Church of St Oswald

The Church of St Oswald is a parish church, largely dating from 1856 and designed by W. and J. Hay. It incorporates a late medieval tower and includes a chancel and possibly a north aisle added or remodelled in 1882 by G.E.Grayson. The church is constructed of coursed and squared rubble, with random coursing in the north aisle and chancel, and has a Westmorland slate roof with ridge cresting.

The church consists of a nave, two aisles, and a chancel, with a three-stage west tower. The early 16th-century tower includes angle buttresses, a stilted, moulded arch to the west door with a drop ended hood-mould, and a frieze of quatrefoil panels and coats of arms above the doorway. A three-light window sits above the door, and a bell-chamber window is in the third stage. The tower’s embattled parapet has a corbel table. The north aisle has two-light, Decorated-style windows in the west and north walls. A gabled vestry wing dated 1903 projects, possibly incorporating earlier fabric in its west wall. The short chancel has paired lancet lights in the north wall and a three-light, Decorated-style window to the east, with a hood mould resting on corbel heads. A small, foiled lancet is in the south wall, and the parapet is dated 1882. A gabled porch in the south aisle has a chamfered archway, dated 1593, indicating a rebuilding date of 1856. Stilted arches frame the two-light, Decorated-style windows, and a small side door has a hood-mould over.

Inside, the space has been divided by a new screen, revealing a nave of three bays. It features cylindrical shafts supporting a steeply arched arcade. The nave roof has shallow, curved principal trusses with collar ties. The chancel arch sits upon corbels. Sedilia in the chancel, dated 1882, contain foiled arches on foliated corbels. A reredos by Salviati depicts a mosaic Last Supper, with a wooden canopy frieze above. The painted roof features angel corbels over the choir, with the remainder boarded.