The flint church of St Mary is located at the W end of the small village of Crawley, NW of Winchester. It comprises a W tower, a S porch, a barn-like nave separated from N and S aisles by timber posts, and a chancel with an organ chamber and vestry on its N side. The chancel arch incorporates Romanesque-style block capitals and a series of chevron voussoirs.

A church existed in Crawley in 1086, at which time it was held by the Bishop of Winchester. The advowson remained with Winchester until 1860.

Little survives of the 11thc or 12thc church at Crawley. The nave was rebuilt in the 15thc, the W tower in the 16thc (with upper stage rebuilt 1901) and the chancel (with vestry) in 1887. The S porch is dated 1895.

The chevron voussoirs were discovered during the work of 1887: ‘The fragments of coloured stone of Norman work, now placed on the right of the chancel arch, were found in various positions in the old walls. They seem to have been part of the old arch which rose from the Norman columns and abaci between the chancel and the nave.’ (Hampshire Chronicle, 24 September 1887, 3).

It was also reported in 1887: ‘The present Norman [sic] and abaci facing the nave were carefully copied from the fragments of similar columns and abaci which were discovered beneath a coating of cement’ (Hampshire Chronicle, 24 September 1887, 3). From the use of the word abaci, it remains uncertain whether the capitals were replaced, or just the nook shafts and impost blocks.

At the same time the apsidal end of the Norman church was discovered ‘cutting the foundations of the present eastern wall’ (Hampshire Chronicle, 24 September 1887, 3).

The chancel arch was rebuilt in the 13thc or 14thc, incorporating carved capitals and nook shafts which may have come from its 12thc predecessor. The likelihood that the capitals were replaced in 1887 (see History), copying damaged originals, makes it difficult to comment more precisely on their form and date.

The chevron voussoirs, of mid-12thc date, were found in various places during the work of 1887. Since this focused on the rebuilding of the chancel, it is likely that they belonged to the chancel arch. The capitals may have formed part of the same ensemble.

The outer moulding of the chevron voussoirs was erroneously interpreted as a label by VCH (VCH, 1908, 412). The capitals were wrongly described as ‘scalloped’ by both Historic England and Bullen et al. (Historic England List Description; Bullen et al. 2010, 229).