Church Of St Wistan

The Church of St. Wistan is a Grade II* listed church located in Wistow, dating from the 12th to the 15th centuries, with remodels in 1746, renovations in 1815, and further updates in the mid-19th century. It is constructed of coursed rubble stone with stone dressings, topped with Swithland slate and aluminium roofs, featuring a low parapet. The structure includes a west tower, nave, and chancel all under one roof, along with a north vestry and vault, a north transept, and a south porch.

The 15th-century tower has three stages, a plinth, and both buttresses and diagonal buttresses with set-offs. It features southwest stairs, a two-light window with 19th-century stained glass, four two-light bell openings, and battlements. Inside, there is a double chamfered nave arch supported by stone corbels. The north vestry has a vault with a leaded Gothick window, along with blocked windows and a doorway. The north transept, now known as the Halford chapel, dates back to around 1300 and has a blocked north window with Y tracery.

The east windows, added in 1746, have semicircular arches and leaded lights, while the chancel, mainly from the 15th century, features small blocked north windows and a blocked north doorway. The large east window from 1746 also has a semicircular arch and leaded lights, complemented by three similar south windows in the nave and chancel. There is a blocked south doorway with a chevron-moulded rounded arch and a small mid-19th-century south porch with a Gothic archway.

The interior showcases a fine mid-18th-century design with box pews and a hexagonal pulpit. Notable features include wrought-iron communion rails from around 1730 and Halford chapel gates from the late 18th century, which resemble the staircase balustrade at Wistow Hall. A carved wooden reredos with urn-topped pilasters and a pediment is painted with the Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, and the Creed. The church also houses an 18th-century stone vase font and a series of wall monuments, including those for Sir Richard Halford (died 1658, with an alabaster effigy), Sir William Halford (died 1695), Sir William Halford (died 1768), Sir Charles Halford (died 1780), and three by Richard Westmacott, Jr., for Sir Henry Halford (died 1844), his wife Elizabeth (died 1833), and Sir John Vaughan (died 1839). The rainwater heads are inscribed with 'HH 1815'.