St Mary's Church
DY14 8UE parking on road, disabled ramp available, open 9am-4pm
A sacred space for almost 1000 years and off-the-beaten-track, St Mary's Church is Grade 1 listed and built of local stone. It blends perfectly with the peace and quiet of the Shropshire Hills - with the nearby Clee Hill (as seen on Hereford’s ‘Mappa Mundi’) silently standing guard over the tranquil churchyard, and the Rea valley beyond.
The crudely carved hunting scene on the Tympanum above the Saxon west door, protected from the elements by the later Norman Tower, is the earliest clue in the history of sacred buildings here, being possibly over 1000 years old.
The Domesday Book (1086) has the first written record of this parish church, which largely dates from the period 1060 – 1270 and reflects the Norman and early English styles of architecture.
The intricately carved stone font is a treasure (created c.1138) by the legendary Hereford School of Romanesque Sculpture. More recently (c.1620) the Jacobeans added a splendidly carved wooden pulpit and, more recently still, the Arts and Crafts Rood Screen was added to the Chancel arch (1901). Other features include medieval floor tiles, some wonderful stained glass and in the tower, alongside 4 bells (1752) cast by Abel Rudhall, Gloucester, and a turret clock (1855) by Joyce of Whitchurch.
St Mary's has recently undergone extensive renovation, thanks to grants, including a large one from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
More information and pictures at www.stottyheritage.co.uk