Beneath it, we can see that the Perpendicular age did not comnpletely avoid St Mary, but most details are Decorated, a sign of an early 14th century rebuilding, when Faith was still shot through with mystery, and the cold theological rationalism of the 15th century had not yet built tall clerestories to let in the light. So, we step inside to a beautiful space, touched with a patina of age. The most striking aspect of the interior is the colour, the combination between white walls and the red brick of the arcade arches. These bricks bear close examination. They date from the original construction of the arcades, about the year 1200, and yet they are clearly not reused Roman bricks.
Gorgeous arcades soar into redness above the furnishings.
The arcades predate the aisles , as we have seen, and the little clerestory is hidden by the aisle roofs. This is strange, and also strange is that one of the arcades has been replaced, that to the west end of the south aisle, as though work began, but was not completed. The Norman arcades interlock and shift as we move around the church, opening up new vistas and elevations. Shapes interlock and change through the arcades as we walk around this ancient and beautiful building. Mortlock is uncharacteristically uncharitable about the modern fibreglass cover.