Church Of St Wilfrid

The Church of St. Wilfrid is a 13th-century church with later additions, restored in 1881 and following a fire in 1917. It is constructed of sandstone rubble with a stone slate roof. The church comprises a west tower, nave, lower chancel, south nave aisle, south porch, and a north chapel under a pitched roof.

The tower, believed to be late 15th century, is of three stages with angle buttresses and battlements. It features bell openings with three lights, panel tracery, and hoods. The west wall has a similar window above the doorway, which has a two-centred head and a moulding that mirrors the south porch door. Windows in the south aisle date to the 16th century and have round-headed lights. Crude dormers illuminate the nave. The south porch door, thought to be 14th century, has a hood and moulded imposts. The inner door is 13th century and includes a two-centred arch formed of two moulded orders with outer shafts containing moulded bases and capitals adorned with nailhead ornament. A blocked doorway with moulding is found on the north nave wall. The north wall of the north chapel has a three-light window with a straight head and ogee heads to the lights, alongside a reused lancet. The west chapel window features reticulated tracery, while the east window has flowing tracery. The south chancel wall contains a chamfered doorway with a two-centred head and hood with head stops. Adjacent to the doorway, a restored window incorporates a mullion, transom, and trefoil. Further along the wall are two lancets, with another restored window of geometric tracery between them. The east wall presents triple stepped lancets, partially restored.

Inside, the south arcade consists of four bays with arches of two chamfered orders and octagonal piers. The north arcade has two bays with arches of two chamfered orders, a pier composed of three clustered shafts with a moulded capital, and ½-round responds with moulded cap and base. The chancel arch also has ½-round responds. A chamfered squint in the north chancel wall now opens to the outside. Three sedilia and a piscina with two bowls, all with round heads, are set into the south wall. The chancel roof is constructed with alternate arch-braced collar trusses and trusses featuring collars and ties. The nave roof, reportedly dated 1527 as indicated on a wall plate, features arch-braced collars, with end trusses exhibiting raking queen struts and a king strut between collar and tie. A west gallery from 1736 is supported by four stone Tuscan columns believed to be Roman. The sandstone font is octagonal with slim corner buttresses. The octagonal timber pulpit is decorated with carvings and dated '1636 CH'. An oak screen, restored from the 16th century, encloses the Hoghton Quire in the east bay of the south arcade. The north chapel, or Dutton Quire, contains fragments of glass in its east window, purportedly dating to the 14th century. The roof of the north chapel is of crown post construction, an uncommon feature in the northwest, with a cambered tie, rafters with collars and soulaces, and a collar plate.