St Mary's Church Fairford, England

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

SP 1401-1501 FAIRFORD HIGH STREET

(west side)

13/141 Church of St. Mary

26.ll.58

GV I

Anglican parish church. Base of tower early C15, remainder completely rebuilt by John Tame and his son Edmund, from c1480 into early C16. Restored 1852 and 1890. An intact example of the Perpendicular style.

Ashlar on moulded plinth with embattled parapet over string course and crocketed pinnacles between and in centre of bays, roofs not visible, presumably lead. Nave with clerestorey, chancel, with central tower and aisles running almost up to east end on both sides, single storey vestry on north side at east end, large south porch.

Tower of 2 stages above clerestorey with string courses, corner buttresses with large carved figure to each, rising to twin pinnacles, and with pierced quatrefoil parapet. Belfry stage has 2 long trefoil head openings, blind at top and with belfry louvres below, with 2 niches between, one above the other. Lower stage has clock face to south and small trefoil head window to each face, with blind quatrefoil over except for south side. Aisles of 7 bays with 4-light windows with stepped buttresses between bays and carved heads on string course above each window and on hoodmould stops. Clerestorey has four 3-light windows with continuous dripmould. On south side, porch in bay 3 from west with large pointed archway and square hoodmould with carved spandrels and niche wth Virgin and Child over, panelled internal walls, fan vaulted ceiling and original studded oak door with postern set into it. West end has very large main window of 7 lights with 2 king mullions, and one transom with large cusped trefoil head lights below and cusped ogees above. Four-centred archway below with square hoodmould, quatrefoils and mouchettes in spandrels, and jamb colonettes. Flanking 5-light aisle windows also with transom, with cusped arches below transom. Five-light east window in similar style.

Interior:

4-bay nave arcade with 16 shafts to piers, moulded ridge beam and principals supported on stone angel corbels. Octagonal font. Some early masonry survives in tower, with remains of wall paintings. Contemporary wood screens to choir, carved choir stalls with misericords probably brought from elsewhere. High Altar by Sir Ninian Comper, 1920. C12 lectern in south aisle chapel originally had chains and Matthews Bible of 1551, Bible and chains now removed for safe keeping.

The stained glass forms an almost unique intact series of windows, c1500, painted largely by Barnard Flower, Henry VII's Master Glass Painter. The programme covers the Old and New Testaments and follows a carefully laid out scheme.

Three monuments to the Tame family - chest to John Tame (died 1500) and his 2 wives, in Purbeck marble between the Choir and Lady Chapel, under the parclose screen. One floor and one wall brass to Edmund Tame (died 1534) within the Lady Chapel. Chest tomb to Roger Lygon and wife Katharine, widow of Sir Edmund Tame II, erected 1575, also in Lady Chapel.

A detailed account of the interior and in particular of the stained glass is given in the local church guide, and in David Verey, The Buildings of England, Gloucestershire: the Cotswolds, 1979.

Listing NGR: SP1515401168