St. Mary's Church, Higham Ferrers

St Mary’s Church stands in the quiet market town of Higham Ferrers in Northamptonshire. Built in the early 13th century, much of the original structure remains, including the tower finished around 1250. The church was enlarged in the 14th century with a widened north aisle and a new Lady Chapel. Early in the 15th century the clerestory and low-pitched roof were added, possibly under Bishop Henry Chichele. Chichele later became Archbishop of Canterbury and installed the rood screen and carved choir stalls with their misericords. The west porch, built between 1270 and 1280, closely resembles the north transept porch of Westminster Abbey. The building is famous for its fine medieval craftsmanship. Simon Jenkins praises the west front as ‘little short of sensational’, noting French masons’ work and a Tree of Jesse above the twin doors. The tower holds ten bells, eight restored in 2014 to mark the 600th anniversary of Chichele’s consecration. A brass to Laurence St Maur, dated 1337, shows the deceased priest beneath a rich canopy with figures of saints and angels. Pevsner calls it one of England’s finest brass monuments. Beside the church lie two Grade I listed buildings: the Chantry Chapel and the Bede House. The chapel, built for Archbishop Chichele in the early 15th century, once housed a grammar school until 1906. The Bede House, built around 1428, now serves as the church hall. A medieval stone cross stands 48 metres west of the tower, restored in 1919 as a war memorial. Visitors walk through the churchyard to see these buildings and the cross, all in Perpendicular Gothic style.