Church Of St Wilfrid

Church of St Wilfrid, Wilford

Parish church. The building dates from the late 14th century, possibly founded by Gervase de Wilford around 1361. The chancel was built around 1430, with the clerestory and tower added in the later 15th century. The aisles were rebuilt and a vestry added in 1890–91 by the architects Naylor & Sale of Derby. The church was restored in 1868 and again in 1890. The nave was reroofed in 1935 and the chancel in 1960. The structure is constructed of coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings and lead roofs, displaying both Decorated and Perpendicular architectural styles.

The plan comprises a nave and chancel under a continuous roof, a clerestory, a vestry and aisles, a south porch, and a north-west tower. The exterior features a plinth and crenellated parapets (except to the south aisle). The chancel, north aisle and vestry have buttresses topped with pinnacles.

The chancel is two bays with a pointed arched east window of three lights. To the south are two flat-headed windows of two lights and a pointed arched door with double shafts. To the north is a similar window. All openings have hood moulds. The nave's west gable has a renewed three-light window, and the clerestory has four two-light flat-headed windows to the south. The north aisle has two flat-headed two-light windows and a single-light west window (renewed). The vestry to the north-east has two smaller flat-headed windows to the north and a renewed pointed arched three-light window to the east. All these windows have panel tracery. A square north porch to the vestry has a segment-arched door and wrought-iron gates.

The south aisle comprises four bays with angle buttresses. To the south, flanking the porch, are pointed arched two-light windows, and to the east a similar three-light window with intersecting tracery. The east end has a renewed Decorated style three-light window. The west end has a single lancet. The south porch is gabled with a pointed arched doorway with a niche above and single slit lights on each side. Inside are restored stone benches, 19th-century wrought-iron gates, a roof and inner doorway.

The square north-west tower is of two stages with buttresses and a crenellated parapet with corner pinnacles (renewed). It has a 19th-century chamfered west doorway and small lights to the north and above. The bell stage has a two-light pointed arched opening on each side.

The interior was scraped in 1890. The chancel has a double chamfered arch and panelled cross beam ceiling. The north side has an archway and two segment-headed doors with an organ and a reset traceried screen of 1921 (possibly incorporating medieval fragments). The east end contains an early 20th-century panelled reredos and a stained glass east window of around 1864, flanked by niches. The south side has a memorial stained glass window of around 1870 by O'Connor to Henry Kirke White. There is an ogee piscina, triple sedilia (restored 1868), and a doorway.

The nave has arcades of three bays with octagonal piers and double chamfered arches, and a renewed cross beam roof. Three unglazed clerestory windows to the north are covered by the aisle, and four to the south are visible. The west end has a stained glass window of around 1891. The north aisle has double chamfered arches at each end, the west one with a traceried screen, and stained glass windows dated 1915 and 1916. The vestry has panelling, a fireplace and a stair turret. The south aisle has stained glass windows of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. A reset 13th-century stoup stands at the east end.

Fittings are mainly of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The font is a recut octagonal piece, possibly dating from the 14th century. Memorials include large slate tablets with crests and putti signed by W Chales of Wymeswold (1732 and 1755), a pedimented marble and slate tablet of 1818 by Walkers of Nottingham, and two marble and slate war memorial tablets of the 20th century with a sword between them.