Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew

This is a parish church of coursed limestone rubble with slate roofs, comprising a west tower, nave, rectangular chancel and north-west vestry. The building dates from around 1180, with significant work in the mid 13th century, further modifications in 1768 and 1777, and restoration in 1866, possibly by Sir George Gilbert Scott.

The three-stage west tower was rebuilt in 1777 and features a plinth with pointed open archways to the west, north and south, each with hood mould. Above these runs a flat string course with a single large plain blocked oculus on each side. A moulded cornice rises above, with bell openings on all four sides, each consisting of a large pointed opening divided by two pointed lights. The tower is topped with a plain parapet. Within the tower is a west doorway of around 1180 with a round roll-moulded head, single columnar jambs (the left with a waterleaf capital, the right with a plain battered capital) and plank doors. The north-west corner of the original nave remains visible between the tower and north-west vestry, marked by a flat string course.

The north-west vestry dates to the 19th century and has a plinth, a single-stage buttress to the south, and a pointed west doorway with chamfered surround, hood mould, label stops and plank door. It features a coped gable to the north with steps down to a coalhole and a trefoiled opening to the west. A pointed two-light window with cusped oculus, hood mould and label stops is set in this gable.

The north wall of the nave contains three windows made up of mid-13th-century fragments reset into the wall. Each window has two lights; the western pair has a taller light to the right, the eastern pair has a taller light to the left, and the central window has two equally paired lights. Moulded eaves run above.

The plain north chancel wall is met by an east end featuring a plinth and a large pointed 19th-century window with three lights, reticulated tracery, hood mould and label stops. The south side of the chancel has a plinth and a small pointed doorway with chamfered surround and plank door.

The south side of the nave features a plinth with three pointed windows, each of two pointed lights with a trefoil above and hood mould.

The interior contains a large mid-13th-century tower arch with a double-chamfered pointed head; the outer order has broaches, a hood mould and 19th-century foliate label stops. The responds are slightly keeled with plain capitals, octagonal abaci and water-holding bases. Three mid-13th-century bays of north and south arcades remain partially visible within the 18th-century walls, with pointed arches, hood moulds and heads in spandrels. Two central octagonal piers are visible on each side, while the arches die away into the wall to the east and west. A mid-13th-century chancel arch with double-chamfered pointed head features responds that are possibly encased in masonry below. The nave has a 20th-century flat ceiling, while the chancel retains a wooden roof.

The north wall of the chancel displays three monuments in marble. At the east end is a monument in black, grey and white marble with an urn and draperies, commemorating Sir Cecil Wray, Baronet, of Summer Castle, who died in 1805. In the centre is a monument in grey and black marble featuring a round arch with cable decoration supported on polygonal columns and two shields above, to Jane Sanderson, who died in 1603. To the west is a monument in black, white and grey marble with an urn and draperies, to Dame Esther Wray, who died in 1823.

An early 14th-century chest against the east wall of the chancel features intersecting arches, rosettes, whorls and other decoration. The church also contains a 19th-century lectern and pulpit, early 20th-century pews and altar rail, and a 13th-century octagonal font on a 20th-century base.