Church Of St Helen

The Church of St Helen is a parish church dating to 1866. It is constructed of coursed limestone rubble with limestone ashlar dressings, and has slate roofs with stone coped gables, an east finial, and moulded eaves featuring eight projecting gargoyles, a quatrefoiled parapet, and eight ornate pinnacles. It includes a west tower, a nave, a rectangular chancel, and a north vestry. A plinth runs around the entire church.

The west front has low, two-stage clasping buttresses, a pointed west doorway of three moulded orders, a plank door, and a hood mould. Above the doorway is a round window containing a cusped quatrefoil. Two narrow rectangular windows flank a clock. Bell openings are present on all four sides, each pointed with paired pointed lights and a hood mould.

The north side of the nave has two-stage buttresses alternating with three pointed windows, each with paired pointed cusped lights, a cusped oculus above, and a hood mould. The north side of the vestry has two pointed, cusped lights, cusped tracery, and a hood mould. The east side has a single cusped lancet with a hood mould. The north side of the chancel has two pointed windows divided by a two-stage buttress; each window features two pointed cusped lights, cusped tracery, and a hood mould. The east end has a moulded string course and a large, pointed, four-light window with cusped tracery. The south side of the chancel has two pointed, two-light windows with cusped tracery and hood moulds, divided by two-stage buttresses. The south side of the nave has five two-stage buttresses dividing four pointed, two-light windows with various designs of cusped tracery.

Inside, the tower arch has a triple chamfered pointed head and jambs. The nave and chancel have chevron decorated eaves. The pointed, double-chamfered north vestry arch has an inner order supported on corbels, with a 20th-century panelled screen set below. The pointed, double-chamfered chancel arch has polygonal jambs and capitals. The church has 19th-century roofs. A 20th-century west organ loft contains a cast iron spiral staircase to the north. Other features include a 12th-century drum font with beaded arcading containing large flower heads and human heads, 19th-century pews, a panelled pulpit, a brass lectern, and an altar rail. An ornate 19th-century altar is present, featuring a highly painted triptych altar piece depicting four standing bishops and saints, along with outer relief panels depicting the Annunciation and Circumcision. Several 18th and 19th century brass plaques commemorate members of the Hutton family.