Diameter: 18" Bell 1 of 1
Dove Bell ID: 59744 Tower ID: 23339 - View Tower Listed: No Canons: Removed Cracked: No
Shipton Sollars: St Mary
Overview
Grid reference: SP 31 184
The church would appear to be early 13th-century in origin, as betrayed by the chancel arch, the doorways and a lancet in the chancel. Externally this is a very simple church, the nave slightly wider and higher than the chancel. There are doorways in the north and south walls, the south door is of battened oak and looks late medieval.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Nave and slightly narrower chancel.
Dimensions:
Nave 15m (46 feet) x 6m (18.5ft).
Description of Archaeology and History
The church would appear to be early 13th-century in origin, as betrayed by the chancel arch, the doorways and a lancet in the chancel. Apparently when the church was restored this century a date of 1212 was noted above the chancel arch. Most of the windows now have Perpendicular tracery, probably of the 15th century, at which time the chancel was lengthened.
The church was apparently derelict from 1862 and was partly restored in 1884-5 when the wooden belcote was replaced with the present stone version. It was again derelict by 1929, when photographs in the Council collection show the church was in a ruinous state, apparently in use as a cow shed with ivy growing through the windows and dark red plaster peeling off the walls, though one would not guess that now. The church was sensitively restored by W Ellery Anderson in 1929-32. The walls were stripped of the Victorian plaster, revealing wall-paintings, these now exposed on a white background, and the surviving historic furniture was restored.
Exterior Description
Externally this is a very simple church, the nave slightly wider and higher than the chancel. There are doorways in the north and south walls, the south door is of battened oak and looks late medieval. The south door is similar but has a new external facing with blind tracery which is much more recent, perhaps c 1885. Both doorways have hood-moulds over with angle stops, and double-chamfered arches, in the same style as the chancel arch.
The east window has a similar hood-mould, but the tracery of the three-light is Perpendicular, with cinquefoiled heads to the main lights and smaller lights above. The west window is identical. The tiny pointed lancet low down in the south wall has already been mentioned. There is a further single light with a cinquefoiled head opposite it. The south windows are square-headed under labels, a two-light in the chancel and a three-light in the eastern part of the nave walls, the lights again with cinquefoiled heads. The north windows are the same but with pointed heads and hood-moulds as the east and west windows.
There is a break in the masonry at the western edge of the chancel two-light in the north wall which might indicate the original return of the much shorter early 13th-century chancel. The gable ends have simple kneelers and coping stones, and there is a wheel cross finial to the east gable (13th-century, reset) and simple stone crosses on the east nave gable and belcote.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
1930
East window. The Ascension, dedicated in memory of Gulame Pearce.By Geoffrey Webb.
Stained Glass
1930
Lancet in south wall has Virgin and Child, by Geoffrey Webb
Stained Glass
Two medallions in the large window in the south wall, commemorating Mr Fieldhouse, patron who paid for restoration in 1930.
Building Materials
Limestone
Walls built of coursed limestone rubble, with limestone ashlar quoins
Bath Stone
Dressings
Interior
Interior Description
The interior is light and welcoming, and full of surprises. The walls of the nave and chancel arch are covered in fragments of wall paintings and black lettering, the walls otherwise white-washed. This was done after the dark red paint and black lettering above the chancel arch had been removed. This work revealed two layers of post-reformation texts within round-headed panels in black lettering on the north wall, the lower with a dark red frame, the upper with a yellow frame. There is also a better preserved square panel within a yellow frame which might be readable on the south wall in the west corner. Fragments survive in patches elsewhere, especially above the chancel arch and on the chancel arch itself.
There are 17th and 18th-century monuments on the walls, and the pulpit and two chairs have survived from the mid 17th century (see below). There are also several well-preserved painted consecration crosses in red in the chancel and in the nave.
Peeling back the tatty red carpet revealed several 18th and 19th-century ledger slabs set into the stone flagged floor, which could not be properly recorded. There are quarry tiles in the chancel, to which one steps down from the nave. The chancel has a 13th-century piscina and aumbry in the south wall. The roofs are of a simple tie-beam and king-post construction supporting a waggon roof, probably 15th-century. The east bay of the nave has a boarded ceiling.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
Early 13th Century
Mensa slab which was found under the floor during the 1930s restoration, now mounted on stone pillars
Reredos
1930s
Gilded and painted crucifixion by Ellery Anderson
Pulpit
Hexagonal oak pulpit, Jacobean with restrained carved decoration on the panels and tester, well restored.
Lectern
1930
Plain wooden
Font (object)
15th Century
Limestone octagonal font, plain with ribbed stem. Reset into a stone footing with an inset panel with inscribed text
Organ (object)
1930
Small harmonium with 14 stops by Mason and Hamlin
Bells
Churchyard
Grid reference: SP 31 184
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
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