Church Of St James

Church of St James

Parish church dating from the 12th and 16th centuries, mostly rebuilt in 1874-5 by F J Robinson. The building is constructed of ashlar and rubble stone with quoins, a chamfered stone plinth and continuous moulded sill band. Roofs are covered in red plain tile with crested ridge tiles and lapped stone copings, with an eastern ridge cross except over the leaded chapel roof.

The church comprises a nave with north aisle, a western tower, and a lower chancel with a north organ bay and southern chapel. The 16th-century two-stage tower has stepped angle buttresses rising to the bell stage at its western corners. The west elevation features a moulded 19th-century lancet with carved label stops to the hood; the north and south elevations are otherwise blank except for small staircase windows to the south. Above are louvred two-light bell openings on all sides, with four-centred arched lights set within four-centred arched surrounds. A coved stringcourse with embattled parapets tops the tower.

The north aisle has a 19th-century three-light window with geometric tracery and hood mould with carved stops to its west elevation, and two 19th-century lancets with two two-light plate tracery windows to the east on its north elevation. All these 19th-century windows have relieving arches over them. The chancel to the east features a small gabled organ bay with a circular plate tracery window to the north and a small chamfered pointed doorcase, plus twin lancets to the east. The chancel wall is slightly advanced beyond this point, topped with a lapped stone roof and punctuated by a small circular window with central quatrefoil. The eastern corners of the chancel have stepped gableted clasping buttresses; between them is a three-light geometric tracery east window with carved label stops and hood.

Attached to the south side of the chancel is the 16th-century Harpur Chapel, constructed of rubble stone with a moulded 18th-century cornice and blocking course, capped with 19th-century copings. This has a two-light 17th-century recessed and chamfered mullion window to the east, with an attached wall memorial and chest tomb to the south. The wall memorial and tomb commemorate Sampson Massey and his wife, who died in 1764 and 1787 respectively. The wall memorial is a classical stone aedicule with slate plaque; the chest tomb below has a panelled end and bolection moulded slab to its top. The south wall of the chapel contains a flat-headed 16th-century four-light window with segment-headed lights and incised spandrels; the west wall has a moulded single-light flat-headed window. To the west the chancel has one chamfered lancet with a relieving arch over it. Beyond to the west, the nave has two two-light plate tracery windows, also with relieving arches, and a low chamfered pointed doorcase to the west. An east corner has a stepped buttress with pinnacled top.

The interior features a three-bay 19th-century arcade with high chamfered pointed arches on short columns with foliage capitals, standing on deep plain bases. The chancel arch, also 19th-century and in 14th-century style, has a pointed arch on octagonal responds with moulded capitals and hood. The tower contains an original 16th-century tall pointed arch with soffit mould on corbels. The chancel has 19th-century two-bay arcades on either side, each with double chamfered pointed arches on twin central columns with foliage capitals—that to the north opening into the organ bay and that to the south into Harpur Chapel. Beyond to the east on the north side is a 19th-century cusped niche housing a 15th-century tomb. The east end of the north aisle has two pointed 19th-century arches on a central pier with attached half column. All roofs are 19th-century, with the chancel having a barrel vault and the nave and aisles featuring arched braces, except for the cambered 16th-century roof of the chapel.

Furnishings and fittings include plain nave pews, organ, choir stalls with arcaded fronts, a plain oak reredos and metal altar rails, all dating to around 1874, as does the octagonal marble pulpit inlaid with semi-precious stones. A stone font with circular bowl on octagonal base, probably 14th-century, is also present.

The church contains several fine monuments. Three particularly notable examples are in Harpur Chapel: a wall memorial to Frances Willoughby, wife of Sir John Harpur, who died in 1714, and two chest tombs with effigies—one to Sir John Harpur, who died in 1627, and his wife, and another to Richard Harpur, who died in 1573, and his wife. The wall memorial is of painted alabaster with a grand classical aedicule topped by an achievement. The chest tombs are also of painted alabaster, with the 1573 example created by Royleys. This tomb has a deep plinth with small shields in cusped circles to the centre of each side and recumbent figures above; the man is clothed in robes. The other tomb is of superior quality and features kneeling figures of the sons and daughters at the base, each with a painted shield and name above, executed as portraits. Above these are two life-size recumbent figures, Sir John clad in armour. A strapwork cartouche with gold lettering appears on the wall above.

In the chancel tomb niche is an alabaster tomb of John Rolleston, who died in 1482. This features a blind arcaded base with angels to the sides and sons and daughters in relief to the centre panels. The slab above bears incised figures of a knight and lady with a Latin inscription to the edge, all inlaid with metal. The nave contains two early 20th-century wall memorials and a George IV painted hatchment on the north wall of the aisle. The east window has a stained glass window dating to around 1874, while the tower and north aisle have single-light stained glass windows of around 1888.