Church of the Holy Cross

The Church of the Holy Cross is a medieval parish church, originally Norman, with extensive renewal and restoration by J.L. Pearson between 1869 and 1870. It is constructed from coursed rubble of various builds. The church features a west tower, a nave with aisles and clerestory, and an aisled chancel.

The buttressed west tower, dating from the early 14th century, has three steps with tall, two-tier traceried openings to the bell chambers and a decorated west window. An embattled parapet is topped by large gargoyles, depicting human figures and animals, at each corner. The nave, of four bays, has a parapet to the clerestory and an eastern coped gable with a cross. A north doorway is situated within a porch designed by Pearson, featuring buttressing, coped gables, and overhanging eaves, with a double chamfered archway and continuous shaft. The aisles were rebuilt by Pearson using fine masonry, with a string course and projecting eaves. All tracery for the aisle and clerestory windows is by Pearson, comprising flat-headed windows with a heavy, foiled tracery pattern. Pearson completely rebuilt the chancel, which, with its aisles, is the full width of the nave, and is somewhat wider on the south. It is covered by a single, sweeping tiled roof with cresting, a coped gable, an eastern cross, and overhanging eaves. A high Victorian, cottage-style chimney serves the cellar-boiler room, with a priest’s doorway alongside.

The interior includes a Norman north arcade of three bays with circular piers featuring leafy volutes and square abaci; one pier consists of two shafts engaged against a squared column. The south arcade is late 13th century, with double chamfered arches on circular piers and nailhead decorated capitals. The roof is of king-post and strut construction. Pearson designed the chancel arch, featuring an engaged shaft springing from midway up the wall rather than the ground. A very low chancel screen is made of pierced stone. Three-bay chancel arcades are present on circular piers. The east window is by Clayton & Bell, dating from around 1870. The west window contains a late 15th century alabaster monument with two effigies (the male figure is mutilated). A memorial to Charlotte Finch, who died in 1820, by Chantrey, is located in the south aisle. A Perpendicular font is octagonal, with traceried panels and a frieze. Light fittings are coronae lucis, likely designed by Pearson.