Church Of St Lawrence

The Church of St Lawrence is a building of the 14th century, incorporating elements from the late 12th century, the 13th century, and later additions. It was extensively restored in 1867 by Street. The building is constructed of sandstone with roofs of stone slate and tile. It comprises a west tower, a nave, a lower chancel, a north aisle under a pitched roof, a north porch, and a south vestry added in 1867. The mid-14th century tower was restored in 1927, and features diagonal buttresses, a north-east stair turret, and an embattled parapet. Its west window has three trefoiled ogee lights with tracery under a pointed head. The bell openings are of two trefoiled ogee lights with an ogee quatrefoil under a pointed head. The south wall of the nave has three bays with 19th-century windows of two lights featuring plate tracery. A restored 12th-century doorway with a round head is located to the right of the first bay. The vestry has a window of four lancet lights and a pointed doorway. The east wall of the chancel has triple stepped lancets from the 13th century. The north wall of the chancel has two lancets and a 19th-century window of two lights to the right. The east window of the north aisle is 19th-century, with three lights and flowing tracery. Its north window also dates to the 19th century, with two trefoiled ogee lights and a quatrefoil. The north doorway is chamfered with a rebuilt round head. The timber-framed porch features jowled posts with curved braces rising to a tie-beam. Inside, the tower arch is chamfered in three orders, the inner order springing from head-corbels. The arcade consists of four bays, with round arches of two plain orders springing from round piers with capitals, alternately scalloped and carved with acanthus foliage. A narrow pointed opening is located to the east of the east respond, said to be from the 19th century. The chancel arch is pointed and chamfered in two orders, the inner order dying into the responds. The nave has a scissor-rafter roof, with a moulded plate attached at the intersection of the scissor-braces and four tie-beams. The north aisle has a collar-rafter roof with four tie-beams. The chancel roof dates to the 19th century and has rafters with arch-braced collars. An aumbrey is located in the north wall of the chancel, and double 19th-century sedilia are in the south wall. The east window contains late 19th-century glass depicting scenes from the life of Christ. A late-17th century sandstone font, formerly situated in the churchyard, has a cyma moulded bowl on a round pier with a moulded base. Wall tablets include one to Samuel Merrick and others of Bollitree (died 1723), framed by pilasters and featuring a shield and crest of arms.