Church of St Mary Bucklebury, England

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

BUCKLEBURY BUCKLEBURY SU 57 SE 6/15 Church of St. Mary 14.4.67 G V I

Church. Mainly C12 and C15 with C19 chancel. Flint, tile and rubble with stone dressings, rendered chancel; old tile roofs separately over nave and aisle with 2 dormers on south side of nave, one to left hipped with 3-light casement, one to right of 2 Gothick lights with Y-tracery. West tower, nave, north aisle, chancel, south porch and vestry. West tower: circa 1450. 2 stages with plinth, diagonal buttresses to west, string course, corbel table with carved gargoyles, coped parapet and 4 corner obelisks with ball finials and weathervanes; newel turret on first stage to north with lean-to old tile roof. 2 - light louvred bellchamber openings with cusped heads, on each face; clock and one-light cusped opening with square head and hoodmould high up on first stage to south. West doorway with four-centered moulded arch in square head, quatrefoils carved in spandrels and hoodmould with uncarved shields as stops, 3-light west window above with panelled tracery and hoodmould with spiral stops. Crucifixion, and man with wheel carved on south-east buttress, small circular 2-light opening high up on north face. Nave: C12 semi-circular arched doorway off- centre to left, of one order with one plain and one twisted shaft, scalloped capitals, dog tooth and other ornament, and crowned at apex with carved face, orb and Maltese cross; boarded door with old ironwork. Window to left of 2 cusped lights and square head with returned hoodmould, window to right similar but panelled between lights and hoodmould. South Porch: dated 1603 in gable but rebuilt circa 1895. Flint with stone dressings, gabled tiled roof with decorated barge boards; plain semi-circular arch. Chancel: central C13 style arched doorway to south with boarded door, flanked by 2 lancets. 3-light east window with panelled tracery and hoodmould with carved stops. North side has lancet to left and gabled projection to right with 2- light square headed window. North aisle: C19 three-light window to east with panelled tracery and returned hoodmould. Two 3-light windows to north with cinquefoiled heads under square heads with returned hoodmoulds; central blocked four-centered arched doorway with carved spandrels and modern inscription, carved stone above with weathered stone canopy. C19 pebbledashed vestry with planted timbers and hipped tile roof to north of tower. Interior: nave; 3 bay C15 north nave arcade with chamfered arches, 4 bay crownpost roof; box pews, C17 octagonal pulpit with guilloche ornament around panelling and tester, west galley of circa 1824, 6 hatchments,coat of arms above chancel arch, 4 panels with creed and commandments of circa early C19 in north aisle. Chancel; C19 chamfered arch with half octagonal piers, moulded bases and capitals and hoodmoulds with carved stops, C19 arch braced roof, Squire's pew to north, Cl7 communion rails with twisted balusters, and some old armour. Glass in north aisle and Chancel by Brangwyn of 1912. Monuments include; that to Henry Winchcombe of 1703 with 2 putti flanking coat of arms under drapery framed by panelled pilasters broken up in centre to support flaming urn; that to Howard Winchcombe of 1749 with 2 Corinthian supporting triangular pediment with coat of arms. VCH, Vol.3, pp294-296; B.O.E., Berkshire, pp106-107; History of St. Mary the Virgin, Bucklebury and Marlston Chapel, K. Poole, 1976.

Listing NGR: SU5530270866