Church of St Edmund

Church of St Edmund

This is a church on Church Street in Shipston on Stour. The 15th-century west tower survives from the medieval structure, but the remainder of the church was rebuilt in 1855 by architect George Edmund Street in 14th-century style. The building is constructed in limestone ashlar and squared coursed rubble with a plinth, offset buttresses, quoins, and coped gables. It has concrete tile roofs.

The plan comprises a chancel, an aisled nave with a north vestry, and a west tower.

The chancel contains one bay and features a five-light east window with a central taller light, hood mould, and label stops, together with a moulded string course below. To the south is a single pointed and cusped light. The nave extends five bays and has a stone valley stack to the north. The north aisle has a four-light cusped window to the east. The south aisle has a three-light window with intersecting tracery to the east. The north vestry contains a two-light cusped window to the east with hood mould and label stops, a three-light pointed window to the north, and a plank door to the west in a pointed chamfered surround. A north lean-to porch has a painted and chamfered doorway with an inner plank door in a pointed ovolo-moulded surround. The north aisle has four windows of two lights with Y-tracery. To the south, a large archway with chamfered pointed openings and cusping contains a south plank door with double chamfered surround and pointed arch with hood mould. The easternmost bay of the south aisle has a plank door in a chamfered surround and three single pointed cusped lancets. The south aisle has four windows of three traceried lights, each with a central taller light. At the west end of the south aisle is a large four-light window with Decorated style tracery and a string course below. The west end of the north aisle has a two-light window with cusped tracery and hood mould.

The west tower rises in three stages with a moulded plinth and cornice, gargoyles, and a coped parapet above. To the west is a part-renewed three-light window with intersecting cusped tracery, double chamfered surround, hood mould, and label stops. To the north, west, and south of the second stage are chamfered square lights. A worn string cornice sits above. The bell stage has a window of two cusped lights on each side, within a chamfered surround, with slate louvres; the southern window is renewed.

Interior features include a 19th-century pointed cusped piscina to the north of the chancel and large sedilia with a Tudor arched head and hood mould to the south. The chancel arch is pointed and chamfered with a hood mould. The nave arcade consists of five pointed chamfered arches supported on round piers with round moulded bases and capitals. The nave has a scissor-braced roof. Wall tablets from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries include a notable monument inscribed with the memory of John Hart Esquire, who died in 1747 aged 73, and served as High Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1739. The monument features an obelisk and bust above the tablet and was erected by his nephew, also named John Hart. A stone pulpit with 13th-century style traceried panels and a hexagonal font with 14th-century style traceried panels and fleuron cornice are present. The east window and east window of the south aisle chapel contain 19th-century stained glass.