The Church of St Mary Deerhurst, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

DEERHURST DEERHURST VILLAGE SO 8629-8729 10/46 The Church of St Mary 4.7.60 GV I Former Monastery, now Parish church. C8, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, late C15, early C17, restored 1861-62 by William Slater. Random rubble walls, with some herringbone masonry at lower levels; coursed, squared stone to west end south aisle and lower parts western bays north aisle; lead roofs, stone slate to part of tower. Nave, chancel, north and south aisles, embracing western tower; remains of apse to east. South face: diagonally-set buttress left, blocked doorway with 3-centred arch left, Saxon doorway, now partly window, right, semi-circular head and hoodmould, beast head over. Eleven corbels for cloister roof, projecting string course most of length forming sill to four 4-light mullioned windows, arched head each light. Two-light mullion and transom window east end, Perpendicular tracery. Plain string course, 4 moulded heads (2 being rain-water outlets) plain parapet. Tower above aisle roof on left: flat-headed window at roof level, circular clock face, 2- light louvred window to belfry, reticulated tracery; plain parapet with slightly-raised corners left, short length lower eaves right. Clerestory slightly set forward to right: three 2-light windows, left one reticulated tracery, right 2 Perpendicular. Plain eaves parapet: parapet gables main roof and aisles, stump of apex finial east end. West face: south aisle plinth, 4-light Decorated window, king mullion; single-light over. Below, to left, 6 'panel' door up 3 stone steps, arched head. South parapet returned up slope of roof. Tower: C19 boarded door with ornamental ironwork in arched, moulded surround, slightly off centre to semi-circular arch over, animal head above. Single- light window over: doorway above, altered to window, semi-circular head, square hoodmould, animal head over. Window and parapet above as south facade. To left north aisle, low plinth, window similar to south, angled buttress, parapet as south aisle. North face: plinth: blocked door, moulded surround, arched head. Three-light window, reticulated tracery and hoodmould at each end, western lower; between two 4-light Decorated-tracery windows, king mullion; parapet, clerestory and tower as south side, but no clock face. East end: north aisle blocked doorway: centre blocked wide arch, semi-circular responds and arch, 3-light Perpendicular- tracery window over, flat head, relieving arch. Wing wall on left for apse, projecting strip decoration at corners, carrying triangular pediment with angel carving. Blocked semi-circular headed opening to south aisle: aisle partly overlapped by end of Priory Farmhouse (q.v.). Footings of apse to east. Interior: tower base: low relief Virgin and child, over semi- circular headed doorway. Animal-head stops to hoodmould on other side. Nave and chancel one unit: walls rendered. West end: simple, semi-circular-headed arch to doorway: triangular window over, with tapered, blocked doorway to right, semi-circular head from single stone. Above 2 triangular-headed windows, separated by fluted pilaster; plaque over. Three-bay C13 arcade each side, clustered responds to short lengths of wall between each, leaf and trumpet-scalloped capitals, alternating light and darker stones in arches on south side. Two Saxon doorways each side chancel, blocked arch to apse visible on east, Decalogue painted on infill. Triangular-headed plaques each side of high-level eastern window. Communion rails early C17, moulded head and sill, turned balusters, ball finials. North, east and south sides bench seats with panelled backs, top fluted; panelled fronts to pews with bookrests, ball finials flank openings in centre each side: rare survival of pre-Laudian chancel arrangement. Roof king-post trusses, infilled carved tracery, wall posts and braces from corbels, one pair moulded purlins, moulded ridge and cornice. Timberwork late C15 at west end, 1861 copy at east. North aisle eC17 dado panelling with bench seat west end, flute