Church Of St Andrew

This parish church has an early 13th-century core comprising the nave and chancel. Towards the end of the 13th century, transepts were added to form a cruciform plan. Extensive remodelling between about 1300 and 1340 included the addition of the west tower, south aisle and chapel, and the extension of the chancel. The church was partly restored in the mid-19th century. At the time of resurvey in November 1985, repairs to the roof and spire were underway.

The 13th-century masonry is coursed and roughly squared stone. The 14th-century masonry consists of large dressed blocks of ashlar quality with occasional narrow 'closers'. The roof is plain tile. The building comprises a west tower with a semi-octagonal stair turret to the south; a 3-bay nave with south aisle incorporating the remains of the south transept and extending a further two bays to the east as a chapel; north and south porches; a north transept; and a 4-bay chancel.

Tower

The early 14th-century tower has three stages, a moulded plinth, and gabled diagonal buttresses, each with two gabled off-sets. A recessed stone spire with flying buttresses rises from each corner of the tower. The first stage has large pointed windows with sloping sills, roll- and fillet-moulded jambs, and roll-moulded mullions. The north and south windows each have three trefoil-headed lights and cusped intersecting tracery. The 4-light west window has 19th-century Decorated-style tracery. The south and west windows have scroll-moulded dripstones terminating in heads. Trefoil-headed loops light the second stage. The bell chamber openings consist of two ogee-headed lights with a single reticulation over. The spire has two tiers of lucarnes. It was damaged during a recent gale and is now truncated.

Nave

The north wall and remains of the south wall are mainly 13th century. The eaves level was raised and the west wall rebuilt in the early 14th century. The north wall has two pointed windows of about 1300, both with late Geometric tracery and wave-moulded and hollow-chamfered jambs. The 13th-century south door is pointed and double-chamfered; the moulded capitals of former nook shafts survive on each side. The gabled mid-19th-century stone porch stands to the north.

South Aisle and Chapel

The early 14th-century south aisle and chapel incorporate the 13th-century remains of the former south transept. The 14th-century work was undertaken in three distinct phases, comprising respectively the two western bays, the three eastern bays, and the remodelling of the former transept which is situated between these two parts. Each bay has windows of similar character to those on the north side of the nave. The two westernmost windows have sunk chamfer and quarter-round and fillet mouldings. The three easternmost windows have a wave moulding and two quarter-round and fillet mouldings, whereas the window to the former transept bay has hollow chamfer and wave mouldings. The windows have moulded sill strings. The two westernmost share a common string, as do the three easternmost (but at a lower level), while the window to the former transept bay has its own string at a higher level.

Narrow buttresses stand at the bay divisions, each with one off-set. A moulded plinth continues around the buttresses except for those flanking the former transept bay. There is a common former parapet string of two phases; the part over the two westernmost windows is of a different character. A later parapet string of consistent character above dates to the raising of the eaves level, probably in the 15th century.

The pointed west window has cusped intersecting tracery, restored in the 19th century, and wave-moulded jambs. The pointed east window of five lights has intersecting tracery, restored in the 19th century, and half-roll and fillet and wave-moulded jambs.

The gabled south porch, which is 14th century, butts against the wall of the aisle. It has a pointed and chamfered doorway, boarded up at the time of resurvey, a moulded plinth continuing that of the south aisle, and a stone slate roof. One rectangular window to the east has a chamfered surround.

Chancel

The early 13th-century chancel had its east bay added around 1340. The pointed 5-light east window has reticulated tracery and a sunk chamfer and wave-moulded surround. Contemporary north and south windows to the east bay have square heads and ogee-headed lights flowing into short supermullions, with a central pointed lobe trefoil and flanking mouchettes.

On the north side, the second bay from the east has a 13th-century lancet and a blocked doorway. The third bay from the east retains the west jamb of a lancet. The two westernmost bays have large 15th-century windows with trefoil-headed lights. There are three north buttresses, two of them pilaster-type, and diagonal buttresses to the east end.

