Church Of St. Andrew

This parish church has a complex building history spanning from the late 12th century to the 19th century, with major construction phases in the late 13th century, early 14th century, around 1435, and the late 15th century. It underwent restorations in 1825, 1858 by Kirk and Parry, and in 1860 by Edward Browning. The church is constructed of limestone ashlar and coursed ironstone rubble, with slate roofs topped by stone coped gables with finials, along with some plain tiles and decorative ridge tiles. The building consists of a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, south porch, and chancel with north organ chamber.

The Tower

The west tower dates from the 15th century and rises in four stages. It is clasped by 14th-century north and south aisles and features a plinth and moulded string courses. Multi-stage clasping buttresses define the tower with recessed, moulded angles, and there are eight slit stair lights to the left of the south-west buttress.

The west doorway, dating from around 1435, has a flattened triangular head with richly moulded jambs on high chamfered plinths. The tympanum contains three shields (originally depicting the arms of John, Baron de Beaufort and his wife), flower heads and foliage. A hood mould is supported on single, slender flanking shafts with polygonal capitals, and the doorway retains its plank door. To the left of the doorway are two monuments: one in slate to George Cooper who died in 1798, and another in limestone with a winged cherub head to Thomas Cooper who died in 1736. On the north buttress is a slate monument to John Cooper who died in 1761.

Above the doorway, a moulded string course leads to a large west window flanked by single crocketed and finialled niches set in the buttresses, with ornate, pierced pedestals that once supported statues no longer present. The west window has a pointed head with richly moulded surround, four lights divided by a transom with ogee shaped heads, panel tracery, and a hood mould running into the string course on each side. The west and north sides have small, square cusped openings, while the south side has a blocked square opening.

Above another moulded string course are narrow, pointed openings on all four sides, each with two lights, a transom, cusped pointed heads, a quatrefoil, and hood mould. A further moulded string course defines the bell stage, which has bell openings on all four sides. Each opening has a pointed head divided into two pointed lights with Y tracery, with each division further divided into two cusped, ogee headed lights with a transom, elongated quatrefoil, and hood mould. The south bell-opening is blocked by a clock installed in 1897.

Above the bell openings is a moulded eaves with a frieze featuring cusped geometrical decoration above and below, and projecting corner gargoyles. A single corbel head in the centre of each side supports an angle shaft rising to the base of the central pinnacle above. The tower is crowned with battlements and sixteen ornate pinnacles in total.

North Aisle

The north aisle dates from the early 14th century and has a moulded plinth and string course with regularly placed two-stage buttresses. The west window has a flattened triangular head with three cusped lights having flattened triangular heads, and a hood mould. The north side contains four windows. The westernmost window has a flattened triangular head with three cusped lights having flattened triangular heads flanking a central pointed head, and a hood mould. Moving eastward, there is a rectangular window with three cusped ogee headed lights and cusped reticulated tracery. The next window has a flattened triangular head with three cusped lights featuring a central ogee headed light flanked by round headed lights, with flowing tracery. The easternmost window is rectangular with three cusped ogee headed lights and reticulated tracery. The east end of the north aisle has a pointed opening blocked by the 19th-century organ chamber. The aisle has moulded eaves and a parapet.

Clerestory and Organ Chamber

The clerestory features pilaster buttresses alternating with three windows, each with a flattened triangular head and three richly cusped ogee headed lights, with moulded eaves above.

The organ chamber dates from 1858 and projects slightly to the left. It has a doorway on the left with a segmental head and panelled door, with a rectangular window beyond having two cusped, ogee headed lights.

Chancel

The chancel is constructed of ironstone and dates from the late 13th century, with a stone recording the restoration of 1825. It has a moulded plinth and a 19th-century east window with a pointed head, four cusped lights, geometric tracery, hood mould, and head label stops. The south side has two windows, each with two pointed, cusped lights. The right-hand window has a pointed head with 19th-century tracery, while the left-hand window has a semi-circular head with late 13th-century tracery, hood mould, and head label stops.

South Aisle

The south aisle of the nave has a plinth and moulded string course. The east end dates from the 14th century and features a rectangular window with three cusped ogee headed lights. The south side has two rectangular windows, each with three cusped ogee headed lights, divided by a two-stage buttress.

