St Mary

It has a plain parapet and C19 square-headed Perpendicular windows in a medieval wall.

The first bay, embracing the tower, is a vestry with 2-light window and a doorway with continuous moulding, above which a medieval grave slab has been inserted into the wall.

The porch is in the second bay, and remaining bays have 3-light windows and a blocked C13 doorway with continuous chamfer.

The C14 porch has diagonal buttresses and a continuous moulded doorway with niche above.

The high tower arch has 2 orders of chamfer dying into the imposts, of 1399.

The first bay of the nave arcades are late C12 work.

On the south side is a pointed double-chamfered arch, possibly a C13 alteration, and a large square pier with nook shafts and bowl capitals which, on the east side, are carved with animals.

A sedillum has hood mould with head and flower stops and appears to be C14.

It has restored C14 sedilia with continuous ovolo mouldings, and cusped piscina.

Walls are plastered, and in the chapel is a fragment of an angel from a C15 Annunciation wall painting.

Nave and aisles have a tile floor with raised floorboards below pews, and a C20 raised floor at the east end.

The chapel has a stone floor, incorporating marble inlay dated 1875, and the chancel has marble tiles.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: The octagonal font is part of the 1399 rebuilding, a distinguished work of Teesdale marble, with shields around the bowl and arcaded stem.

The well-carved pyramidal cover is C17.

The Gothic wooden pulpit is by Thompson of Kilburn.

There are 16 misericords, including pigs playing bagpipes (as at Beverley Minster and Ripon Cathedral), heads, animals and foliage.

The most important memorial is a wall monument in the south wall of the chancel to Timothy Hutton and his wife Elizabeth

There are several other C18 and C19 monuments, and the south chapel has Gothic memorial panels.

There are stained-glass windows of the 1860s, including the east window attributed to O¿Connor, and a 2008 semi-abstract window by Alan Davies.

HISTORY: Parish church begun in the late C12, evidence for which is the arcading in the nave.

The church was much enlarged in the C13, of which the north-aisle doorway remains,

was the principal parish church of the town, although it stood outside the town walls when they were constructed in the C14.

The north porch is C14, as are the sedilia and piscina in the south chapel.

In 1399 the tower was begun by the Earl of Westmorland, and the font is part of the same programme of works.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION: The church of St Mary, Church Wynd, is designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons: * The church retains significant late C12 fabric in the first bay of the nave. * It also has significant later medieval fabric, including the C14 vaulted north porch and the tower of 1399 * Fixtures of special interest include 1399 font, C15 wall painting fragment, fine early C16 choir stalls

misericords from Easby Abbey, and C17 wall monument * The involvement of Sir George Gilbert Scott in the restoration is also of note