Church Of St James

The Church of St James is a parish church, dating from the early 12th century, with significant alterations in the late 13th century, early 14th century, and 1876-7. It is constructed of limestone ashlar and blue lias, with plain tiled roofs. The building comprises a west tower and spire, a nave with north and south aisles, and a rectangular chancel.

The early 14th-century tower is built of coursed rubble with ashlar quoins and has two stages. It features a small rectangular light to the west, and squat buttresses in the north-east and south-east corners. A string course sits beneath the bell openings on all four sides, each consisting of two ogee cusped lights with a quatrefoil above. A squat, broach spire rises above, pierced by four large lucarnes alternating in direction with four very small lucarnes. The tower and spire lean towards the west.

The exterior nave walls date to 1876-7. On the north side is coursed rubble with a single lancet window in the west wall. A centrally blocked rectangular doorway has ashlar quoins, and a pointed window of two lights with a quatrefoil. Squat north-facing and diagonal eastern buttresses are also present. An eastern lancet window has a hood mould. The nave gable has stone coping and a finial. The chancel, also dating to 1876-7, has a low plinth with ashlar dressings. The east front is flanked by large, squat buttresses, and a string course runs beneath a window of three cusped lights with tracery above, a hood mould, and foliated label stops. The chancel gable has coping and a finial. The south side of the chancel has two rectangular windows; the eastern window has three cusped lights with continuous mullions and a four-centred hood mould, while the western window is a smaller two-light window with a four-centred hood mould.

The east face of the south aisle has a plain rectangular window. The south aisle has a group of three cusped and pointed lights to the east of an early 12th-century doorway with a chevroned round-headed arch and jambs, a hood mould, and mask head label stops. To the west are a pair of cusped, pointed lights dating to 1876-7.

The interior of the nave has four late 13th-century bays with plainly moulded pointed arches and octagonal piers and responds. The south arcade capitals have beaded decoration. Arcades have hood moulds and foliated label stops. A C12 fragment of chevron decoration is found in the east wall of the north aisle. The pointed chancel arch, dating to 1876-7, features ornate corbels with foliage and birds. The church contains late 19th-century and early 20th-century pews, a pulpit, and a font.