Sileby History
Its people and places. A community through time.
Church of St Mary
Grade II* , listed 1st June 1966
Listing Description
Church, C13-C15, restored C19. Ashlar and granite rubble stone with parapetted roofs. Plinth, stone dressings and stepped buttresses mostly with gargoyles. Tracery mostly restored. W tower, nave, aisles, chancel, chancel chapels and S porch. Tower of 3 stages, ashlar to W, of C14/C15 with clasping buttresses and SW stair. Many moulded W doorway with fleurons in arch and renewed blank quatrefoils in spandrels over, 3 light W window with perp tracery, 2 light flat topped window over, 4 paired 2 light bell openings with battlemented transoms, quatrefoiled lozenge frieze, battlements, gargoyles and shafted and crocketted pinnacles. Clock face to E (in centre of bell opening) and to N. Inside are arches to aisles and tall nave arch, all double chamfered on semi circular responds. Late C13 N arcade of 3 bays (E wider) with many moulded arches on quatrefoil piers. Hoodmould. Nail head and dog tooth decoration. C1300 3 bay S arcade with double chamfered arches on circular piers. Perp clerestory with four 3 light windows either side. Restored 4 bay low pitch cranked tie beam roof, wall posts and curved braces from stone carved head corbels with wooden figures over. Carved bosses. N aisle has N doorway, W window with intersected tracery, 3 N windows with curvilinear and reticulated tracery and double chamfered arch on octagonal responds into N chancel chapel, now organ chamber. Here N window with perp tracery and NE window with curvilinear tracery. Double chamfered chancel arch with hoodmould and grotesque animal stops. Similar arches to chancel chapels, curving and semi circular responds. On N wall of chancel tomb recess with nail head decoration, small N door, archway to former rood, N window and two S windows with curvilinear tracery. Similar E window with C19 mosaic reredos below. Tiled floor, probably Minton. C19 three bay low pitch roof. Outside, the chancel has crocketed pinnacles and finial on E end gable. S chancel chapel has SE window with curvilinear tracery and two S windows with reticulated tracery and piscina with ogee arch. In S aisle four windows with curvilinear tracery. Many moulded S doorway arch with double shafts each side. Two storey S porch with battlemented parapet and many moulded arch to doorway with circular responds. Window over and to either side of porch. C12/C13 front, wall monument in coloured marble to Katherine Aynesworth, 1807, by Shenton, Hull and Pollard of Leicester, wall monument of 1886 to former Vicar, Georgian Royal Arms, painted on canvas, over chancel arch, and brass lectern, a memorial of 1929, and resited lead inscription tablet of 1727. Pevsner.