Church of St Mary England, UK

Description

Thame Church is a parish church in Oxfordshire built mostly in the early 13th century. Surprisingly large and impressive for the modest size of its village, it has a number of interesting features, including a wall painting, tombs, monuments, gargoyles and carved corbels.

Listed Building Description

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

THAME CHURCH ROAD SP7006SW (East side) 8/29 Church of Saint Mary 24/04/51 (Formerly listed as St. Mary's 8 Church)

GV I

Church. Early C13 chancel, nave, transepts, and tower. C14 widening of aisles, south porch; late C14 clerestory and upper stages to tower; mid C15 reconstruction of north and south transepts; restoration of c.1889 by J.O. Scott. Squared coursed stone with ashlar stone dressings; lead roofs to aisles, roofs of nave, chancel, transept and tower not visible; various stone stacks. 5-bay aisled nave, tower, 6-bay chancel, and transepts. 2-storey porch with 2-centre moulded archway; 2-bay quadripartite vault with carved bosses; stone benches to east side of porch; C19 double plank doors with decorative wrought-iron hinges to 2-centred moulded stone doorway with hood mould having faces to end stops. First floor of porch has ogee-canopied image recess to centre with C20 statue of St. Mary, flanked by trefoiled lancets. 3-light reticulated tracery windows to aisle and chancel. 2-light Perpendicular tracery windows to clerestory of nave. 5-light Perpendicular tracery window to south end of south transept. 5-light rectilinear tracery window to west side of south transept. Plain parapet to chancel, aisles, and transept, battlemented parapet to clerestory. North side: early English doorway with plank door to right of chancel. 4 lancets to chancel. 3-light Plate tracery window to right of chancel. light reticulated tracery windows to aisle. 2-light Perpendicular tracery windows to clerestory. 5-light Perpendicular tracery window to north end of north transept. 5-light Rectilinear tracery window to west side of north transept. West end: west window to nave; c.1672 5-light Perpendicular window with uncusped panel tracery add crenellated transoms. West window to north aisle; 2-light reticulated tracery window. East end: 5-light geometrical tracery window. Tower: 3-light Perpendicular tracery windows to each side of lower stage. Two 2-light stone mullion and transom openings, with reticulated tracery to top, to each side of second stage of tower. Battlemented parapet. Interior; probably C19 Perpendicular-style roofs to chancel, nave and aisles. Late C19 wood ceilings with moulded wood ribs to transepts. Shoulder-arched piscina to right of chancel. Altar tomb to Lord Williams of Thame and his first wife, Elizabeth, to centre of chancel: reclining figures at prayer on richly carved chest, attributed to Gerard Johnson the elder, repaired by Willaim Bird of Oxford after the Civil War. C16 choir-stalls to chancel with linen-fold panelling. C17 chancel screen with linen-fold panelling to base and arcade on decorated columns. 2-centred arches to crossing. Late C19 choir-stalls to crossing. C14 screen to north transept with plank base and reticulated tracery above. Early C18 octagonal wood pulpit and sounding board to left of nave-arch. Font has octagonal stone bowl on re-used C12 and C13 stone work. Church has a fine collection of monuments. 2 windows to chancel by Clayton and Bell, north aisle west window by Morris and Co. c.1923. (Buildings of England: Oxfordshire, 1979, p.806-7; V.C.H.: Oxfordshire, Vol.7, 1962, p.205-10).

Listing NGR: SP7038006317