Church Of St Helen

The Church of St Helen is a parish church largely dating to the 13th and 14th centuries, with substantial restoration and external rebuilding undertaken in 1853-4 by Stephen Lewin. It is constructed of greenstone ashlar, rendered and yellow brickwork, with slate roofs. The church comprises a western tower, a nave with aisles, a chancel, a south vestry and porch.

The four-stage ashlar tower is in the Early English style, featuring five lancet windows to the belfry stage, buttresses with crocketed gablettes, a plain parapet, a single lancet window to the third stage, and a geometric style window to the second stage. The west door has four shafted orders and dogtoothing. The north aisle has a two-light window to the west and three two-light Early 19th century Gothick windows to the north side. The chancel is of yellow brick with a 19th century three-light east window. The south side contains a two-light 19th century window in the chancel and two similar windows in the nave. A 19th century gabled porch has a pointed outer arch and chamfered reveals; the inner doorway has late 14th century reveals with two orders, ballflower and figured ornamentation, decorated imposts, and a recut 19th century double chamfered pointed arch.

Internally, the 13th century four-bay nave arcades have octagonal piers and capitals on the north side, with double-chamfered arches, human head stops to the hood moulds, and other details. The south arcade features quatrefoil piers with annular capitals and nail head decoration. A 15th century tower arch has octagonal responds, capitals, and a double-chamfered arch. The 19th century tower windows have dogtoothing to the rear arches, collared side and central shafts, and inner trefoils and quatrefoils. A 13th century chancel arch has octagonal responds and double-chamfered arches. The nave has an arch braced king post roof. The fittings are primarily 19th century, with the exception of a 16th century octagonal font with floriate carved side panels and grotesque supporters. In the south aisle is an early 17th century wall monument to Susanna Kirkman, featuring a crudely carved figure resting on a skull, set within a classical surround of fluted Ionic pilasters and a cornice. The north aisle contains a bust in marble of Peter Short, who died in 1681, set into a pointed recess, likely originally from a monument.