Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England)

PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), BROADWATER LANE

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1101433
Date first listed:
24-Nov-1966
List Entry Name:
Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England)
Statutory Address:
PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), BROADWATER LANE
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Date:
2006-06-02
Reference:
IOE01/15538/26
Rights:
© Mr A. Gude. Source: Historic England Archive

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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed Building
Grade:
II*
List Entry Number:
1101433
Date first listed:
24-Nov-1966
List Entry Name:
Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England)
Statutory Address 1:
PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), BROADWATER LANE

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

The scope of legal protection for listed buildings

This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.

Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.

For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.

Understanding list entries

Corrections and minor amendments

Location

Statutory Address:
PARISH CHURCH OF ST MARY THE VIRGIN (CHURCH OF ENGLAND), BROADWATER LANE

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

County:
Hertfordshire
District:
East Hertfordshire (District Authority)
Parish:
Aston
National Grid Reference:
TL 27167 22614

Details

Aston village TL 2722 ASTON BROADWATER LANE (north side)

12/3 Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (C of E)

24.11.66

GV II*

Parish church. Nave and chancel c1230, W tower late C14 or early C15, low pitched timber roofs and new windows late C15, restoration and N aisle 1850; general restoration, N vestry and S porch rebuilt 1883 by W O Milne of London. Alabaster reredos with mosaic panels also by Milne 1896. Flint rubble with rough plastered finish and corbelled brick crenellated parapet to tower with stone dressings and tiled buttress offsets. Knapped flint uncoursed facing to rest of church with stone dressings and flushwork chequer of stone and flint on porch. Copper low pitched roof to chancel - similar behind nave's crenellated parapet. Lead roof and spike with vane on tower. Slate roof to NE vestry. A picturesque irregular church with 2-bay low chancel, taller 3-bay nave with 3-bay arcade and N aisle, square 2-stage tower with large diagonal buttresses each with 5 tiled offsets, gabled S porch and gabled NE vestry with chimney and organ chamber. Spacious interior. Chancel has 2-bay arched- braced oak roof with ridge and one purlin to each slope which have a boss at their junction with a secondary principal at mid- bay. Rear-arch and jamb stones of lancet window recorded in N wall. Double trefoil-headed C13 piscina near alter on S. 2 C16 windows in S wall flanking a blocked small C19 pointed doorway visible outside. Carved and panelled oak choirstalls c1886 from St Mary's Lambeth installed 1973. C19 E window. C16 chancel arch with half-octagonal section and fluted mouldings and capitals. Oak screen c1520 with side panels and central opening. Blind tracery panels fixed to lower part. Nave has a 3-bay roof with cranked tie-beams, 4-centred arched braces springing from moulded wall-posts on carved stone head-corbels. Carved bosses at junctions of ridge and purlins with secondary principals. Octagonal oak pulpit later Cl7 with mitred planted mouldings and arabesque frieze around top. Correct C13 style tall N arcade with pointed arches of 2 chamfered orders, and circular pillars with moulded caps. ¾ pillars as imposts. Good figure brass in central aisle before chancel arch, 1592 to John Kent and wife. 2 S windows C19 of 2-lights with tracery in heads. 3 2-light windows to N aisle and 2-light windows at E and W. Tall 4- centred arch into tower with caps to jamb shafts. 3-light W window has tracery renewed. Pointed W doorway has continuous deeply moulded jambs without caps, intersected by plinth moulding on exterior of tower. Pointed louvred bell openings with clock face below. Bells recast after fire in 1958. Stained glass by Heaton, Butler and Bayne, E window (1896), chancel SW (1883) N aisle E (1897). (RCHM (1911) 41-2: VCH (1912) 57-8: Kelly (1914) 26: Pevsner (1977) 78: Eileen Watson The Church of St Mary Aston 1981).

Listing NGR: TL2716722614

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
159564
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Watson, E, The Church of St Mary Aston Hertfordshire, (1981)
Doubleday, A, The Victoria History of the County of Hertford, (1912), 57-8
Pevsner, N, Cherry, B, The Buildings of England: Hertfordshire, (1977), 78
Kellys Directory in Hertfordshire, (1914), 26

Other
Inventory of the Historical Monuments of Hertfordshire, (1910)

Legal

This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.

Ordnance survey map of Parish Church of St Mary the Virgin (Church of England)

Map

This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 12-Jul-2026 at 09:49:38.

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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