Church Of St James

The Church of St James is a church dating back to the 5th century, with significant remains from the 13th and Norman periods. The tower was reconstructed in 1722, and the church underwent extensive restoration between 1885 and 1887 by Paley and Austin. It is constructed of sandstone rubble with a stone slate roof. The building comprises a west tower, a nave and chancel under a continuous roof, a south porch, a north aisle, and a north-east vestry and organ chamber.

The tower has a plinth and two set-backs, topped by a saddleback roof added in 1885, with stone gables to the north and south. The bell openings on the east and west sides are single cinquefoiled lights, while those on the east and west sides have two lights with tracery under flat heads. A trefoiled-headed window in the north aisle’s west wall is believed to be original. The south wall features a three-light window to the nave and three two-light windows to the chancel, all with pointed heads and Perpendicular tracery. One window is blank below a transom. A buttress separates the nave and chancel. The outer porch doorway is pointed and chamfered in two orders, topped by a rectangular slate sundial plate. The inner doorway, restored, is thought to be from the 12th century, exhibiting a round arch, angle shafts with scalloped capitals, and carved decoration.

On the north side, windows of three and two trefoiled lights under flat heads are set within the aisle, alongside a doorway with a pointed arch. The gabled organ chamber has a three-light window with Perpendicular tracery and a pointed head. Adjacent to that, the roof slopes downwards to cover a vestry, which has a pointed window with Y-tracery and a pointed-headed doorway. The chancel's east window, likely late 13th century, is of three lights with intersecting tracery.

Internally, a three-bay arcade features pointed arches, chamfered in two orders. The octagonal piers, with moulded capitals and bases, are said by the Victoria County History to be from the 12th century, with the capital of the western pier crudely carved with symbols. The 19th-century roof is constructed with queen post trusses and arch-braced collars. A carved timber screen divides the chancel from the nave. A medieval grave cover is set into the chancel floor. The triple sedilia and piscina were discovered and reconstructed during the restoration and contain trefoiled heads. Choir stalls, pews, and a pulpit are by Paley and Austin, incorporating carved tracery decoration. The octagonal sandstone font is also adorned with carved decoration.