Church Of St Edmund

Church of St Edmund

This parish church dates from the 12th to 15th centuries, with major restoration undertaken in 1868 by the architect Ferrey. The building is constructed of random limestone and ironstone rubble with limestone and ironstone ashlar dressings, and has slate roofs. It comprises a west tower, nave, south aisle, and chancel.

The west tower is built of coursed squared ironstone rubble with ashlar dressings. It rises a single storey above the nave and aisle roofs, with single two-light windows on each side dating to the 14th century, featuring cusped ogee heads and quatrefoils over moulded hood moulds with human-headed label stops. Gargoyles sit at the angles, above which is a 15th-century crenellated and pinnacled parapet. An engaged octagonal stair turret with domical roof is set in the angle between the north transept and the chancel.

The west face of the tower has a late 13th-century door with a pointed moulded head and floriate label stops, recut in the 19th century. Above this is a three-light 13th-century geometric window, also heavily recut with most tracery replaced. At the gable is a 19th-century sexfoil in a circular setting with a cross fleury. Two stepped buttresses flank either end of the tower.

The south aisle's west window is a late 13th-century two-light opening, recut in the 19th century, with hood mould and floriate label stops matching those on the tower's west door. The south aisle wall itself dates to the 19th century and contains three two-light windows in the Geometric style, matching original fragments in the west wall.

The north wall of the nave is of random rubble and retains a blocked 12th-century doorway with plain jambs and chamfered imposts. The arch is facetted with a hood mould decorated with cable moulding with hobnails, terminating in abraded beast-headed label stops. Two 19th-century two-light windows in late 13th-century style have been inserted here. The north wall of the north transept has a single three-light window in a late 13th-century pointed opening, though with 19th-century reticulated tracery.

The chancel's north wall is blank. Its east wall has stepped angle buttresses at either end and contains a single three-light window of 1868 in the Geometric style. The chancel south wall has a central buttress, with a recut late 13th-century door to its east, featuring a hood mould and floriate label stops. Two two-light windows in late 13th-century developed Y tracery with hood moulds and label stops are positioned here, though most of the tracery is now 19th-century work. The south wall of the south transept has a three-light reticulated window matching that to the north.

Internally, the church contains a late 13th-century north arcade of three bays with octagonal piers, moulded capitals, and double-chamfered arches. A similar arch opens from the aisle into the north transept at its east end. Crossing arches match those of the south arcade, also featuring engaged octagonal piers, moulded capitals, and double-chamfered arches. The nave roof and corbels are 19th-century work. The tower vault of 1868 matches the fine contemporary groined vault of the chancel. An inscription on the east window records that George Tomline "Rebuilt" the church in 1868.

The church contains several notable memorials. In the chancel are three good 18th-century hatchments and a wreathed marble urn on a pediment to William Tomline (died 1742). Above is a small marble wall plaque depicting a mourning female figure beside a Classical tomb, by P. M. Van Gelder, dated 1806, apparently designed by a member of the Tomline family. A striking marble Gothic wall plaque to the Reverend John Parkinson (died 1840) is located in the south aisle, and a curious plaque to Richard Roadley (died 1842) on the west nave wall depicts an urn containing bent sorrowing flowers. At the east end of the nave are two sets of early 19th-century regimental colours.