Church Of St James

Church of St James

This parish church dates from the 12th century, with significant additions in the 14th century and major restoration work carried out between 1894 and 1899. It is built of coursed squared sandstone with sandstone dressings and is roofed in Welsh slate with coped gables, plain kneelers, and cross finials.

The church comprises a west tower with a north vestry and south porch, an aisled nave, and a chancel with north vestry and chapel. Both tower and nave have moulded plinths, whilst the nave and chancel feature chamfered plinths.

The three-stage west tower is divided by string courses and displays a moulded plinth. The western face contains a large double-chamfered lancet. To the south, a deep gabled porch has a moulded doorway of two orders, the inner order dying into the imposts, and a trefoiled niche above with statue. The porch's west side has a three-light flat-arched window with ogee lights. The north side of the tower features a gabled vestry with a chamfered pointed doorway to the west and a flat-arched window of four cusped ogee lights to the north. A circular pierced clockface occupies the middle stage on the west and south faces. The bell-stage contains tall two-light bell-openings that are almost round-arched, with Perpendicular tracery and a transom. The tower is topped with a battlemented parapet and crocketted pinnacles.

The lean-to north aisle has three two-light 19th-century windows with cusped ogee lights, whilst four three-light clerestory windows of cusped ogee lights sit beneath flat arches. The taller north chapel has a three-light Perpendicular window with triangular head and hoodmould. A 19th-century vestry beyond features a plain lancet and a flat-arched window of four cusped ogee lights to the east. The chancel has diagonal buttresses and a large five-light Perpendicular window beneath a four-centred arch. On the south side of the chancel are two three-light Perpendicular windows with triangular heads and a buttress adjacent to a moulded doorway with triangular head and returned hoodmould. A Perpendicular-style panelled door is present, and two re-set gargoyles adorn the exterior. The lean-to south aisle has a 19th-century three-light east window with cusped intersecting tracery and four two-light 19th-century windows with ogee lights to the south. Four clerestory windows match those on the north side.

The interior contains a four-bay north arcade dating from circa 1200, with round arches that are stepped and slightly chamfered, featuring an octagonal pier and a keeled quatrefoil pier with semi-circular respond to the east and keeled respond to the west, all with leaf capitals. A 19th-century south arcade has octagonal piers with moulded capitals and slightly chamfered stepped arches. The tower arch is triple-chamfered with moulded capitals on the inner order. The chancel arch is double-chamfered with the inner order resting on 19th-century corbels. Plain plastered arches connect the chancel to the north chapel and organ chamber, and the north aisle to the chapel. A 19th-century piscina with ogee arch is located in the chancel, alongside a 19th-century memorial brass on the north side. An aedicule wall monument with a skull below commemorates a rector who died in 1702. The church contains an Italian 14th-century painting of The Crucifixion, a 19th-century octagonal font on a clustered base with marble colonettes, and three two-light Perpendicular windows between the north chapel and organ chamber, the left-hand example being genuine 14th century. An alabaster slab with the effigy of a lady in sunk relief, said to be Lady Furnival who died in 1395, is located at the east end of the north aisle. The church features 19th-century Perpendicular-style choir stalls with poppyheads, several windows with 19th-century stained glass, and a 19th-century hammerbeam roof in the chancel. A large painting of the Last Supper hangs above the chancel arch. Two lozenge-shaped hatchments are displayed in the nave to the west.