Church Of St Martin

This parish church displays building work spanning from the late 13th century through to the late 19th century. The south arcade dates from the late 13th century, whilst the north arcade belongs to the 14th to 15th centuries, along with the tower, south aisle, chancel, and north aisle windows. Around the 1780s the nave was reroofed and the south clerestory windows were infilled. The south porch was added in 1840, and the north aisle and choir vestry were rebuilt in 1844. A new vestry was added in the late 19th century. Comprehensive restorations between 1897 and 1899 included reseating and refurnishing the chancel.

The tower and south porch are constructed of limestone ashlar. The nave, chancel and south aisle are probably rubble-built, now pebbledashed. The north aisle and choir vestry are of yellow brick laid in English bond. Limestone ashlar dressings are used throughout. The roofs are Welsh slate, except for concrete tiles on the south aisle. The church comprises a west tower with a rectangular staircase projection on the north side, a four-bay aisled nave with south porch, a wide north aisle extending the full length of the nave, and a three-bay chancel. The choir vestry, now incorporating the organ chamber, stands on the north side of the chancel, with a later vestry adjoining the western bay of the north aisle.

Tower

The two-stage tower has a moulded plinth and angle buttresses with offsets to the tall first stage. The pointed three-light west window features a wave-moulded reveal, restored Perpendicular tracery, and an original hoodmould with carved stops—the right stop a grotesque, the left an imp and lady. A single-light south window has a cinquefoiled head. The staircase projection has narrow slit lights. A moulded string course separates the stages. The stepped-in upper stage has pointed two-light traceried belfry windows with incised spandrels and hoodmoulds, pairs of gargoyles on the north and south sides, a moulded string course, and a coped embattled parapet with crocketed angle pinnacles.

Nave

The nave has quoins and a partly blocked clerestory window on the south side, with three-light traceried clerestory windows on the north. The east gable is 19th-century rebuilt stone-coped, with a sanctus bellcote featuring a corbel inscribed "sanctus", a trefoiled opening, crenellated parapet, and cross finial.

South Aisle

The south aisle has a moulded plinth on the west side and a chamfered plinth elsewhere. Buttresses between the bays have tall moulded pedestals and offsets. Four-centred-arch three-light windows feature cinquefoiled and trefoiled lights (one with restored mullions) and hoodmoulds. A moulded string course runs below the windows of the two east bays. The fine 13th to 14th-century pointed three-light east window has partly restored geometric tracery, a hoodmould, and 19th-century restored headstops.

South Porch

The south porch has a chamfered plinth and a pointed double-chamfered outer arch with hoodmould and Gothic inscription above, partly obscured by unsympathetic 20th-century rendering. It features a moulded string course and ridge-coped parapet with blind quatrefoil panels, the central one containing a shield. Inside, the porch has moulded roof timbers and a good 15th-century four-centred-arch inner doorway with shafted roll mouldings and incised spandrels set in a square-headed wave-moulded reveal beneath a hoodmould with angels holding shields. The door is blind-traceried Gothic-panelled.

North Aisle

The north aisle has a chamfered ashlar plinth, angle buttresses, and buttresses between bays with offsets. Four reset and partly restored four-centred-arch three-light windows with hoodmoulds are similar to those on the south aisle. The contemporary choir vestry has a pointed chamfered doorway with hoodmould and blind traceried panelled door, a cinquefoiled lancet to the left with deep reveal, hoodmould and headstops, and a pair of cinquefoiled lancets in the east bay beneath a hoodmould with dogtooth moulding and headstops. A 19th-century square-headed two-light west window has reticulated tracery, hoodmould and headstops. Triple cinquefoiled lancets on the east side have hoodmoulds and plain stops. The aisle features a corbelled dentilled eaves cornice and a pitched roof with stone-coped gables and shaped kneelers.

The later gabled vestry has stepped triple north lancets in chamfered brick reveals, a similar eaves cornice, and a coped gable.

