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St Mary The Virgin

Panfield

Essex

Mainly C15, altered in C19.

Architectural Features

Flint and pebble rubble with some ironstone, with dressings of limestone and clunch, roofed with handmade red clay tiles and copper.

Chancel, nave, W bell-turret and S porch C15.

Between the windows is a doorway of C15 origin, extensively restored.

The C15 chancel-arch is 2-centred, of 2 orders, the outer moulded and continuous, the inner hollow-chamfered and springing from semi-octagonal attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases.

The Nave has in the N wall an early C15 window, restored, of 3 cinquefoiled lights with tracery in a 4-centred head.

Below its W corner is a C15 tomb recess with hollow-chamfered 2-centred arch.

Between then is the early C15 S doorway, with moulded jambs, 2-centred arch and label.

The door is C15, of humped planks on ledges with moulded fillets and strap hinges with incised lines trenched into the front.

In the W wall is a moulded recess containing the W window, early C15, of 2 cinquefoiled lights with tracery in a 4-centred head, and earlier doorway re-set, which has continuously moulded jambs and arch, with moulded external label with headstops.

The roof of the nave is C15, in 3 bays, the W bay comprising a contemporary bell-turret, the remainder of crown- post construction.

The S porch is timber-framed, C15, moderately restored.

There are 3 bells, the second by Miles Graye, 1655.

In the nave there is an indent for figures of a woman and 3 men, inscription plate, groups of children and 2 shields, early C16.

In the N window of the nave there is C15 glass of canopy heads,

C14-C16 glass of foreign origin, figures of 2 saints, symbol of St. John the Evangelist and fragments.

There are 2 C15 piscinae (1) in the chancel, with moulded and cinquefoiled head, and side opening into sedile with hollow-chamfered and 4-centred arch and restored drain, (2) in S wall of nave, with trefoiled head, grooves for shelves, and square drain.