Church of St Martin

Church of St Martin

This parish church on Church Street dates from the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. It was substantially restored and enlarged in the 19th century: the north aisle and south chancel bay were added in 1868 by T C Hine, the chancel was enlarged between 1899 and 1901, and a hall was added around 1930.

The building is constructed in ashlar with leaded roofs to the south aisle and porch, a plain tile roof to the chancel, and graduated slate roofs elsewhere.

The church consists of a western tower, a five-bay nave with clerestory lighting to the south side, a gabled south aisle, a north aisle, and a lower chancel with a north vestry. A later hall has been added to the north of the north aisle. A deep moulded plinth runs throughout.

The 15th-century three-stage west tower features stepped diagonal buttresses rising to eaves height and stringcourses between the stages. The western entrance is a deeply moulded pointed doorway with a large three-light Perpendicular window with transom across the lower lights above it. This window was moved from the east end by T C Hine in 1868. A clockface is positioned on the second stage of the south side. The bell stage has pointed two-light louvred openings with flowing tracery. Slightly projecting embattled parapets run above with central gargoyles on each side and crocketed corner pinnacles.

The large gabled north aisle has a shallow pointed five-light west window with Perpendicular tracery, a stone coped gable, and a ridge cross. The north elevation features five three-light windows with four-centred arches and cusped tracery; one window has been converted into a doorcase for the 1930 hall to the north, which is of no special interest. The east window of the aisle is four-light with geometric tracery.

The chancel has a small vestry to its west with a flat-headed doorcase and a cusped single-light window to the north, plus a two-light Perpendicular-style window to the east. Beyond to the east is an attached 19th-century wall memorial, a stepped buttress, and a two-light pointed window with flowing tracery. The five-light east window has geometric tracery with a stepped sill band below and flanking diagonal buttresses. Near the base of the wall is a fine early 18th-century stone wall memorial with a flame finial flanked by skulls, dedicated to the Turner family, with two datestones above—one inscribed 'AD MDCCCC' and the other 'Laus Deo Aug XV MDCCCLXIX'.

The south elevation of the chancel has a stepped sill band, a central stepped buttress, and two two-light pointed windows with flowing tracery. The aisle bay adjacent to the chancel has segment-headed three-light windows with unusual Perpendicular tracery to the east and south. The south aisle to the west has four similar windows with stepped buttresses between, and a gabled south porch between the western two. The porch has a double-chamfered pointed doorcase with a carved eaves band and an ogee-headed niche containing a 19th-century statue. Above are five flat-headed clerestory windows with flowing tracery. All openings throughout feature hoodmoulds with carved head stops.

The interior has five-bay north and south arcades with double-chamfered pointed arches, continuous hoodmoulds, and foliage stops. The south arcade is original with octagonal piers and moulded capitals, while the northern arcade is 19th-century with columns. Both arcades have thickened piers one bay west of the chancel arch. The tower has a double-chamfered pointed arch on octagonal responds with moulded capitals, and the chancel has a similar arch on half shafts with foliage capitals. Both arches are spanned by 19th-century timber screens.