Church of St Eadburga

Church of St Eadburga

A church of 12th and 13th century date with a 14th century tower, restored in 1855. It is built of sandstone rubble and ashlar with a tile roof and comprises a west tower with west porch, nave, south aisle under a pitched roof, and lower chancel.

The tower has diagonal buttresses and an embattled parapet. The bell openings are of two trefoiled ogee lights with a quatrefoil under a pointed head. The west window is of four cinquefoiled lights and has 19th century Perpendicular tracery. The open timber porch is probably 15th century. The principal posts at the west side are doubled, the inner posts jowled to form a pointed arch. The inner truss has curved braces to a steeply cambered tie beam. The west doorway of the tower is pointed and hollow-chamfered in two orders.

The north wall of the nave has three 14th century windows of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil under a pointed head. The buttresses have offsets, except for those to each side of the eastern bay which are 12th century stepped pilaster buttresses. Between the second and third windows is a blocked doorway with Tudor-arched head. Above is an empty niche with round head roll-moulded in two orders which springs from angle shafts with cushion capitals. The west wall of the south aisle contains a trefoiled one-light window. The east wall has a lancet to each side of a buttress. The south wall is 19th century, of four bays with two-light windows. At the left is a pointed chamfered doorway.

The north wall of the chancel has three one-light windows chamfered in two orders. The western one is pointed; the others have trefoiled heads. Between them are two stepped pilaster buttresses. The south wall has two windows of one trefoiled light, a stepped pilaster buttress, and a 19th century pointed doorway. The east window is of five lights with Geometrical tracery, renewed in the 19th century.

Interior: The pointed tower arch is chamfered in two orders which die into the responds. The south aisle is of four bays and has pointed arches with two square orders springing from round piers with scalloped capitals. The responds are paired engaged shafts with crocket capitals. The nave has a collar-rafter roof with soulaces and three tie beams. The chancel arch is chamfered in two orders and springs from responds each with a central and two angle shafts with cushion capitals. The south aisle overlaps the chancel. Its east end is divided by a painted screen which incorporates 15th century woodwork and has openings with traceried ogee heads. The south wall contains an ogee-headed doorway to a rood stair. Set above the altar of this south chapel is a statue of Christ removed from the niche in the north wall of the nave during the mid 20th century. This is said to be an altered coffin lid with an effigy of around 1220 (Pevsner).

The font appears to be Norman, although re-cut, and has chevron decoration and ropework moulding. The chancel contains a trefoiled piscina and has communion rails with turned balusters of around 1700. On the south side is the chest tomb of Edmundus Colles (died 1606), with recumbent effigy, the sides carved with coats of arms, caryatids, and atlantes.

Above is a wall monument with strapwork, figures, a coat of arms, and pediment with shell. Against the north wall is a wall monument to William (died 1615) and Mary (died 1602) Colles, with two kneeling figures within an arched opening, a shield of arms, and 11 children carved on the base. Further west is an alabaster memorial to Sir Walter and Lady Elizabeth Devreux, erected in 1642, with recumbent effigies below a canopy supported on Ionic columns. Above it is a large wall monument to Essex Devreux (died 1639) with two kneeling figures, and a child seated on a ledge.