Church Of St Benedict

Church of St Benedict

Parish church of early 13th-century origin with 15th-century additions, heavily restored in 1860 and 1876. The building is constructed of coursed greenstone rubble blocks with limestone ashlar, topped with slate roofs featuring stone coped gables and cross finials.

The church comprises a north-west tower with spire, nave with north aisle, and chancel. The tower is a limestone structure of 1860 with a plinth and two-stage angle buttresses. The north doorway has a pointed head with continuous moulded surround, rectangular hood mould with head label stops and plank door. The pointed west window contains two cusped ogee-headed lights with quatrefoil, hood mould and head label stops. Bell openings on all four sides each feature a pointed head, two pointed cusped lights, hood mould and head label stops. The eaves are moulded with corner gargoyles. A recessed spire rises above with four lucarnes and a finial bearing a wrought iron cross.

A rubble plinth runs around the entire building. The north aisle displays two 19th-century windows alternating with two-stage buttresses, each window rectangular with two cusped ogee-headed lights and hood mould. The north side of the chancel contains an early 15th-century pointed blocked doorway with continuous moulded surround, hood mould and head label stops. A moulded string course runs beneath a tall, narrow, pointed 15th-century window with two cusped ogee-headed lights and panel tracery, mostly renewed in the 19th century. The east end has two-stage diagonal buttresses and a moulded string course running beneath a 19th-century east window with shallow triangular head and three cusped lights, hood mould and head label stops. The south side of the chancel has a moulded string course beneath a single, tall, narrow, pointed 15th-century window with panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. Two similar windows appear in the nave to the west, with a two-stage buttress and two pointed 19th-century windows beyond, the latter with three cusped ogee-headed lights, two mouchettes, hood mould and head label stops. The west end of the north aisle contains a similar 19th-century window with a large 15th-century gargoyle head reset above.

The interior features a 19th-century tower arch with double chamfered pointed head supported on ornate foliate corbels. A five-bay early 13th-century north arcade has semi-circular responds, octagonal piers each with four slender attached shafts, moulded capitals and pointed double chamfered heads. A gargoyle is set in the western-most spandrel. An early 15th-century aumbry in the north wall of the nave has an ogee-shaped head. The 19th-century chancel arch has a pointed, double chamfered head supported on triple roll responds with moulded capitals. A 15th-century screen, restored in the 19th century, contains five traceried cusped ogee-headed openings with delicate panel tracery. An early 15th-century tall, narrow piscina in the south wall of the chancel has an ogee-shaped head, finial and head label stops. A plain chamfered aumbry appears in the north wall. The 19th-century furnishings include altar rail, pulpit, lectern, pews and roofs. An early 15th-century octagonal font has traceried panels.

Monuments include a white marble scroll on black marble field to John Tyrwhitt (died 1845); a white marble monument on grey field to Lewis Dymoke (died 1820); a white marble monument with urn, palms and coat of arms to John Dymoke (died 1784); three brass plaques recording burial nearby of Charles Dymoke, his wife and son (undated), Lewis Dymoke (died 1760), and recording the removal of the tomb of Robert Dymoke, Champion to Henry VIII. A large white marble monument with yellow-grey streaked marble inlay to Lewis Dymoke (died 1760) by W. Atkinson features an open pediment, a good bust, extinguished torches, drapery threaded through rings and a snake biting its tail. A white marble monument to Lewis Jones (died 1786). Two recumbent effigies of circa 1300 depict a knight and his lady, probably Sir Philip and Lady Marmion; the lady with hands in prayer, a wimple and a dog at her feet; the knight in chain mail and tunic but missing his legs and the blade of his sword. A white and grey marble monument to John Dymoke (died 1828). An ashlar and white marble monument to Sir Henry Dymoke (died 1865). A tomb chest of Sir Robert Dymoke (died 1545) features a brass effigy of a bearded man.