Church Of St Oswald

The Church of St. Oswald is a parish church dating back to the 15th century, with significant Anglo-Saxon remains and a chancel rebuilt in the 1840s, followed by restoration in 1840-41. The building is constructed of well-coursed rubble stone for the pre-Conquest elements, large dressed stone for the tower, hammer-dressed stone for the 19th-century work, and has a stone slate roof with clay tiles on the chancel.

The church comprises a west tower, nave, north aisle, south porch, chancel, and a north chancel chapel. The tower is of Perpendicular style, while the restoration incorporated Early English lancet features. The west tower has two stages, with a chamfered plinth and moulded band. A three-light west window features arched lights and panel tracery, above which is a limestone block displaying a shield in relief, and another moulded band. Two-light belfry windows are set in square, double-chamfered surrounds with arched lights and sunken spandrels; the south face includes a clock face above a small chamfered light. The tower is topped with embattled parapets, projecting rainwater chutes with gargoyles, and crocketed corner pinnacles. The nave, originally of three bays, is articulated by offset buttresses, with red-sandstone quoins marking the extent of the original fabric. The south wall contains Anglo-Saxon stonework, a gabled porch in the first bay, lancet windows, and a corbel table. The north aisle features two-light windows, two with square heads and one with an arched head and hoodmould. The eastern return of the aisle features a two-light window with a shafted mullion and a quatrefoil above, connected to a canted stair-turret with a shouldered doorway and two small lancets in its west face. The chancel, with two bays, is also articulated by offset buttresses and contains lancet windows. Angle buttresses support the east end, which is punctuated by a triple lancet window. A two-light window is present in the north chancel chapel.

The interior has been extensively altered, although the 12th-century circular pillars of the aisle arcade remain. The rest of the interior displays elaborate 19th-century Early English detailing, including richly-moulded pointed arches to the arcade, chancel, and tower arch. Two important pre-Conquest cross shafts are housed within the church. One, known as the Oswini Cross, is believed to be from the 7th century, and has been historically regarded as the oldest authentic Christian monument in the North of England, carved with representations of the Apostles. The other cross shaft dates from the 9th or 10th century and has intricate carving incorporating dragons and a runic inscription at its base.