Church Of St James And Boundary Wall

Church of St James and boundary wall

Parish church comprising a nave with south and north aisles, chancel with vestry and organ chamber, and west tower. The nave and south aisle date to around 1347, with the west tower and the western bays of the aisle added around 1400. The roofs, chancel arch, east window and arcades were renewed during a major restoration in 1866 undertaken by RG Smith, Borough Engineer, when a vestry was also added. An organ chamber was constructed in 1883 by Smith & Brodrick of Hull, which reused two chancel windows. The tower was restored in 1886 with the parapet and pinnacles renewed.

The building is constructed of brick and coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings, with slate roofs throughout.

The chancel is buttressed across four bays, with a plinth, chamfered eaves and coped gable. Its east end features a 19th-century four-light Decorated lancet with hoodmould and stepped sill band. The south side contains three flat-headed triple lancets with Decorated tracery to the east, and a smaller untraceried double lancet with flat head to the west. On the north side is a blocked shouldered doorway to the east.

A buttressed lean-to vestry adjoins the chancel with a coped gable. Its north side has a partly blocked double lancet with hoodmould. The adjoining organ chamber follows a similar design and includes a side wall brick stack. It has a Decorated triple lancet to the east and a plain double lancet to the west, both with flat heads.

The nave is windowless and has a coped east gable with a crenellated brick parapet to the south.

The south aisle extends four bays with a plinth, gabled buttresses and string course, and a similar crenellated parapet. An off-centre moulded doorway with hoodmould is flanked to the left by a plain triple lancet and to the right by two larger triple lancets with ogee-headed lights. All have flat-headed surrounds; the two eastern examples carry label moulds. The lower west bay has an angle buttress, plain parapet and coped gable. To the south is a plain triple lancet with flat head and label mould. To the west is an untraceried Perpendicular double lancet with label mould.

The north aisle has a plain lean-to roof and ungabled buttresses. The fenestration is similar to the south aisle, with a larger restored doorway and hoodmould. The higher west bay has an angle buttress and coped brick parapet. Its west end displays an untraceried Perpendicular double lancet with label mould.

The west tower, embraced by the aisles, rises in two stages. It has a moulded plinth, angle buttresses, quoins and string courses, with a crenellated parapet carrying corner pinnacles. The west door is moulded and deeply recessed with a hoodmould. Above it stands a five-light lancet with panel tracery and hoodmould. At the head of the lower stage is a small loop. A clock is set into the south face. The bell stage has double lancet louvred bell openings on each side with chamfered reveals.

To the south, outside the church, stands a low brick boundary wall approximately 70 metres long, with stone coping and renewed railing. Off-centre square gatepiers have stone caps.

Interior

The chancel has a double chamfered arch with half-octagonal piers, and a strutted arch-braced roof on corbels. Its east end displays a stained-glass window dated 1873 with sill band, and a Decorated style stone reredos with crocketed central gable. On the north side, an organ chamber opening is flanked by pilasters with stiff-leaf capitals. A 19th-century shouldered chamfered doorway to the east is flanked by single flat-headed triple lancets. Further east is a chamfered 14th-century aumbry with hoodmould. The south side contains a 19th-century cusped double sedilia and three windows to the west with late 19th-century stained glass.

The nave has four-bay arcades with octagonal piers and capitals, and double chamfered arches. A scissor-trussed arch-braced roof with wall shafts on corbels spans the space. The west end features a double cove moulded tower arch with large diagonally set canted piers displaying Perpendicular style blind arcading. Flanking arches to the aisles follow a similar design. The east arch contains a reset 15th-century wooden screen.

The aisles have arch-braced lean-to roofs with double chamfered arches into the west bays. The south aisle contains a cusped piscina to the east, and a reset and restored shaft piscina. Its east and south-east windows contain stained glass of mid and late 19th-century date. The north aisle has a gabled aumbry to the east and a stained-glass east window dated 1865. Its north-east windows contain stained glass of late 19th-century and 1906 date, the latter by Kempe.

Fittings include a 13th-century tub font with nailhead band on a renewed octagonal stem, and a 19th-century traceried octagonal ashlar pulpit with ogee canopies and alabaster shafts. A brass eagle lectern dates to 1888.

Memorials include a chest tomb of around 1349, inscribed with shields in quatrefoil panels and bearing an armoured effigy with shield, dedicated to Sir John de Sutton. A marble and slate tablet with coat of arms dates to 1830, and another similar tablet with portrait medallion to 1834. Various marble and slate tablets of late 18th and early 19th-century date are also present.