Church Of St James

The Church of St James is a 16th-century building with a tower added in 1859 and a chancel restored at the same time. It is constructed from sandstone rubble and has a stone slate roof. The church features a west tower, a nave with aisles, and a chancel. The tower is a short, three-stage structure in a perpendicular style, with a battlemented top. It has an arched west doorway with a figure-stopped hoodmould, a two-light window above, and belfry openings that are also two-light. The nave and aisles consist of three bays, with all windows featuring three round-headed lights, hollow spandrels, hollow chamfered reveals, and hoodmoulds, including one at the east end of the south aisle that has remains of figured stops. There is a low gabled porch at the first bay of the south aisle, which includes part of a Norman font built into a side bench. The chancel is two bays long and designed in a perpendicular style.

Inside, the nave arcade is supported by octagonal columns with moulded caps and rounded arches. The roof is arch-braced with collars and longitudinal bracing to the ridge, which appears to be ex situ, as the wall posts intersect the window heads. The north wall of the chancel features a late medieval piscina with a low, ogival head, while the south wall incorporates a semi-circular tympanum with diaper work from a relocated Norman door. The east window of the north aisle has cinquefoil tracery and a head made from a re-set medieval slab carved with a sword. The head of the door in the south aisle is similarly carved with a cross and sword. The church also has an octagonal font with panels depicting the Instruments of the Passion, given by Abbot Paslew of Whalley. There are 19th-century pews with doors and identical moulded cast iron finials at the ends, four 19th-century hatchments, and various 18th and 19th-century wall tablets.

Historically, the church was first established as the vicarage of the church of Whalley and served as the parish church for Accrington until 1870.