North Transept

The late 13th-century north transept has angle buttresses and a stair projection to the south-east corner lit by rectangular loops. Pointed windows to the ground floor north and west have five cusped lancet lights. Paired and transomed lancets to the first floor have plate traceried quatrefoils in the spandrels. A single-light trefoil-headed window lights the first floor east. An inserted west door is dated 1911.

Interior

The 13th-century fabric is noticeable on the north wall of the nave and chancel, above the south arcade, and in the former south wall of the south transept, now part of the nave aisle.

The high segmental pointed tower arch of about 1300 has two continuous quarter-round moulded orders and a third inner order beginning at the springing level of the arch. This is a squat roll and broad fillet moulding. A hoodmould with block stops completes the arch. The tower vault is supported on eight roll and fillet moulded ribs with a central circle for the bell ropes. The diagonals spring from imposts carved as heads. The tower windows have sloping sills and continuous roll and fillet moulded jambs and rere-arches.

The early 14th-century nave arcade has pointed arches, each with two wave-moulded orders and hoodmoulds springing from carved heads. The quatrefoil piers have fillets projecting between the lobes, heavy moulded bases, and moulded octagonal capitals where the diagonals are longer than the other sides.

The 14th-century nave roof has a bracketed tie beam and arch-braced collar with a king post above the collar. The tie beam brackets are supported on wooden corbels. The arch braces and struts from the king post to the principals are cusped.

An elaborately moulded recess in the south aisle with a semicircular arch dates to about 1300. It contains an early 14th-century wall painting depicting Christ seated on a throne and Mary seated and crowned, with an attendant figure of a knight wearing chain armour with ailettes and a lady with a caul head dress.

The low-pitch 15th-century aisle roof has bracketed tie beams, short stubby king posts, and trefoil-headed arcading.

The tall, segmental pointed north transept arch has two chamfered orders. The outer is continuous; the inner springs from moulded corbels with carved heads beneath. The ground floor of the north transept has a quadripartite vault with chamfered ribs. A room on the first floor was provided with a garderobe.

The pointed chancel arch has an outer chamfered order and two inner orders of engaged columns with moulded bases and capitals. The early 14th-century arcade between the chancel and south chapel has quatrefoil columns, each lobe comprising a distinct engaged shaft with fillet and moulded capital on a common moulded base. The pointed arches have moulding including two quarter-rolls and fillets. Piscina and sedilia date to about 1340.

The 19th-century chancel roof has arch-braced collars and cusped V-struts above the collar, two pairs of purlins, a ridge piece, and paired cusped wind braces. The piscina in the south chapel has a trefoiled head and quarter-round moulding. The south chapel roof is of similar construction and date to that of the nave aisle, but the tie beams are moulded and have curved bosses.

Fittings

The plain octagonal stone font with tapering pedestal is probably 18th century. The 15th-century oak rood screen has Perpendicular tracery and a frieze of carved foliage. The doors are in a later style and are inscribed "MASTER GILBERT/PARSON OF CLIFTON/IN THE YEARE OF OUR LORD 1684".

The 14th-century south chapel screens to west and north have a dado with punched quatrefoils and an open arcade above with banded colonettes. There are two pairs of doors, and a 17th-century continuation in a similar style. Early 14th-century stalls and misericords survive. An oak dug-out chest in the south chapel is probably 13th century.

Monuments

In the south chapel is a monument to Sir John Vernon, who died in 1545, and his wife. It consists of an alabaster chest with two recumbent figures. Sir John's feet rest on a lion. A cusped arcade to the sides incorporates figures of angels and priests.

In the chancel are architectural marble monuments to Sir Charles Pye, who died in 1721, and to Sir Richard Pye, who died in 1724, and Sir Robert Pye, who died in 1784. Both monuments were made in 1737 by J. M. Rysbrack.

In the nave is a monument to Charles S. Watkins, who died in 1813, by Richard Westmacott. It is a tablet depicting a kneeling woman. In the south aisle is a monument to Rev. John Watkins, who died in 1833, by William Behnes.