Church Of St Martin

The Church of St Martin is a building of mixed dates, originating in the 12th and early 13th centuries, with additions from the 14th century, and alterations in the 17th century. It was restored in 1870 and 1894. The church is constructed from finely jointed regular coursed limestone rubble with ashlar limestone detailing, and has stone slate roofs laid in diminishing courses. Stone coped gables and a stone parapet with molded coping and finials are also present. The church comprises a chancel, nave, north and south aisles, and a north-west tower.

The chancel features a Romanesque south doorway with a plank door, hood mould with label stops, and is flanked by two square-headed Decorated windows with hood moulds. A single lancet window is on the north side. The north aisle presents two stone mullioned and transomed windows, one with ovolo section. The south aisle has a three-light Perpendicular east window with hood mould and label stops, and two two-light Perpendicular windows with hood moulds and elongated label stops. A scratch dial is visible on a buttress. A south porch with a monopitch roof features a pointed arched doorway with a hood mould and headstop, and a Romanesque doorway with three orders of molding and decorated capitals, leading to a plank door. A two-light square-headed Decorated window with hood mould and label stops is located to the left of the porch. A west window of two lights with Decorated tracery is also present.

The north-west tower has three stages with small rectangular square-headed lights on the ground floor and Perpendicular openings incorporating 13th-century shafts and capitals on the first and second floors. It is topped by an embattled parapet with diagonal and offset buttresses, a molded plinth, and a string course to the first and second floors. The nave displays two two-light Perpendicular clerestory windows.

Inside, a Decorated aumbry and a bracket piscina are noteworthy features. The chancel arch contains a capital with trumpet scallop decoration and another with nailhead detailing. A wagon roof is ornamented with floral bosses. The north arcade consists of three bays with round piers, one featuring trumpet scallop decoration and the other nailhead detailing. A pointed west doorway leads to the tower, and chamfered arches are present. The south arcade is composed of two bays with chamfered arches. An octagonal font features a plinth with ball flower, a traceried stem, and a bowl with head decoration. Two 15th-century benches are found in the chancel. Monuments in the south aisle include alabaster tomb effigies of William (died 1555) and Ann Sheldon, a brass memorial to Hugh Humphrey (died 1530), a stone memorial to Thomas Taylor, Rector of the parish (died 1716), a wood and marble memorial to William Brent (died 1675) with a broken pediment, strapwork decoration, and depictions of lions’ heads and an angel, a marble wall plaque to Elizabeth, wife of Christopher Smith (died 1799), and stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops.