St Mary
Plumtree, Nottinghamshire
Appearances can be deceptive as, although rather unprepossessing on the outside, when you enter St Mary's church you’ll be greeted with the glorious colours of the ceilings, panelling and stained glass windows.
St Peter's church foundations date from the 12th century.
In 1812, local squire Pendock Barry Barry of adjacent Tollerton Hall, then known as Roclavaston Manor, rebuilt the nave, added a mausoleum and a brick extension to the west that contained a gallery for his family. The family pew and fireplace are still in situ as are the now bricked up doorways linking the hall grounds to the churchyard set in a high wall built in 1812 to hide the church from the hall. Inside the church a medieval font stands to the left of the west door and just below the pulpit is a rare 12th century piscina on a pedestal that was used to wash the chalice after Communion.
Both were thrown out in the 1812 renovations. The font was used as a trough for the parish pump and the piscina as an ornament in the hall grounds. They were returned to the church in the early 20th century. St Peter's Church has excellent acoustics and is popular with singers and musicians who enjoy performing there. The fine pipe organ was donated in 1909 by the then owner of Tollerton Hall, WE Burnside. The console is now in the gallery. The organ was fully restored for its centenary.
