage, busts, and grotesque heads. The ceiling of oak pannelling, was in this part quite plain. The interstices between the beams have been plastered over and painted with trefoil and other appropriate enrichments, and the intersections adorned with carved roses and devices, collected from the ruins of St. Chad’s and St. Alkmond’s. In the chancel, is an altar tomb, upon which is a recumbent figure of a cross legged knight, in linked armour, the sides adorned with rich foliated niches, once containing figures. This monument is supposed to belong to John de Leyborne, of Berwick Leyborne, last of the family. In the vestry, under a low pointed arch, is a plain altar tomb, which has formerly been ornamented with shields; on the massy alabaster slab which covers it, are engraven the figures of a man in armour, bareheaded, with his wife, both in the act of prayer. From the inscription which is somewhat defaced, we learn, that it was erected to — Stafford and Catherine his wife, in 1463. In the transept and nave there are some singular monumental figures, brought here from the ruins of St. Chad’s and St. Alkmond’s, but to whom they belonged has not been ascertained.
The lower divisions of the great window which terminates the chancel, is occupied by some ancient painted glass brought from old St. Chad’s, representing the root of Jesse: the arch or head is made up with ancient coats of arms and modern stained glass. The altar piece is a rich Grecian design. The altar is a fine slab of Sienna marble bordered with jasper, and was the gift of the Rev. Hugh Owen, vicar of St. Julian’s, when curate here in 1789. In the gallery at the west end of the nave, is a very handsome organ, made by John Harris and John Byfield, and as this church, with the exception of St. Lawrence, at Ludlow, is the handsomest in the county, so the organ with a like exception, is the most powerful and best toned. In the tower is a musical peal of ten bells, the harmony of which is not exceeded by that of any other peal in the town.