St Mary’s is a charming and welcoming stone church, occupying a picturesque setting above a bend in the River Nene, between Oundle and Fotheringhay.
It might not be described as conventionally beautifully yet it has both caught the eye and served the community since Norman times. Pevsner said in his famous guide “the history of this building is one of the most intricate in the county” and even he admitted that fully unravelling the history to be beyond him.
What is certain is that the tower dates to the Norman period and that there is clear evidence of ongoing development in the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th centuries. Aisles to the North and South were added and lengthened together with the nave and chancel - all growing eastwards. The end result is certainly not symmetrical but somehow works - a large church for its origins that manages to be both airy and cosy at the same time.
Some of the things worth looking at: the stunning 15th Century misericords (chorister seats) from Fotheringhay; the charming mid-19th century leaf and scroll paintings on the underside of some arches; the cheeky face-pulling grotesque by the North door; a beautifully carved Jacobean pulpit; and the lovely views of the river from the churchyard.
