Church Of St Laurence

Church of St Laurence

Parish church with fragments of the 12th century and a 14th-century north aisle, but substantially rebuilt. The tower was built in 1676 by the Richards brothers and the remainder was rebuilt by William Butterfield in 1859–1861. The building is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a machine-tile roof.

The West Tower, dated 1676, is a three-stage structure with each stage offset. It incorporates some 15th-century features. A 17th-century balustrade with crocketed pinnacles runs along the top, and diagonal buttresses support the angles. The second stage contains a window of trefoiled lights under a 2-centred head. The first stage has a square-headed window with chamfered reveals, positioned above a clock and a datestone inscribed "Samuell Richards and / Thomas Richards 1676" with a pair of addorsed dragons below. The ground stage features a window of three cinquefoiled lights under a 2-centred head above an entrance with a 2-centred arch.

The Nave, constructed in 1859–1861, comprises four bays with clerestorey windows: a cinquefoil lancet, followed by pairs of similar lancets, trefoiled lancets, and similar pairs with quatrefoils above.

The South Aisle, built in 1858–1861, has a lean-to roof and five bays. The left-hand bay contains a timber-frame south porch that shelters a reset restored 12th-century door with a roll moulding to its semi-circular head, a billeted label, and respond shafts with capitals. The other bays are mostly furnished with paired trefoil lancets, each topped by a reset 12th or 14th-century corbel. The east window contains two trefoiled lights under a 2-centred head.

The North Aisle dates to the 14th century and was altered in the 15th century. It has a gabled roof and comprises three bays defined by stepped buttresses. Each bay contains two windows of two trefoiled lights under a 2-centred head. The east window has reticulated tracery under a 2-centred head with five lights, now obscured by a lean-to 19th-century vestry.

The Chancel, constructed in 1859–1861, contains three bays (the leftmost covered by the south aisle) with trefoiled lancets in each bay. The east window comprises three stepped trefoiled lancets.

Interior

The Nave features a north arcade of three bays with 2-centred arches and circular plan piers in Norman style, and a south arcade of four bays with 2-centred arches and slender columns in Early English style, though all are 19th-century work. The tower arch is a 2-centred arch of two continuous orders. The Chancel has arcades to the aisles on each side, containing two bays with 2-centred arches and slender columns.

The south wall of the chancel retains a reset head of a 14th-century sedilia. In the north aisle, an early 15th-century tomb recess behind the organ features an ogee cinquefoiled arch, crocketed and terminating in a carved finial. The effigy within is a recumbent stone knight.

Roofs

The nave roof comprises seven bays with arch-braced collars. The south aisle has a lean-to roof. The chancel roof spans two bays with cusped arch-braces to the collar. The north aisle has a common rafter roof with scissor-braces.

Fittings and Monuments

Most fittings date to the 19th century and are by Butterfield. The low chancel screen is constructed from probably 15th-century woodwork, including a frieze with trailing foliage, all painted. The north aisle contains a wall tablet to Edward Moore, died 1746, with Corinthian pilasters, and a brass mounted on the wall to Philip Chatwyn, died 1542. In the chancel is a tomb slab bearing a cross flory, chalice, and the arms of John Carpenter, Bishop of Worcester (1443–76).