Church Of St Giles

The Church of St Giles is a 13th-century parish church that has been significantly altered and restored over the centuries. The core structure dates to the 13th century, but the nave was rebuilt in 1788, the tower was constructed in 1828-30 by John Smalman to replace an earlier tower, and extensive restoration work was carried out in 1891-92 by Thomas Gordon.

The building is constructed of coursed local sandstone rubble with freestone dressings and quoins, and is roofed with tile. The plan comprises a nave, lower and narrower chancel, west tower, south porch, north vestry, and organ chamber.

The chancel is Early English in style and retains two lancet windows in the north and south walls, a blocked south doorway with continuous chamfer, and a blocked lower arched opening on the left side of the south wall, probably also a doorway. The triple lancet east window dates to 1891-92. The nave is rendered in 19th-century Decorated style, featuring a moulded eaves cornice and coped gable. The only remaining medieval feature in the nave is the 13th-century south doorway, which has two orders of nook shafts. The nave contains two two-light windows and two single-light windows in the north and south walls, and a timber-framed south porch on a dwarf stone wall. A rose window in the east wall above the chancel probably dates to 1788. The unbuttressed three-stage tower is in early 19th-century Gothic style, with a two-light Decorated west window added in the late 19th century, simple pointed windows, and louvered bell openings of 1830. A corbel table supports the embattled parapet, which has corner pinnacles.

The interior contains several features of architectural interest. The tall narrow tower arch has two orders of chamfer dying into the imposts. The nave roof is a five-bay queen-post roof on corbelled brackets with a moulded wooden cornice, probably of early 19th-century date. The queen posts frame pointed arches with quatrefoil spandrels. The 13th-century two-centred chancel arch, now restored, stands on imposts with primitive head corbels depicting a man and woman, which have been re-cast in cement. The 17th-century two-bay chancel roof, comprising three trusses, features cusped arched braces and stands on posts with head corbels. The chancel contains a square-headed piscina matched on the north side by a square-headed aumbry. Walls throughout are plastered. The nave floor is laid with red and black tiles over a parquet floor beneath the pews, while the stepped chancel floor is decorated with encaustic and other tiles.

Principal fixtures are mainly 19th century in date. The plain octagonal font is recorded from 1854. The pulpit has open arcaded Gothic panels with wood on an octagonal stone pedestal. The pews have ends with fielded panels and are possibly of early 19th-century date. The choir stalls have shaped ends with open Gothic fronts. The wooden communion rail has iron uprights with scrolled brackets. The reredos comprises a large re-used Jacobean panel on corbels. The east window, showing the crucifixion with Saints Peter, Paul, and John, is dated 1893 and was made by Lavers and Westlake. They also created the nave south window depicting Christ preaching, dated 1893. Additional windows also attributed to Lavers and Westlake are the chancel north window showing Ruth (post-1907) and nave windows showing Christ with Mary and Martha (post-1909) and the Good Shepherd (post-1898). The nave contains neo-classical wall tablets commemorating John Purton (died 1781), Thomas Pardoe (died 1802), Hester Purton (died 1810), and John Boker (died 1810), created by Weale of Wolverhampton.

The church underwent restoration in 1981, at which time a west gallery was removed.