Great Barrington St Mary

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• published: 05 Oct 2012
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Places to visit in and around Stratford: Great Barrington Stand on the bridge over the Windrush, next to the Fox Inn, the churches of Little and Great Barrington face each other across the wooded valley. They stand as they have stood throughout their deep history. 900 springs have summoned the kingcups from the frozen river-banks, 900 summers have sweetened the hay in the water meadows, 900 autumns have rained their leaves on bright water, 900 winters have shrouded the woods in snow. Older still the sleepers under the hill whose tumuli dot the landscape and a Roman villa ancient when Earl Harold owned the manor before the Norman conquest. The two villages are built from the local Cotswold stone, quarries at Barrington and Taynton provided stone for St. Paul's cathedral and many of the Oxford colleges. St. Mary Great Barrington is obscure, surrounded by the high estate walls of Barrington Park. Though much restored the church retains a magnificent late 12th century chancel arch with elaborate chevron ornament. In the first half of the 13th century a four-bay north arcade was built, it has cylindrical piers with octagonal capitals on water-holding bases. Another phase of work began c1511, the nave south wall and north aisle were rebuilt with square-headed windows and a Perpendicular clerestory was added. The flat panelled ceiling with carved bosses and corbels were part of this enrichment. The west tower C13-C14 gained an upper embattled stage with crocheted pinnacles a common addition typical of the Perpendicular style. An image niche once above a now demolished south porch can be found above the west door inside the tower. In 1880 F.C. Penrose rebuilt the chancel, added a north porch and altered the Perpendicular south windows. Inside the font is 15th century and the chancel has one window with stained glass by Clayton and Bell of c1890. An effigy of Captain Bray who died in 1620 lies behind the organ and a large marble group probably by Christopher Cass commemorates the Bray children who died in 1711 and 1720, both of smallpox. In the nave there is a baroque marble escutcheon to John Stephens who died in 1692 attributed to Thomas Cartwright the Elder and in the chancel a draped figure to Mary Countess Talbot died 1787 by Joseph Nollekens. The churchyard is something of a Gothic ruin overgrown in parts by roses and wild flowers, a long stone bench now re-sited along the churchyard wall may once have been in the chancel. Once owned by Llanthony priory the Manor house immediately west of the church was destroyed by fire in 1735. From 1736-37 Earl Talbot built Barrington Park west of the old manor, the builder was William Smith of Warwick. Great Barrington is three miles west of Burford about an hours drive from Stratford-upon-Avon. www.bwthornton.co.uk