The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Shipley

There was a church here by around 1080, but no details are known. Philip de Harcourt, Dean of Lincoln, granted the church about 1139 to the Knights Templar; it was one of their earliest endowments in England. The present building, one of the earliest Templar buildings in England, dates from about this time. The site of Shipley Preceptory, where the Knights Templar lived, is thought to have been the southern part of the churchyard. After the suppression of the Templars it passed to the Knights Hospitaller. The dedication to St Mary is recorded from 1456.

The church is described in the Victoria County History: "The scale of the building reflects the prestige of the Templars, and its plainness expresses their combination of military and ascetic qualities." It is built of local sandstone, with Caen stone for interior details. It has an axial tower, with the chancel to its east; to its west is the nave, north aisle, vestry and south porch. The tower arches are decorated.