Church Of St Lawrence

The Church of St Lawrence is a parish church with fabric spanning the 13th to 16th centuries, restored in 1874 by Ewan Christian. Built of coursed and coursed squared rubble with dressed stone and ashlar dressings, the church has slate and plain tile roofs. It comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, north and south transepts, chancel, and south porch. The building features chamfered and moulded plinths throughout, with coped and crenellated east gables topped by crosses. Rainwater heads are dated 1874.

The west tower is of four stages, originating in the 13th century with 15th- and 18th-century additions. It has four string courses, an eaves band, four gargoyles, and a crenellated parapet with four crocketed pinnacles. A pyramidal roof is crowned by a wind vane. The west face has two diagonal buttresses with four setoffs; the south-west buttress is inscribed 'Gervis Downing & Samuell Curtiss Churchwardens 1713.' The first stage has a single lancet to the south and, to the west, a restored doorway with hood mould and a single lancet above, with two stair lights to its left. The second stage has single lancets to south and west (with a stair light beside the western one), a clock above, and a single lancet to the north. The third stage features four pairs of 13th-century lancets with chamfered mullions. The fourth stage has four 15th-century triple lancets set in splayed and rebated reveals with four-centred arched heads.

The north aisle, of two bays and 14th-century date, has a sill band, coved eaves, and a coped west gable. Two corner buttresses with two setoffs plus plinths flank the north-west corner, the western one being gabled. The west end has a restored 14th-century triple lancet with Decorated tracery, chamfered mullion and reveal, and a hood mould. The north side has a central 14th-century doorway with hood mould, mask stops, and remains of a crocketed finial, flanked by single early 14th-century double lancets with chamfered mullions and reveals and hood moulds. The 14th-century north transept, a single bay, has a sill band, chamfered eaves, and a moulded coped parapet with two diagonal buttresses of two setoffs. Its north side has a restored 14th-century triple lancet with reticulated tracery, coved mullions, chamfered and rebated reveal, and hood mould.

The 15th-century nave clerestory has coved eaves and a crenellated parapet. On each side are five triple lancets with triangular heads and cusped lattice tracery, flat-arched heads, coved mullions, coved and roll-moulded reveal, and a linked coved hood mould.

The 13th-century chancel, of three bays, has a 19th-century coved eaves band with decorative bosses and two diagonal buttresses with three setoffs to the east. The north side has three restored single lancets. The east end features a five-light lancet dating from around 1300, with geometrical tracery, coved mullions, chamfered reveal, and hood mould. The south side has a central shouldered priest's door in a chamfered reveal, with a 13th-century lancet with hood mould above it. To the right is a similar lancet, and to the left a 15th-century triple lancet with cusped transom, Decorated tracery, splayed mullions, chamfered and rebated reveal, and hood mould.

The 14th-century south aisle, of three bays, has coved eaves and a crenellated parapet. The east end has an early 14th-century triple lancet, restored, with cusped heads, geometrical tracery, splayed mullions, chamfered reveal, and hood mould. The south side has, to the east, a 14th-century double lancet with geometrical tracery, splayed mullions, chamfered reveal, and hood mould. The west end has a restored 14th-century quadruple lancet with ogee heads, cusped geometrical tracery, splayed mullion, chamfered and rebated reveal, and hood mould.

The late 14th-century south transept, a single bay, has two pairs of corner buttresses to the south, a single plain buttress to the east, corner pilasters with rebated corners, a sill band, chamfered eaves band, and crenellated parapet. Both south and east sides have a triple lancet with cusped ogee heads, splayed mullions, and chamfered and rebated square-headed reveal.

The 14th-century south porch has a plain tile roof and coped south gable with cross. Its south doorway is double-chamfered and rebated with octagonal responds, moulded bases and capitals, and a hood mould. The interior has a stone bench to the west and a 19th-century scissor-braced principal rafter roof with ashlar pieces. The south doorway to the church itself is late 12th century, with a rebated and roll-moulded round head and coved responds with small engaged shafts. The outer order has similar shafts with moulded bases, waterleaf capitals, and chamfered square imposts. The door is 19th century.

