St Mary's church has served the community of Dilwyn for well over 800 years and has developed from a quite modest structure to the much extended building that exists today.


St Mary's church has walls of local sandstone rubble and ashlar with dressings in the same materials.
The west tower originally related to an earlier nave which was demolished and replaced by the present nave in about 1300. So the tower is the earliest part of the present church and dates to about 1200. It still has two Norman windows with double roll mouldings.

The later, larger nave was located further north than the orginal and as a result only the north half of the tower arch is preserved with the south arcade running right against the apex of the arch (as can be seen in the photograph opposite).
On the wall, above the arch, the original nave's roofline can still be discerned showing that the original nave was quite low and narrow. Some part of the south wall of this earlier nave may be incorporated in present south wall,

The arcades that separate the nave from the aisles are Early English in style. The piers are circular and solid with some of the capitals having geometric decoration. The eastern-most pier of the south arcade has a bracket with dogtooth decoration. The aisles have a great variety of windows but most date from around 1300, just as Early English was giving way to Decorated. Therefore, they include plate tracery, with quatrefoils and cusping. The tower was heightened at the same time as the new nave was constructed. The floor level of the nave and isles would have been higher than that of today as the floor was lowered in 1867.

The font dates to c.1310 and has similar features to the font in Weobley church but probably pre-dates it. Common features include the mouldings and the unusually high height of the fonts.

The present clerestory windows were inserted when the nave was heightened and the present roof added in the early 15th century. Above the spandrels of the arcades are the blocked-off windows of the lower nave of circa 1300.

There is documentary evidence that Dilwyn's church of St Mary had been appropriated to the Wormsley priory in 1285. There is further documentary evidence that the chancel was built around 1305 by the Wormsley Priory.
The chancel is substantial and is also Early English. The windows of the south wall are similar to those of the nave. The impressive east window is early Decorated with three cusped lights and, above, a large pointed trefoil. The documentary evidence that the chancel was built around 1305 fits with the style of this window. However, the painted glass in this window dates to 1867. In the north wall of the chancel there is a Decorated period tomb recess with ball-flower embellishment, crockets, and finials that indicate a date a little later in the 14th century than that of the chancel. In the recess is a stone effigy of a knight wearing mail, with his hand on the hilt of his sword. It is said to represent Sir George Talbot. who died in 1387. but this date may be rather late for this style of tomb recess.

The North vestry (or sacristy) was added soon after the chancel, while the north transept and adjoining stair-turret are mid 14th century. The south porch is an early 16th century addition.

The parish registers commence with the year 1558

In 1733 the six bells were installed in the tower. Cast by A. R. Rudhall, of Gloucester, they bear the following inscriptions:-

1. Prosperity to all my benefactors, A. R., 1733
2. Peace and good neighbourhood, 1733
3. A. R. Rudhall, of Gloucester, cast us all, 1733
4. A. R., 1733
5. Richard Bradford and Thomas Sheward, Ch. wardens
6. I to the church the living call, And to the grave do summons all.