The Church of England parish church of Saint James the Great has a 14th-century Decorated Gothic nave and chancel, but was rebuilt in the 19th century. The pulpit is Jacobean. The church is a Grade I listed building. Its parish is part of the Benefice of Quinton, Welford, Weston and Marston Sicca.
LONG MARSTON
SP1548 DORSINGTON ROAD
1912-1/13/85 (South side)
05/04/67 Church of St James
GV I
Church. C14 nave and chancel, with C16 porch and restored C16 bell turret. Narrow coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings; graduated stone slate roof; timber-framed porch and bell turret.
PLAN: 2-bay chancel, 3-bay nave with south porch and west Bell turret.
EXTERIOR: coped stone gables. Chancel has offset diagonal and angle buttresses flanking 3-light window with Perpendicular tracery; coped gable with cross.
North side has 2 windows of 2 traceried lights flanking round-headed priest's entrance with plain surround with beading, enriched imposts and fielded-panel key block, plank door; south side has similar windows.
Nave has alternately wide and narrow courses of stone.
North side has offset buttress to left of gabled porch. Porch with close-studded framing on limestone plinth; entrance with renewed spandrels to 3-centred head and renewed plank door with strap hinges, 3-light windows to returns. 2 single-chamfered traceried nave windows of 2 lights.
South side has some patches of ashlar; 4 offset buttresses, that to west on plinth, that to east is diagonal; small 2-light window to west and 2 larger 2-light windows with C14 tracery and hoods; scratch dial to east end.
West end has 2 tall offset buttresses and lower angle buttresses; 2-light single-chamfered traceried window; bell turret has close-studded framing and saddleback roof; 3-light louvred bell openings and weather cock. Nave has short East return to north with wall monument to Mary Tomes, d.1751: worn slab with tapering pilasters, entablature with pulvinated frieze and pediment.
INTERIOR: chancel has tie beam and collar roof with arch-braced queen posts and wind braces; segmental-headed piscina recess with remains of projecting bowl; rebated chancel arch with continuous chamfer.
Nave has collar rafter roof with ashlaring; plastered timber-framed partition wall to west end has exposed close studding over 2 tall timber posts to centre, forming open space below bell turret which has battened panelling to returns with plank doors and high opening to south with turned balusters.
FITTINGS: chancel has C19 altar rail and candelabra, plain stalls; nave has early C17 pulpit with enriched round-headed panels; plain C19 stalls with candelabra; circular font on traceried base; ex-situ stone altar slab on 4 tapering supports; porch has roof with wind braces and one arch-Braced collar truss, plain rebated inner door and stone benches.
MONUMENTS: chancel has 3 brass plates on north wall: Joan, Dorothea and Elizabeth Cooper, d.1658, 1650 and 1657, floor slab to Richard Day, d.1697, with scrolly frame and armorial bearing; porch has floor slab to Elizabeth Goodin, d.1732.
Stained glass: chancel east window has medieval fragments, small C19 roundels to other chancel windows.
An attractive church in good setting and an unusual timber-framed bell turret.