Church Of St Margaret

The Church of St Margaret is a parish church with possible origins in the 12th century, but largely dates to the 15th and 16th centuries. It is constructed of coursed rubble, partially plastered, with weatherboarding to the bell turret and stone slate roofs.

A bell turret is built into the west end of the nave, above the apex of the nave roof, and is weatherboarded, the bell-chamber being jettied to the west. It has four square holes in the weatherboarding on the north and south faces, and a pyramidal stone slate roof topped with a copper weather-vane shaped like an arrow. The nave has two and a half bays, with coped verges to the east and west. A late 16th-century window is located in the south-east, featuring two moulded lights with a central mullion and a square head. The west window has a single light in double-chamfered reveals. A window from around 1900 is on the north-west, with two foiled lights under a label, and a blocked door beneath. An east window on the north wall is a two-light mullioned window, possibly from the 15th century, with sunk chamfers for mouldings, and an iron casement. A stone flag beneath the bell turret, west of the north-west window, appears to block a former window opening to a bell ringing chamber. The chancel walls are battered at their bases, and the south window has two cinquefoil-headed lights, possibly from the early 14th century. The east window has two lights with a chamfered mullion, likely from the late medieval period. The south porch dates to 1924, with cusped bargeboards to the stone slate roof. The entrance has a two-centre arch under a nailed door divided into five panels by vertical beads.

Inside, the reverse of the south door has a trefoiled head. The chancel has a waggon roof, and a small flat-topped offset, approximately 2 feet 6 inches high, projects from the north-east corner, acting as a shelf. Mid-17th-century altar rails feature turned balusters, and there are two contemporary chairs with scroll and acanthus decoration. The chancel arch has a semicircular head and plain chamfered imposts. Stairs rise via a ledged door from the north-east side of the arch to the rood loft. The nave contains a splendid screen and rood loft from around 1500, with extensive coffering, an acorn pattern, two tabernacles, and heavily undercut panelling. The 15th-century roof has five bays, with arch-braced collars, embattled wall plates, and three tie beams beneath the western trusses. 17th-century panelling with reeded divisions is on the north and south sides, and beneath the rood screen. A blocked four-centred head is in the south wall between the south-east window and south door. A 14th-century font has a moulded octagonal bowl, shaft, and base.