Church Of St Esprit

The Church of St. Esprit is a largely 19th-century church with origins in the early 13th century. The lower section of the tower dates to the 13th century, while the upper section is from the late 14th or 15th century. The main body of the church was rebuilt in 1871 by G. Punshon. It is constructed of squared coursed lias with limestone dressings, with the tower’s base, quoins, bands, and dressings of red sandstone, and the upper part of the tower in limestone ashlar. The tile roofs have coped gable parapets with weatherings and cross finials, as well as ridge cresting. The church consists of an aisled nave, a chancel, a west tower, and a south porch, all in a Gothic Revival style.

The chancel features sandstone quoins, a 3-light east window, and similar 2-light south windows with reticulated tracery and hood moulds with foliage stops. The aisles and porch have a splayed plinth and sill course, with shallow buttresses. The porch has a moulded Decorated style doorway with a hood mould and carved stops. A south doorway inside dates to the early 13th century, with roll moulding and simple nook-shafts, and double-leaf doors. The aisles have trefoiled round-arched lights throughout. The south aisle incorporates an east and south-west lancet, a triple light to the south-east, and paired west lights. The north aisle and organ chamber includes a chamfered arched north-east door, a north lancet, a triple lancet, and paired north-west and west lights. North and south clerestories have two paired lancets. The three-stage tower has a splayed plinth and a trefoiled west lancet to the first stage, with a splay between stages. The second stage has a lancet to each side, and a moulded string course. The third stage features 2-light Perpendicular bell openings, a moulded cornice, and a parapet. A single-storey projection of 1871 in the south-east angle contains an arched door and a chamfered light.

Internally, the chancel has an arched braced roof with short crown posts, and the east window has attached shafts and a hood mould. An arch to the organ chamber features stiff leaf capitals. The Early English style chancel arch, of two hollow chamfered orders, displays triple shafts with stiff-leaf capitals. The nave has a hammer-beam roof. A segmental-pointed tower arch is present, and a 14th/15th century two-bay south arcade, of two chamfered orders, showcases octagonal piers and simple moulded capitals. A similar north arcade, dating to 1871, has more elaborate capitals. Text banners flank the chancel arch, and frame a large cross on the south wall, all constructed of painted metal. Aisle eastern windows include detached shafts. A stone pulpit and reading desk, from 1871, flank the chancel arch. Stained glass is found in the east window, dated 1873. Costs for the rebuilding totaled 1,800.