Church Of St Clement Including Gates And Railings To The West

The Church of St Clement, including its west gates and railings, was built between 1822 and 1823 by Thomas Lee junior, although designs are also attributed to an unknown Thomas Ingleman. In 1879, local architect Preedy enlarged the chancel, a modification also seen at St Stephen’s and St Mary Magdalene churches. The building is constructed of unpainted stucco over brick, with ashlar detailing set on a red sandstone plinth, and has a slate roof.

The church is an example of the Neo-Norman style. The west elevation features a central, three-storey tower with clasping buttresses ornamented with stopped scroll detail at the corners. Flanking the tower are two-storey ranges, also with clasping buttresses but with plain corners, and pitched roofs with parapeted gables. All openings have semi-circular heads decorated with moulded detail including billet, zig-zag, and bead-and-reel patterns. Doorways feature engaged columns with scalloped cushion capitals; the main doorway has paired columns. The tower includes a panel of blind arcading beneath a clock, and paired window openings; the N. and S. elevations comprise two rows of windows apart from the full-height windows in the gable ends of the flanking ranges. The windows have diamond-pattern leaded-light glazing, and the bell stage of the tower has open lattice work.

An extension to the east end is built of sandstone ashlar, laid on a basement storey due to the sloping ground.

Inside, there are three white-painted galleries. The Norman-style chancel arch features corbels carved with angels. The interior was redecorated and altered in the 1920s by Charles Nicholson, covering earlier chancel-wall decorations by Forsyth and Preedy. A font (1885), reredos (1890), and pulpit (1879) are by Forsyth and Preedy respectively. There is also a Norman-style screen. Stained glass includes an east window (1890) by Hardman and Co, along with various memorial windows, and there are 19th-century memorial tablets.

The church retains its original wrought-iron gates and railings to the west facade, a rare feature in Worcester. These are composed of vertical bars with arrow-head finials on the top and bottom rails. The gate pillars have been partially renewed with a ‘skeleton’ design, linked by an arch incorporating a lantern bracket. This church represents an exceptional early example of the Neo-Norman style.