Listed Building record MDR4390 - St Mary's Church, Church Drive, Weston upon Trent

St Mary's Church, Church Drive, Weston upon Trent, originally a 13th century building. 'Weston-on-Trent church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin is of the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries and was restored in 1876-1877.' (1) 'In normal use.' (2) 'St Mary's Church, dating largely from the 13th and 14th centuries, consists of a nave with aisles, a chancel, and a west tower. Special features are, the early 17th century timber-framed porch and a dogtooth course below the battlements.' (4) 'Church of St Mary. Parish church. 13th, 14th and 15th centuries, restored 1876-1877 by Jolley and Evans. Grade I.' (5) 'A bell in St Mary's is of historical significance. Dating to 1760, it is a good example of the work of founder T I Hedderly of Nottingham.' (8) 'The exterior of St Mary's is unpretentious but powerful in its battlemented parapets of nave and tower, dominant in tis high octagonal spire, solid in its butresses, weathered in the pitted golden stone of tower and chancel walls. The roof is not original, neither in material nor style, as there is evidence of an earlier steeper-pitched roof on the west wall of the south aisle. The masonry of the south wall is of a cruder kind than the skilled work which built the round pillars and their surmounting arches with octagonal responds. In the south east corner of this aisle is a well-preserved trefoil piscina. This with its circular bowl and drain hole for chalice washings, would be built to serve the adjacent altar, and it was common practice for the mason to ornament the piscina in the prevailing style of architecture. The kneeling figures of Richard Sale, a Preebendary of Lichfield and Rector of Weston, and his family originally occupied the sedilia in the chancel but are now against the east wall of the south aisle. By the chancel arch is a carved Jacobean pulpit in oak.' (9) From the National Heritage List for England: 'SK 32 NE; 3/256 PARISH OF WESTON-UPON-TRENT, CHURCH DRIVE (South Side) Church of St Mary 10.11.67 I Parish church. C13, C14 and C15, restored 1876-7 by Jolley and Evans. Ashlar and coursed squared stone plus some rubble, with chamfered plinth and shallow leaded roofs plus embattled parapets to nave, aisles and tower and plain parapets to chancel. Nave and aisle parapets are continuous. Nave with north and south aisles, lower chancel, west tower and south porch. C15 ashlar two-stage west tower has stepped full-height clasping buttresses to all corners and deep moulded plinth. West elevation has pointed 2-light, deeply chamfered, window with restored panel tracery, and small staircase window to north. North and south elevations blank. Above there are deeply chamfered, pointed louvred 2-light bell openings to all sides with returned hoodmoulds and a continuous chamfered sill band. Above again there is a coved string course with central gargoyle to north side, and embattled parapets with crenellated bases for corner pinnacles, now missing. Thin octagonal spire over with four plain lucarnes near base and trefoil headed lucarnes near top. North aisle is C14 and constructed of coursed stone with a continuous moulded sill band. West elevation has low blocked segment headed door, with cusped tracery 2-light window above. West corner has stepped clasping buttress and north elevation has blocked pointed double chamfered doorcase to west, plus two reticulated 3-light windows with ogee headed hoodmoulds. Between the windows and to east end there are stepped buttresses. East elevation has similar 4-light reticulated tracery window. Continuous coved stringcourse above, below parapets. To east, the chancel has two thin C13 lancets to north elevation, a four-centred arched east window with three stepped C20 lancets, within a returned hoodmould, flanked by corner buttresses, and three chamfered lancets to south elevation with low chamfered doorcase between western windows. Western lancet has been lengthened. East elevation of south aisle has pointed 3-light lancet type window with large tracery circle to top which is possibly C13. East corner has clasping buttress with gableted top, similar arrangement to west corner. South elevation has two tall 3-light C13 stepped lancet pointed windows with hoods and central stepped gableted buttress. Beyond to west is a C17 timber framed porch on stone plinth with close studding to east side, rebuilt in brick to west side, and with slated wooden gates to front. West end of aisle has chamfered lancet with hoodmould. Coved string course over has intermittent nailhead decoration. Inner doorcase is C13, a pointed double chamfered arch and it has a restored medieval door. INTERIOR has three-bay north and south arcades with double-chamfered arches on high columns and octagonal responds, with moulded capitals. There is a continuous double-chamfered C15 tower arch and wide C14 moulded chancel arch on octagonal responds. C19 cambered roofs to all parts. Chancel has triple C13 sedilla with semicircular headed arches on octagonal shafts with a chamfered pointed piscina to east, both with stepped moulded band over which continues round the chancel. Chancel also has plain oak early C20 choir stalls and metal and wood C19 altar rails. Nave pews are C20 copies of two C17 robust oak pews to rear of nave. Octagonal pulpit is also C17 with carved oak panels re-set on C20 stone base. South aisle has elaborately moulded C14 piscina with cusped pointed head, and north aisle has small ogee headed piscina to east wall and alms cupboard in north wall. Stone font, with relief designs to each side of octagonal bowl, is dated 1661 and has a much restored contemporary carved oak cover. Tower has two painted charity plaques dated 1906 and C17 panelled wooden gates across the arch with oak acorn finials and shaped 'H' hinges. Two fine monuments to the Sale family, one wall memorial in the chancel, of painted alabaster with classical aedicule surmounted by steeple finials and central achievement to Dorothy and Richard Sale who died 1615, and 1625 respectively, and the other in the nave to Richard Sale. This is an unusual monument with the life-sized figures of Richard Sale and his wife, plus the smaller figures of children behind, all kneeling in a row. Between the figures are panels with rusticated ends, the two either side of the wife surmounted by babies in their cots. Above there are four shields, that to north with scull and crossbones, that to south with figure of death, one central one decayed, the other inscribed 'Repaired by Elizabeth, Daughter and Heiress of William Sale, great grandson of the above Richard Sale from William his second son by Judith Oliver his second wife, 1727'. South wall of south aisle has small slate and marble wall memorial to Richard Storer who died 1840 and there is also a copper plaque to John Greatorex who died 1936. West wall of nave has marble war memorial and north aisle has lead plaque inscribed 'Robert Hill, Richard Brian CW. George Sills, Donington P 1703'. Chancel has cll190 stained glass to all windows, all nave windows have clear glass. Listing NGR: SK3976527595.' (10)