Church Of St James

CHURCH OF ST JAMES, STANFORD BISHOP

A parish church of around 1200 with a chancel of around 1300, thoroughly restored in 1885 by Thomas Nicholson, a Hereford architect active throughout the diocese.

The building is constructed of local red sandstone rubble with freestone quoins and dressings, and has a slate roof. It comprises a nave, narrower chancel, west tower of equal width to the nave, and a south porch.

The church's principal architectural features are the Transitional work of the nave and tower, and the early-Decorated style chancel. The broad, low west tower is capped with a pyramid roof and has a pointed south window and round-headed west window. The later bell-stage openings are square-headed with louvres set beneath oversailing eaves. The nave retains late 12th-century south and north doorways. The south doorway displays Transitional characteristics with nook shafts bearing scalloped and leaf capitals, the round arch having a narrow-filleted roll mould and a label with foliage stops; the door itself retains three strap hinges with C-scrolls in around 1200 style, though partly restored. The north doorway, now blocked, is simpler with a continuous chamfer. Both north and south walls contain small round-headed windows at the west end (the south-side example is 19th-century) and 19th-century three-light square-headed Tudor-Gothic windows towards the east end. The restored south porch has a round-arched entrance with two orders of chamfer and paired cusped side windows. The chancel windows are all two-light with cusped Y-tracery in the style of around 1300, though restored; the south side also retains a smaller round-headed 12th-century window.

Inside, the plain pointed tower arch of around 1200 stands on simple imposts, with tower windows showing deep splays. The nave has a 19th-century trussed-rafter roof. There is no chancel arch. The two-bay chancel roof comprises three trusses with tie beams, raking struts and windbraces; the westernmost truss is supported on brackets. A cusped piscina of around 1300 has a corbelled basin incorporating a small head; a similar small head appears above the inner side of the south door. Walls are plastered except for the tower base. The tile floor, laid in 1885, consists of red, black and encaustic tiles.

The font has a 19th-century plain round bowl and stem mounted on a 12th-century base with roll moulding. The polygonal pulpit is 18th-century. All seating belongs to the 1885 restoration: plain pews with arcading and open quatrefoil frieze to the fronts of each block, and choir stalls with similar fronts. The church contains several rustic memorials of the 18th and 19th centuries, including monuments to John Freeman (died 1802) and Anna Freeman (died 1802), which feature steep pediments. A simple medieval armchair in the sanctuary was formerly reputed to be the chair used by St Augustine at a synod in 603, as indicated by a brass plaque.