St Mary's is famous above all for the Spencer Chapel, 'one of the great
storehouses of costly and self-confident monuments of the 16thc., 17thc. and
18thc.' (Pevsner). This is the N chancel chapel, and
was added by Sir John Spencer (d.1522) whose tomb is the earliest contained
there, and who also rebuilt the chancel. The outer wall
of the chapel, with a polygonal apse facing N, was rebuilt by Blore in 1846.
The nave is six bays long with N and S aisles and
clerestoreys. Both arcades are 14thc., but the N, lower
and with plain chamfered arches, is apparently earlier
than the S which has hollow chamfers. The west tower is
13thc. with a later battlement. The body of the church is of roughly course
stone, and the eastern arm and Spencer Chapel of ashlar. The only feature
described here is the Purbeck font, and that is probably 13thc. but included
since it relates to a standard 12thc. type.