Chancel

The chancel has a chamfered plinth and angle buttresses with offsets. On the south side stands a restored pointed chamfered door beneath a hoodmould with headstops, continued as a sill string course. A pair of restored square-headed two-light windows have trefoiled ogee lights, with a similar inserted window above the door. The pointed three-light east window of 1836 has Perpendicular tracery, hoodmould and headstops.

Interior

The north and south nave arcades feature pointed double-chamfered arches on filleted quatrefoil piers and responds. The south piers have plain-moulded bases and capitals with nailhead moulding in the abaci. The later north piers have deep hollows between the foils, tall bell-shaped bases with octagonal pedestals, and plain moulded capitals. A tall pointed double-chamfered tower arch rises on shafted responds with plain moulded capitals and bases similar to the north arcade. A chamfered Tudor-arched doorway to the tower staircase retains its original board door and wrought-iron strap hinges. A wide low-pointed double-chamfered chancel arch dies into its jambs.

There is a pointed wave-moulded piscina in the south aisle and a chamfered triangular-headed piscina in the chancel. In the north aisle, the baptistry at the west end has a three-bay arcade of pointed moulded arches on narrow columns with moulded capitals and large square abaci. An inscribed ashlar tablet above records building work of 1844. A pointed moulded door stands at the east end. A 14th to 15th-century square-headed two-light window between the chancel and north aisle has trefoiled ogee lights, similar to the south side.

The nave has a good pine board ceiling from the 1780s with large blind tracery motifs. The north aisle has a ceiling with joists and moulded tie beams on corbelled wall posts. The chancel has an 1780s king-post roof with open traceried panels.

Monuments

Black marble floorslabs in the sanctuary commemorate Henry Masterman of 1674, with Latin inscription and a roundel containing arms and achievement in relief; John Pindar (died 1703) and wife Anne (died 1718) with a roundel containing arms and achievement in relief; and an inscribed slab to John Pindar of 1776. Black marble slabs in the choir commemorate Darcy Stanhope of 1681/2, with Latin inscription, a roundel containing arms and achievement in relief, and a pair of relief roundels at the foot containing skull and crossed bones; and John Stanhope of 1705, with further inscriptions to Reverend Robert Pindar (died 1795) and to Thomas Pindar of 1813.

A series of ornate Gothic-style marble wall monuments in the chancel feature crocketed niches and buttress shafts: to Edward Peart of 1824; to Gervas Woodhouse and wife Elizabeth of circa 1843; and to Cornelius Sanders, wife Elizabeth and daughter Frances, of circa 1868, by A Shaw of Hull. A floorslab behind the organ commemorates Mary Burton of 1723 with carved Rococo ornament.

In the south aisle, a marble wall tablet to Edward Peart of 1795 has an inscribed oval panel, paterae, moulded cornice and apron with fluted pilasters hung with guttae. A large Gothic-style wall monument to John Littlewood of 1821 features a pedestal and tablet in a corbelled niche with crocketed ogee hood. Late 18th to early 19th-century floorslabs in the south aisle commemorate the Littlewood and Maw families.

Furnishings

The stained-glass east window of 1836 is by Thomas Ward of Lincoln. Stained-glass north aisle windows of 1847 are by Wailes of Newcastle. Panelled dado runs throughout, with fielded panelling to the tower, mainly of reused sections from 18th-century box pews. The Gothic-style seven-bay chancel screen of 1913 by H G Gamble of Lincoln features Perpendicular tracery, a coved hood, and a rood above with carved wooden figures. A medieval mensa slab has been reset as an altar in the south aisle. The 19th-century Gothic-style octagonal font was brought from Woodhall Spa, Lincolnshire. The Royal Arms of Queen Anne, dating from 1707-14, hang in the north aisle. An inscribed board in the choir vestry records a bequest by Edward Otter in 1710. The original 19th-century carved octagonal font stands in the south porch.

The church stands in the outer bailey of a 12th-century motte and bailey castle.