Church of St Lawrence

Church of St Lawrence

Church. The original structure dates from the 12th century, comprising a nave with 13th-century transepts, crossing and chancel. The upper stage of the tower was added in the 15th century. The vestry was added in 1831, and the transept aisles were added during an 1868 restoration by S. Pountney Smith. Further restorations took place in 1882 and 1932.

Materials and Roofing

The building is constructed generally of rubble stone with ashlar dressings. The transepts employ partly coursed rubble and ashlar, while the upper stage of the tower is ashlar. The roofs are covered in plain tiles with partly ornamental ridges and ashlar coped gables. The tower roof is plain-tiled with a pyramid form.

Plan and Structure

The building has a cruciform plan, consisting of a nave and chancel with transepts equipped with aisles and a central tower.

Exterior Features

The chancel displays a pointed arched east window with Perpendicular-style tracery dating to around 1639, featuring a hoodmould with restored label stops. On the north side is a probable early 17th-century pointed window with twin lancet tracery and hoodmould with partly restored label stops. At the centre is a projecting late 19th-century gabled organ chamber with imitation Norman-style interlaced arcade decoration. To the right is a pointed arched doorway with hoodmould and label stop, fitted with an oak studded door. The south side contains a window mirroring the north window, a pointed arched priest's doorway with roll moulding and hoodmould with chamfer stops, a pointed window, and a 16th-century flat-headed window above with chamfered surrounds.

The north transept features a 14th-century pointed arched window with Decorated-style tracery of three cusped lancets and quatrefoils, and a 13th-century lancet to the left return side. The right return side is covered by a late 19th-century transept aisle with a pointed window to the north and two lancets to the west.

The south transept contains a restored pointed arched three-light window with reticulated tracery and hoodmould, with a 13th-century lancet to the right return wall. To the left is a 19th-century transept aisle extension with an advanced gable with diagonal buttresses and a traceried pointed window. To the far left is a projecting vestry gable with roughcast rendered walls, a pointed window with Flamboyant tracery, and dated 1831.

The nave's north side features a wide flat buttress at the centre containing a 12th-century doorway with double roll-moulded semicircular arch and hoodmould, internally blocked. Above this is a sheila-na-gig set into the wall. The south side has a 13th-century pointed window with twin lancet tracery. The west end has corners with broad flat clasping buttresses and an early 17th-century tall pointed window with Decorated-style tracery. Above the west window is a datestone dated both 1619 and 1978. Below is a slightly advanced early 19th-century moulded door surround with pointed arched doorway.

The tower rises in three stages with two stages above the nave roof, featuring diagonal stepped buttresses and dripmould string courses with corner and central gargoyles and carved bosses. Chamfered lancets appear on the east and south faces of the lower stage and on each face of the mid stage, with the east side now containing a clockface. The upper stage has flat-headed louvred bell-chamber openings to each face with pointed arched tracery of two cusped lancets and quatrefoil. The tower is topped by a battlemented parapet with ornate corner finials.

Interior Features

The interior has unplastered walls. The chancel and north transept are roofed with trussed rafter roofs. The south transept has an arched brace collar-truss roof with a central tier of opposing carved windbraces. The nave contains a 13th-century trussed rafter roof. Transitional pointed arches span the tower crossing, with restored capitals of square moulded abaci and capitals with volutes, stiff-leaf carving and heads. A Norman south door with one order of shafts and one capital with volutes now serves as the entrance to the vestry. Transitional 12th-century doors in the north transept aisle arcade are visible. A piscina lies in the south chancel flat-headed window.

Notable interior contents include a carved reredos dated 1647 and panelling near the font made from the old pulpit. The font is Perpendicular-style with a carved octagonal bowl set on a pedestal.

Bells and Stained Glass

The church contains eight bells, including six cast by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester in 1711. The stained glass is by Betton and Evans of Shrewsbury.