St Mary's is one of the largest of the magnificent Cotswold churches financed by the proceeds of the medieval wool trade. It is listed Grade I, and Simon Jenkins gave it a three-star rating in his Englands 1000 Best Churches.


The most outstanding feature, which is much admired by visitors, is the sumptuous and lofty nave, rebuilt about 1450 and attributed to John Smyth of Canterbury, designer of Eton College Chapel. Its complex pillars, derived from those in Canterbury Cathedral, soar upwards to the roof, and every inch of wall surface is worked into rich mouldings or geometrical stone panels flooded with light from the huge and virtually continuous clerestorey windows. As in other large Cotswold churches there is also a great window above the chancel arch; in this case with a rare inner veil of delicate stone tracery.


The rest of the church dates largely from the previous century, although two arches in the chancel and a few other details survive from the early 13th century. Particularly fine are the glorious “Creation” window in the south aisle, with beautiful late-19th century glass by Clayton and Bell, and the handsome south door surrounded by ball-flower ornament. The hexagonal south porch (one of only three in England) has 15th century stone vaulting incorporating a green man and various grotesque faces.

The church has a tranquil setting below the hillside town. Immediately north of the large churchyard are the earthwork remains of an early-Norman motte-and-bailey castle, and several delightful footpaths radiate out into open countryside.