Gargoyles, grotesques and fleurons on the parapet frieze of the Tower at St Mary's.

Despite its great size and height, the tower and spire of St Mary’s carries few figurative carvings, but they are present in the frieze which runs around all four sides of the tower, at the base of the parapet, a mixture of distorted, cartoon-like faces and fleurons (stylised flowers). The faces include mouth-pullers, cats or lions, and examples of a lady whose face is framed by a square head-dress (whose significance for the age of the tower is discussed below). The fleurons are of mixed designs, including one which is in fact a ‘green man’ with leaves emerging from his mouth. The frieze is also punctuated by gargoyles, two on each side, carved as human and animal forms including face-pullers and a bear wearing a bridle. Label stops of the windows immediately beneath the frieze are carved with more lifelike faces, one apparently of a prince, another a lady in a square head-dress.