Parish Church Of St Mary Magdalene

The Parish Church of St Mary Magdalene is a significant building that was largely remodeled in the late 18th century, specifically in 1779, when it is said to have been commissioned by Samuel Whitbread, who was the father-in-law of the 12th Lord St John of Bletsoe. The church features visible elements from the medieval period and the 17th century. It is constructed from coursed limestone rubble with ashlar dressings and includes a chancel, nave, south aisle, north aisle, north porch, and a west tower.

The chancel and nave were heightened in 1779, and the windows in the chancel and aisles are plain, round-headed with unmoulded architraves. The chancel has windows only on the north wall, with some blocked windows from the 14th century visible in the exterior south wall. Inside, there is a round-headed chancel arch, a coved ceiling, and four-bay arcades supported by Tuscan columns in the nave. A blocked 14th-century window can be found in the west wall of the north aisle.

The north porch, which dates back to the early 17th century, is reputed to have come from Woodford House in Northamptonshire. It features a round-headed archway with a carved shield at the keystone, flanked by Roman Doric columns on square plinths, and has a triglyph and metope frieze with an oculus in each side wall. The tower is in the Perpendicular style with a later parapet. There is an 18th-century three-centred west doorway with a keystone. Inside the south aisle, there is a brass inscription dating from 1377, along with complete box pews and panelling from 1779, and 19th and 20th-century memorials to the St John family.