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St Mary the Virgin

St Mary The Virgin

Swaffham Bulbeck

Cambridgeshire

8.1959 formerly listed as Church of St Mary) I Parish church, C13, except for the chancel and aisles which, although C13 in origin, were rebuilt in C14.

Architectural Features

Three stages with a splayed plinth and blocked parapet with a main cornice retaining four original beast gargoyles.

The fenestration and bell chamber openings are all C13 with double chamfers in two centred arches, and includes a West window of three lancets in a two-centred arch.

The nave is also of clunch, but the clerestorey was added in C15 and is of pebble and flint.

The South aisle, C14, is of clunch on a sill of flint with an upper edge of limestone.

The fenestration is C14 of clunch, badly worn, but with original reticulated tracery, including an East window of three lights.

The roof is C15 of shallow pitch and of side purlin construction with a ridge piece.

The rear arches of the C14 windows in the aisles have hollow moulding terminating in broach stops.

Apart from two or three benches, the nave and aisles are almost completely furnished with intact C15 pews, including two bench fronts, and, in the North aisle, probably part of the originally uprights into which the bench end were jointed to the wall.

The rails are roll moulded and the ogee shaped pew ends have elbows and embattled finials carved with fabulous beasts.

The font is C13 and of stone.

There is a fine C16 Italian cassone of cedar wood in the South chapel.