Church Of Holy Cross

The Church of Holy Cross is a late 13th-century church with significant alterations from the 15th century and a complete reordering in 1850 by T.C. Hine of Nottingham. The building is constructed of squared sandstone and sandstone ashlar, with slate roofs featuring stone coped gables, gableted to the ridge and eaves. The church consists of a west tower, a nave with a north aisle and a south porch, and a chancel with a north vestry.

The 15th-century tower has three stages, divided by chamfered stringcourses. It has diagonal buttresses, a parapet with battlements, and eight pinnacles. A three-light west window has an arch with almost straight sides, and there are plain two-light bell openings to each face on the third stage, also with straight-sided arches and hoodmoulds. Gargoyles are positioned above the bell openings. The remainder of the exterior dates to 1850 and is in a Decorated style. A gabled south porch features a single-light window to the left and two-light windows to the right. The south side of the chancel has two two-light windows, and the east window is a three-light design. The north vestry is gabled, and the north aisle has a tripartite east window, with a two-light centre window flanked by lower single lights. Three two-light windows are on the north side of the aisle.

Inside, a late 13th-century three-bay north arcade has circular piers and abaci, semi-circular filleted responds, and double-chamfered arches. The tower arch has polygonal responds and abaci, and a plain chamfered outer order. The north aisle roof is a double hammer beam type with windbraces and shields on the hammers, erected in 1913. A massive, crude font with an octagonal bowl on a circular base is likely from the 11th century. 19th-century communion rails have fretted cusping, and a chancel screen is in Perpendicular style. On the north wall are seven early 19th-century marble and slate memorials, some signed by Joseph Hall the Younger of Derby and C. Oldfield of Ashford. A memorial to Elizabeth Heathcote (1823) is located in the chancel south, and was made by Watson. Other furnishings include a Jacobean pulpit, Bishop's chair and communion table. At the west end of the nave are two 18th-century hatchments displaying the arms of the Turbutt family. Fragments of a medieval screen and moulded stones are located at the west end of the north aisle. Stained glass in the East window dates to 1854 and was produced by Warrington.