Church Of St Cross

The Church of St Cross is a parish church dating from 1880 to 1881, designed by Paley and Austin. It is constructed of brick with red terracotta dressings and red plain tiled and leaded roofs. The church is built in the Perpendicular style, with a plan comprising a nave with two aisles, a crossing tower, a chancel, and side chapels.

The west front features a high six-light window crowned by an outer arch and flanked by buttresses. A gabled aisle extends northwards, with a two-storied vestry to the south. A terracotta-fronted porch is located west of the north aisle, featuring a deep moulded archway and gabled niche above, accented with a decorative parapet of terracotta panels. Windows of two lights flank a central three-light window, all with shallow arched heads and Perpendicular tracery. The crossing window has Decorated tracery, clasped by buttresses. The crossing tower rises above, with a four-light Decorated window on its first stage and square foiled lights with paired bellchamber lights and a blind traceried frieze in the upper stage, culminating in a stone parapet with angle and central pinnacles. A three-light window adorns the chancel chapel. The chancel east window is of five lights with blind traceried panels on each side and below, with a tiny lancet window set into the base of the gable finial. The south aisle is similar to the north, but partially obscured by the addition of a church hall.

Inside, the nave arcade has three bays to the north and two bays to the south, where the vestry occupies the western bay. It features stone, hollow-chamfered octagonal piers with simple ring-moulded capitals, supporting double hollow-chamfered arches. The roof is supported by king post trusses. The moulding of the crossing arch rises from plain brick responds, with a similar arch leading to the chancel. A traceried timber chancel screen incorporates fan vaulting to the canopy and vine scroll carving. A traceried wooden pulpit, built on a stone plinth, sits integral to the screen, complete with a sounding board. A chapel is located to the north of the chancel, and an organ chamber to the south. Sedilia, with heavy terracotta Perpendicular tracery, are found to the south. Painted riddle posts with angels adorn the altar piece.

The church holds stained glass in three chancel windows, along with a medieval-style east window and Renaissance-style windows to the north and south. Glass by Morris and Co, designed by Burne-Jones, is present in the west window (dated 1893), depicting the Adoration of the Magi, flanked by prophets and apostles. A similar Morris and Co window, representing the Good Samaritan and dated 1899, is found in the south aisle. A low-relief bronze sculpture depicting the Deposition from the Cross, set within a pedimented wooden case, is incorporated into the south nave arcade. This work, dated 1607, is of unknown provenance.