St Mary's Church, Hartley Wintney


St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Hartley Wintney, Hampshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands on a hillside to the south of the village, some east of Basingstoke.

History

The church was built in the 13th century by the nuns of Wintney Priory. At this time it consisted of a nave and a chancel. The transepts and the tower were added in the middle of the 19th century. St Mary's was replaced as the parish church when a new church dedicated to Saint John was built in the village, and St Mary's became a mortuary chapel. The church was declared redundant on 13 March 1974 and was vested in the Churches Conservation Trust on 22 October 1975.

Architecture

Exterior

The nave and chancel are constructed in flint with some puddingstone and brick. The transepts are in red brick, and the tower is in flint. The church is roofed with red tiles. Its plan consists of a nave and chancel, with north and south transepts, and a west tower. The chancel measures by, the nave by, the transepts by, and the tower is square. The windows in the sides of the chancel and nave date from the 14th and 15th centuries, and have one, two or three lights. The windows in the transepts, and the three-light east window, date from the 19th century. The tower is in three stages with diagonal corner buttresses. In the bottom stage is a west door, and a single-light window on the north and south sides. The middle stage contains two-light windows on the north, west and south sides, and in the top stage are three-light bell openings an all sides. At the top of the tower is an embattled parapet with a pinnacle at each corner.

Interior

In the chancel is a 12th-century piscina, and a hagioscope. Also in the church are box pews, a communion rail dating from the early 18th century, hatchments, and a royal arms dated 1705. There are the remains of 13th-century wall paintings, including one depicting Saint Christopher, and another showing Saint George killing the dragon.

Burials