South Porch

The south porch dates from the late 15th century and rises two storeys. It has a moulded plinth and two moulded string courses. The east side has a first floor window with a flattened triangular head and three cusped pointed lights. The south side is flanked by two-stage diagonal buttresses. The south doorway has a moulded, flattened triangular head with hood mould, and jambs with semi-circular flanking shafts with polygonal capitals. Above is a window with a flattened triangular head and three cusped pointed lights, an ornate empty niche, and a sundial. The porch has moulded eaves with gargoyles, battlements with a central cross finial, and flanking ornate pinnacles. The west side has a first floor projecting chimney stack with panel tracery, and a polygonal stair turret to the left with moulded eaves, gargoyle, and parapet. Below the turret is an oval slate monument to John Baily from 1839.

The porch interior features flanking stone benches. Single shafts with moulded bases in each corner support a tierceron rib vault with four shields. The 14th-century south doorway has a pointed, roll moulded head, flanking slender shafts with moulded capitals, defaced shields bearing the arms of the Earls of Chester and of the Beaumont family, and plank doors.

Additional South Aisle Features

West of the porch, the south side of the aisle has a rectangular window with two cusped ogee headed lights. A large projecting stack to the west bears three ashlar monuments: one with an illegible inscription, and the others to John Lacey who died in 1682 and Mary Lacey who died in 1707. The west side of the south aisle has a window with a flattened triangular head, three cusped lights, and a hood mould. The clerestory above has pilaster buttresses alternating with three windows, each with a flattened triangular head and three richly cusped ogee headed lights, with moulded eaves above.

Interior

The interior features a very tall tower arch dating from around 1435, which is open to north and south. All three archways have pointed, double chamfered heads, semi-circular jambs, and polygonal capitals. A small staircase doorway to the west has a four-centred head, chamfered surround, and panelled door. The tower has a cusped tierceron vault with a central oculus.

The 14th-century north and south arcades each have three bays with polygonal responds, octagonal piers, and richly moulded pointed heads with hood moulds and human heads in the spandrels. The central bays of each arcade were mostly rebuilt in the 19th century.

The late 13th-century chancel arch has a pointed, double chamfered head dying into rectangular jambs. The east end of the north aisle has a blocked, pointed opening. A small rectangular doorway in the north side of the wall projecting from the north side of the chancel arch has a chamfered surround and plank door.

The south aisle contains a 14th-century piscina with a cusped, pointed head, hood mould with crockets and finial, and large head label stops. A small sculptural fragment is set in the east wall. A small doorway giving access to stairs leading to the upper storey of the porch has a four-centred head, chamfered surround, and plank door.

Chancel Screen and Fittings

The chancel arch features a fine screen dating from around 1330, with three panels on each side of the central pointed opening. The lower panels have early flowing blind tracery and foliate decoration, while the upper openwork traceried panels have cusped ogee heads, tall crocketed finials, and incipient panel tracery.

The chancel contains a large late 12th-century north organ arch, probably a re-set chancel arch, with a pointed double chamfered head. The western jamb has three rolls with beaded scalloped capitals, while the semi-circular eastern jamb has a fillet and moulded capital.

The sedilia dates from around 1300 and was reduced from three openings in 1858 to two trefoil headed openings, with a central shaft and cusped responds with rich foliate capitals. The piscina, also from around 1300, is located to the east and has a cusped trefoiled head set under an ogee hood mould with finial and large head label stops. A small rectangular aumbry is positioned between the sedilia and piscina.

The 14th-century choir stalls feature blind rich traceried panels with cusped ogee heads and rosettes. The font dates from the 18th century and has a fluted bowl and heavy baluster pedestal. The roofs were installed in 1860.

Stained Glass and Furnishings

The second window from the east in the north side contains three roundels of 15th-century stained glass depicting three golden haired heads. The church has 19th-century pews, altar rail, pulpit, and lectern. The east window of the north aisle has faint graffiti scratched in the stone showing a design for a Decorated window. The church also houses the remains of a clock from 1690 in a 16th-century chest, and fragmentary stocks and whipping post in the south aisle.

Monuments

The chancel contains numerous monuments, including one in slate to Isaac Cookson who died in 1784; a grey and white marble monument to Elizabeth Cookson who died in 1839; another in grey and white marble to Richard Toller who died in 1751; a slate monument to Isaac Cookson who died in 1797; and another in slate to Elizabeth Blomfield who died in 1854.

The nave contains monuments including one in inlaid marble and ashlar to John Rogeley who died in 1780; another in black slate with white lettering to John Morrell who died in 1781; an ashlar monument to William Lane who died in 1705; a grey and white marble monument to Benjamin Smith who died in 1807; a large slate monument with cherubs to George Sutton who died in 1715 and family; and a grey and white marble monument with urn to Edward South who died in 1813. Above the vestry are two monuments, one of ashlar with an urn and one of black and white marble with an urn, both with illegible inscriptions.