St Mary's Church, South Cowton

St Mary’s Church stands alone in open farmland near Scotch Corner in North Yorkshire. Built between 1450 and 1470 by Sir Richard Conyers, it was part of a village later cleared for farming. The church was restored in 1883 and is now looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. Its Grade I listing recognises its national importance. The tower, nave and chancel still show the original Perpendicular style. Inside, the low-pitched roof and 15th-century font remain from the church’s first years. A painted rood screen and alabaster effigies of Sir Christopher Boynton and his two wives date from the same period. The porch holds a small room once used by the priest, and a two-faced carving decorates one choirstall. Three bells hang in the tower, the oldest cast in 1700 by Samuel I Smith. Outside, the tower’s ogee-arched bell openings and embattled parapet stand out against the fields. The south porch has three-light windows and a doorway topped by Conyers and Boynton family arms. Rubble and sandstone ashlar walls enclose the nave and chancel, giving the building a quiet strength.