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St. Mary's, Boxwell is a 13th century parish church, with a 14th century north aisle. The chancel was largely rebuilt in the early 20th century. The church is built of coursed rubble and ashlar limestone, with the building having a stone slate roof. It consists of a nave with north aisle, south porch and chancel.
The 13th century south doorway has a pointed-arch with champfered archivolt and hoodmould. Its door is an 18th century six-panel fielded door. There is an arched stoup in the wall to the right.
The south porch is parapet-gabled, with offset buttresses, which are flush to the south face. Its opening is a moulded pointed-arch with hoodmould. There are internal stone seats and an arch-braced roof.
The nave window to the left of the south porch is a 19th century two-light, with trefoil-heads and a square opening with hoodmould. To the right of the porch is a 19th century two-light, along with a further narrow 19th century single-light further to the right.
At the eastern end of the nave is a 13th or early 14th century bellcote, which surmounts the parapet gable. It has an octagonal conical top on four supporting stone posts - those to the east and west being bracketed out from the base - and with a grotesque carved head at each corner of the base.
The parapet-gabled west end has a large early-mid 14th century three-light window with intersecting tracery and hoodmould.
The chancel is also parapet-gabled and has a two-light east window with quatrefoil tracery, and lancets in the side walls.
In the north aisle, towards the eastern end, can be seen a 20th century ovolo-moulded two-light square-headed window.
Inside the church, both the nave and chancel have been limewashed. The nave is dominated by and early 14th century three-bay aisle arcade, which has octagonal piers.
The collar-trussed nave roof was restored in the 20th century, whilst there is a plain lean-to roof to the aisle.The plain 13th century chancel arch has a champfered archivolt with a single corbel above and to the left.
The Royal arms painted over the chancel arch are those of William III after the death of Mary, but the initials and date have been overpainted to read 'A.R. 1702'.
The chancel, which was rebuilt in the 20th century, has a timber panelled ceiling. Its piscina and credence shelf in the south wall were also restored in the 20th century. A timber brattished rail is mounted below the east window and has William Morris and Co. hangings below. The chancel rail is early 17th century and has turned balusters.
The font is built of octagonal stone with panelled sides and a pedestal with clustered column shafts. It dates to circa 1300.
Three pews at the west end of the nave date from the 15th century. They have crude ball-flower decorated ends and are all that survive from the complete set known to exist at the turn of the 20th century.
Many memorials to Huntley family of Boxwell Court (q.v.) exist. At the west end of the nave is a marble memorial to Rev. RICHARD HUNTLEY, MA, died 1831, by Cook of Gloucester. It has an obelisk ground and shrouded urn. A tablet to right of it with a shrouded urn over it is dedicated to EDMUND HUNTLEY, died 1803. To the left of south doorway, a memorial tablet with bolection moulding and scrolled pediment over it is dedicated to REVD. RD. HUNTLEY, MA, died 1728, by TYLEY of Bristol. A memorial is to be found on each spandrel of the arcade; the left one to
ELIZABETH GLASSE, died 1757, has a flaming urn over a broken pediment; the right one to ELIZABETH JOHNSON, DIED 1775 and MATTHEW HUNTLEY, died 1768, has fluted pilasters with an open pediment and paterae in frieze.
The church stands in very secluded position adjacent to Boxwell Court.
Source: English Heritage
Listing NGR: ST8122692701
(abridged from J.F.B. Huntley, Church Guide, 1970; and D. Verey, Gloucestershire: The Cotswolds, 1979.)