Inside, the nave south arcade, of 13th and 14th centuries and four bays, has to the east two round piers with square plinths and water-holding bases, and octagonal waterleaf capitals. To the west is a 14th-century pseudo-pier with half-round respond. The west bay has two moulded imposts with dogtooth decoration. The arches are double-chamfered and rebated with mask and beast stops. The 14th-century north arcade, also of four bays, has to the east two octagonal piers with chamfered bases and complex moulded capitals. A chamfered pseudo-pier to the west has a moulded base and capital, with a half-round respond to the east. To the west are three moulded imposts, one with dogtooth. The arches are chamfered and rebated. The nave has a 19th-century low-pitched roof in 15th-century style, with plain corbels, curved braces, and chamfered principal timbers.

The 13th-century tower arch is double-chamfered and rebated, with filleted responds with moulded capitals and bases and flanking shafts to the responds. A panelled timber screen from 1967 sits beneath, with a swell organ on brackets above. The tower chamber has patterned stained glass in the west window and a chamfered doorway to the tower.

The north aisle has a 14th-century pitched roof with cambered tie beams, tenoned purlins, and chamfered timbers. The east window has stained glass by Kempe from 1903. The north transept has a chamfered and rebated arch to the north aisle, with a mask corbel and moulded sill band to the north. The north wall has a 14th-century tomb recess with segmental head, chamfered, with flanking shafts with moulded capitals. To its right is a 13th-century aumbry with hood mould and mask stops. Above is a stained glass window from around 1898. The south-east corner has steps leading to a cove-moulded 13th-century entry to the rood stair. There is a good 15th-century roof, low-pitched, with deeply moulded principal timbers and rafters, large foliate central and flanking bosses, and a single mask boss.

The south aisle has a 19th-century stained glass east window. On the south side, to the east, is a 14th-century arch to the south transept, double-chamfered and rebated, with keeled responds, moulded octagonal capitals, and round bases. To the west is a 14th-century tomb recess with moulded pointed head, hood mould, and round shafts. The roof is 19th century, low-pitched, with cambered tie beams, chamfered timbers, plain corbels, and curved braces.

The south transept has in the south-east corner a combined 14th-century aumbry and piscina with cusped trefoil head, foliate and mask spandrels, and hood mould with mask stops. To its right is a 14th-century tomb recess with segmental head, coved and keeled roll-moulded, with shaft responds, hood mould, mask stops, and trefoiled rear panel. The roof is 19th century, low-pitched, of principal rafter construction.

The 13th-century chancel arch is double-chamfered and rebated, with a hood mould and moulded conical imposts. To its left is an opening to the rood loft with segmental head. The east end has a 19th-century ashlar reredos of three bays with two flanking openings each side and a crocketed gable, probably by Ewan Christian. The east window has stained glass from 1908, probably by Kempe. The south side has, to the east, a round-headed chamfered piscina with a slab inscribed 'Chancel restored AD CVIIILVIII'. The roof is 19th century, of principal rafter construction with collars and very long arch braces.

Fittings include 19th-century chamfered and panelled benches, some pierced. The pulpit is by Ewan Christian, dating from around 1874: ashlar and panelled, with marble flanking shafts. There is a plain 19th-century lectern with octagonal stem. The communion table is 18th century with moulded top and stretchers and bulbous legs. The 19th-century stalls have carving and traceried panels. A 20th-century clergy desk is present. The 19th-century font has an octagonal base, square stem with four flanking shafts, and a chamfered octagonal bowl with incised panels.

Monuments include a foliated cross slab, an early 14th-century female figure, and a 14th-century effigy of a knight said to be Sir John di Lisure from 1330. There is a 14th-century mask corbel in the north transept. An alabaster Renaissance revival style wall monument has a square foliate panel carrying a central inscribed slate tablet with moulded edges, scrolled apron, and flanking Ionic columns on brackets. The entablature has an ogee central gable containing a foliate panel with arms and motto, and above, a damaged half-height effigy; this commemorates Elizabeth Ayloff, 1629. A brass with arms commemorates Edward and Anne Dallow, 1657 to 1658. Two convex marble wall tablets with moulded bases and curved heads with angels date from 1755 and 1772. A lozenge-shaped tablet dates from 1788. Marble and slate tablets date from 1813 and 1842. Brasses date from 1864 and 1882. Two wooden war memorials commemorate 1918 and 1945, and there are two 20th-century memorials.