Church Of St Mary

The Church of St Mary is a late medieval church, significantly altered in the late 16th century, and restored in 1868-9 and 1895. It is constructed mainly of large sandstone rubble with a slate roof, added during the 1868-9 restoration, featuring dormers on the south and north sides.

The church comprises a west tower, a nave with full-height north and south aisles, and a chancel. The three-stage west tower features a full-height, south-east stair turret, diagonal six-stage west buttresses, and a round-headed, chamfered doorway with a hoodmould on its west side. Above this doorway is a three-light window with Perpendicular tracery. There are diamond-shaped clock faces on the west and south sides, along with three-light louvered belfry windows with Perpendicular tracery on all sides, and an embattled parapet.

The low, buttressed south aisle, likely from the late 16th century, has a gabled porch in the first bay, and recessed, square-headed windows of two round-headed lights with hollow spandrels in the remaining three bays. The north aisle, of late medieval date, has a blocked doorway in the first bay and three windows of two lights, differing in style: the first two have cinquefoil lights, the third has pointed lights of 14th-century type, and a flush window of three round-headed lights is at the east end. A similar two-light window is present in the adjoining chancel wall.

Inside, the north arcade consists of six pointed arches with two chamfered orders, supported by octagonal piers and responds with plain moulded capitals and bases; the south arcade is similar, but with only five arches. The roof features roughly-hewn ties and principals, with angle struts and arch-braced collars, except for the truss where it meets the chancel, which has a crown post and decorative framing. The chancel roof has roll-moulded beams supported by short wallposts on corbels.

At the east end of the north aisle is a wooden screen to the Middleton Chapel, with turned balusters in the upper part and a door on the west side. This door has carved and lettered top rails; “TR 1721” on the west side and “AR 1622” on the south side, referencing Thomas and Alexander Rigby. Within the chapel enclosure is an elaborately carved 15th-century tombstone. A wooden screen with turned balusters and a central door, lettered "RC IL II JW 1678" (formerly a rood screen), is located in the tower arch.