Church Of St George

The Church of St George is a late 19th-century building, constructed between 1893 and 1895, designed by Sir Aston Webb. It is built of red brick with ashlar banding and dressings, and has a Westmorland slate roof. The church is in a Free Gothic Revival style, with the west front drawing stylistic influence from King's College and St George's Chapel, Windsor, and its overall form inspired by the west front of Tewkesbury Cathedral. The imposing west front features a large, four-light transomed window within a deeply splayed surround, featuring two orders of chamfering to the four-centred stone arch. Flanking turrets with octagonal plans rise to a parapet, surmounted by crenellated stages and spirelets. East Anglian-style chequer work appears above the brick and stone banding on the central gablet. An entrance porch is slightly recessed behind the turrets and exhibits similar chequer work above a frieze of vertical panels. The doorway itself features a statue of St George and the Dragon within a cusped niche and concave surround, set above a horizontal cornice and banded spandrels to a round arch with a moulded head and splayed jambs. The inner surround is Perpendicular style, with a segmental arch and shafts surmounted by carved tympanum cusping. The plain brick side elevations have cusped lancet windows, paired to each bay of the clerestory. A seven-light west window is present with flowing curvilinear tracery. The north vestry features a three-light plate-tracery window.

The interior is brick with stone banding to piers, shafts, and dressings. The chancel is distinguished by a greater use of stone, with traceried panels to the arch. Shafting rises to the open timber roof, with double-chamfered surrounds to the round arcade arches. Low stone pedestals with trefoil panels frame a balustrade and gates, marking the entrance to the chancel. Arts and Crafts stencilled decoration remains on the organ case and pipes on the north side of the chancel. Art Nouveau styling is evident on the screens separating the chancel from the chapels, and an arcaded reredos features coloured marble in spandrel quatrefoils depicting a Gethsemane scene and the Symbols of the Evangelists. A decorative altar rail is also present. Stained glass includes an east window depicting St George, and aisle and chapel windows by Kempe. The east window of the Lady Chapel is of particular note, depicting the Virgin and Child with the Heavenly Hosts set against an azure, star-spangled background.