Church Of St Lawrence

The Church of St Lawrence is a parish church largely dating to the 15th century, with significant alterations in 1866-8 by Stevens and Robinson, and further rebuilding of the east end and south aisle around 1980 by Professor Kenneth Murton. The building is constructed of ashlar, with an asbestos slate roof.

The church comprises a west tower, a nave with north and south aisles, and a north-west vestry. The west tower is of three stages with stepped angle buttresses to eaves height and a deeply moulded plinth. A 19th-century west door features a pointed moulded arch on thin colonnettes, with quatrefoils in the spandrels and a diaperwork frieze, topped with a crenellated detail flanked by gableted pilasters. Above the door is a large pointed three-light window with 19th-century Perpendicular tracery. The second stage has clockfaces to three sides, and a chamfered single light opening to the south. The bell stage has tall paired pointed two-light mullioned and transomed openings on each side, a coved eaves band, and embattled parapets with crocketed corner pinnacles.

A single-storey vestry is attached to the north side and has a flat-headed three-light window with cusped lights and a hoodmould, a Tudor arched door, and moulded copings to the parapets. The north aisle has four two-light windows of shallow arched design, with intersecting Perpendicular tracery and hoodmoulds featuring foliage bosses. Stepped buttresses are positioned between the windows and at each end, along with a moulded sill band. The vestry extends to the east with a canted plan, featuring a north window similar to the aisle windows, a circular window with quatrefoil tracery to the east, and a two-light flat-headed window with ogee-headed lights to the north-east.

The chancel was demolished, and is now marked by a 20th-century glazed screen across the full width of the east end. The south aisle was also rebuilt, with glazed screens between stone piers and a moulded pointed 19th-century doorcase to the west. Above is a glazed clerestory. A 19th-century two-light window is situated on the west wall of the south aisle.

The interior features a three-bay 19th-century north arcade of moulded pointed arches on octagonal piers with moulded capitals. A tall chamfered tower arch with a soffit mould on corbels is also of the 15th century. A 19th-century circular stone font is located in the nave, having a carved font cover. Windows contain some re-used 19th-century stained glass. Several wall memorials are present, including a fine marble pedimented memorial to Prudence Burton (died 1676) and another to William Parkes and his wife (died 1628 and 1626, respectively). Simpler slate memorials of 1641 and 1678 are also to be found, along with a fine memorial with swags and cherubs in the tower, potentially commemorating Samuel Watson, a woodcarver of Chatsworth fame, who was born in Heanor. An 1803 monument to John Sutton was made by White Watson, a descendant of Samuel. Other memorials date from the early 19th century, the late 19th century, and the 20th century.