Church Of St Edmund

The Church of St Edmund is a small parish church, largely dating back to the Norman period, although it was enlarged and subsequently reduced in size at a later date. The church includes a west tower with a short spire, a nave with a clerestory, and a chancel. The west tower was rebuilt in the late 18th century in ashlar, constructed over three stages with round arched openings to the bell chamber, and featuring a parapet, corner pinnacles, and a spire. A 14th-century traceried window with a hoodmould and corbel heads survives in the west wall. The nave is built of ironstone rubble with paler sandstone dressings including quoins and a sill course, and has a very low-pitched, unparapetted roof. A line of the original roof is visible as a sandstone string course at the springing of the arches for the present windows. A 14th-century south porch features an ogee arched doorway and a worn sundial above it. The chancel is of rubble stone with an ashlar parapet and a small priest’s door. The east wall of the chancel is constructed of dressed stone in bands, with similar banding also visible on the north wall, which is irregularly built and incorporates some ashlar work. The north side of the nave is buttressed and displays an early 14th-century arcade infilled with ashlar. The line of the original roof, and possible beam ends of this roof are visible between the arcade arches.

The south door dates to the 12th century and is exuberantly carved with basketwork, intricate interlace decoration to the shafts, decorated capitals and abaci, and a rich tympanum featuring two beasts' heads supporting a wheel-like emblem with six petal-like spokes. The interior chancel arch is in a similar vigorous style; the arch itself is a simple double chamfered semi-circle, possibly later, while the shafts, capitals and abaci have ornate basket weave, foliate interlace, and beading, each side different.

The blocked west tower arch is triple chamfered, like the blocked north arcade. The internal face of the south door is tall, narrow and plain. The south windows are large, 15th-century, with double ranks of foiled lights, and a single clerestory window is situated above. The north wall has three-light 15th-century windows within the blocking of the arcade, and four clerestory windows above, set in angular surrounds. Crude carvings of grotesques depicting beasts and human figures are positioned between the windows, representing the corbels of the original roof. A door to the rood space and a squint survive in the east wall of the nave, and above the chancel arch are painted the arms of George III and a single surviving figure, possibly Moses or Aaron. The chancel windows are large and 15th-century, with those on the north differing from those on the south and from each other. The east window contains stained glass dating from 1875.

Various 18th-century wall tombstones are located in the chancel. The 13th-century font is square with a central and four corner shafts, chamfered in the 11th century. A low relief cross or rosette adorns each side, with slight pilasters marking the angles. A portion of a 15th-century wood screen survives against the blocked west tower opening, featuring paired lights, an ogee arched doorway, and traceried panels. Four old bench ends also survive, although the church was reseated in 1875. Painted boards displaying the Commandments, ‘Our Father’, and the ‘Creed’ are found in the porch.