ST. MARY 

TUFTON

St Mary is in the little hamlet of Tufton, about a mile south of Whitchurch. The building has been here since at least the 11th century, and probably has Saxon origins, although no trace of those remains.

 

According to Nikolaus Pevsner in the Buildings of England -

The church consists of a nave and chancel with a small bell-turret. In the nave on the north side there are two small Early Norman windows high up (11th/12th century).  On the south side the doorway is very plain and tall, with a big lintel, and undecorated tympanum and an arch with small saltire crosses and a billet-hood mould. The nave also has on either side a big domestic 18th century window.

The chancel arch is Norman, but the chancel itself is early 13th century with lancet windows set internally in quite a monumental three-bay arcading with proper columns and arches.

There is a fine, very large early 15th century painting of St Christopher with an ornamental frame, but none of the genre details one sees so often. Also painted fragments above the chancel arch.  The altar is free standing with the communion rail on three sides. Pesvner noted the furnishing was very well done.