Church of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew

This is a parish church with an exceptional architectural history spanning from Anglo-Saxon times to the late 19th century. The building incorporates Roman masonry blocks within Anglo-Saxon work, with the main structure dating to the early 16th century. The church was extensively rebuilt around 1763, underwent restoration in the 1860s, and received further work to the tower and addition of the porch in 1890.

The exterior is constructed of coursed sandstone rubble to the chancel, with dressed red and grey sandstone to the nave and the base of the tower. The upper stages of the tower are grey sandstone ashlar. All roofs are plain tile.

The building comprises a nave with a south porch, chancel, south vestry, and a substantial west tower. The tower is an impressive structure: the first stage is 12th century, visible on the north and south sides, while the upper portions date to the early 16th century. The tower has three stages above the plinth, with diagonal buttresses bearing four offsets. It features chamfered and moulded string courses, a moulded string with corner gargoyles supporting a battlemented parapet, and a pyramidal cap with weathervane. A semi-octagonal stair turret projects from the north-east, with broaches transitioning from square base to pyramidal cap. The tower incorporates carved stone fragments said to have come from Haughmond Abbey at the Dissolution, including canopied niches with figures and ceiling bosses, reused in the west, north and east fronts. The belfry openings are 4-centred arches with two trefoil-headed louvred lights and returned hoodmoulds. The second stage has chamfered rectangular openings. A large first-stage window on the west side has a 4-centred arch and features a diamond-leaded 3-light design with panelled tracery, moulded reveals, and a returned hoodmould.

The nave's Anglo-Saxon north wall incorporates Roman blocks with lewis holes. The south arcade and south aisle were rebuilt around 1763 with a dentil brick eaves cornice and stone-coped parapeted gable ends. The south side displays three 19th-century windows, each with two cinquefoil-headed lights and Y-tracery with chamfered reveals. A 19th-century chamfered-arched doorway and the porch of 1890 are located here. The porch features buttresses, a parapeted gable, double chamfered archway with hoodmould and carved stops, and a string course. Its sides have chamfered double lancets and a carved frieze. A fragment of what is probably a 17th-century cross shaft is set high on the nave wall, decorated with carved interlace, foliage and a dragon, flanked by reset blocks with carved beast and bird, probably also from the 7th century. The north side retains Anglo-Saxon work to the left, with a probable 13th-century addition to the right marked by a straight joint. A blocked probable Saxon window remains to the left. Triple stepped lancets with chamfered reveals date to the 13th century. The central window is early 16th-century with a 4-centred arch, three cinquefoil-headed lights and panelled tracery. Paired lancets to the right complete the composition.

The chancel is 12th century and incorporates Roman masonry in its north wall. A 12th-century cill string runs around the space. The south side preserves a blocked 12th-century priest's doorway with one order of shafts, chevron decoration and a hoodmould with carved volute stops. A blocked 14th-century window with two cinquefoil-headed lights and Y-tracery interrupts the string to the right. Two 12th-century windows with chamfered reveals are on the north side. The east window is early 16th-century in the Tudor style, featuring five lights with panelled tracery, moulded reveals and a hoodmould. Evidence of former triple east lancets is visible in the disturbed masonry flanking this window, with a small 12th-century window in the gable above.

The vestry dates to around 1763 and features a dentil brick eaves cornice and stone-coped parapeted gable. It has two small-paned square windows with projecting keystones flanking a central round-arched boarded doorway with architrave, impost blocks and projecting keystones. A commemorative plaque beneath the right-hand window records the burial of Mrs Susanna Buckley of Salop, a widow who died on 9 March 1807, aged 83 years.

Interior features are notably rich. The nave has an 18th-century coved ceiling with moulded cornice. The chancel roof, probably early 16th-century, comprises three bays with tie-beams, arch-braced collars and moulded purlins. The tower arch is chamfered and probably of more than one period, with carved foliated capitals. The chancel arch is a fine late 12th-century work with clustered shafts and carved stiff leaf, waterleaf and trumpet capitals. At the base of the right-hand shafts is a reused Anglo-Saxon carved stone depicting a bird pecking at a worm. The chancel string is carried as a hoodmould over a blocked 17th-century priest's doorway decorated with dogtooth ornament. A small 12th-century round-arched window survives, and a round wooden archway connects the chancel to the vestry. The east wall of the chancel contains an aumbry, and the north wall has a trefoil-arched Easter sepulchre with ball flower ornament.

Fittings of considerable interest include a late 19th-century west gallery with arcaded front, painted communion and benefactors' boards, and painted Royal coats-of-arms in both nave and chancel (the nave example dating to the 18th century). A large round font formed from the base of a Roman column has a 19th-century wooden top. 19th-century panelled box pews are present. A 17th-century five-sided wooden pulpit features a panelled square base and carved decoration. Choir stalls incorporate 17th-century panelling. 17th-century panelling extends to a step up to communion rails of around 1637, which have turned balusters and a carved rail. A 17th-century communion table and panelled reredos are in place. A hatchment hangs on the north wall of the chancel, with a coat-of-arms and hatchment in the vestry.

The monument series is exceptional. Three chest memorials are of particular note. The monument to Lord Chief Justice Bromley (died 1555) and his wife features carved shields with angel supports in end panels, sides with shields and a central female figure divided by strips with candelabra decoration, and two recumbent effigies. The monument to Sir Richard Newport (died 1570) and his wife, daughter of the Lord Chief Justice, displays a chain of mourners to the sides, spiral-fluted corner piers, and two recumbent alabaster effigies. The monument to John Barber and his wife (died 1618) features strapwork panels, Tuscan columns and two recumbent effigies. A large marble monument against the blocked south-east chancel window commemorates Francis Newport, Earl of Bradford (died 1708), with a trabeated arch, central urn with two mourning putti, gadrooned base and coat-of-arms above. A 17th-century oval plaque on the south side of the chancel records Andrew Newport Esq (died 1 July 1610). Brass plaques in the nave commemorate Thomas Alcocke (died 5 March 1627) and Samuel Edwards (died 22 April 1725).

Stained glass in the east window by David Evans depicts the 12 Apostles and two stories. A 13th-century parish chest is recorded as existing, though it was not identified at the time of survey in February 1985.