Church Of Saint Guthlac

The Church of Saint Guthlac is a parish church that underwent significant changes in the 15th century, although it incorporates elements from an older building that has also been modified over time. The church is constructed from a mix of coursed limestone and cobbles, with some ashlar dressings and red brick repairs, including brick buttresses. It features low-pitched slate roofs, with the tower having a hipped roof.

The structure includes a chancel, nave, and west tower. The chancel appears to be made of re-used 15th-century masonry and has a three-light east window with a wooden head and mullions, a red brick cambered arch, and 15th-century jambs. The north elevation features a small doorway with a cambered head and a single-light window with a pointed head. The nave, also from the 15th century, has a thinner north wall that is likely of a later date. It contains two large south windows with three lights and three-centred heads, while the two north windows are later copies of these.

The west tower, which has been reworked in the 15th century, is thought to have originally been the central tower of an earlier cruciform church, with the chancel replacing the current nave and a transept to the south that was served by a large archway, now blocked. The tower has two stages; the lower stage on the north elevation has a doorway that has been blocked with red brick, and this lower stage appears to be a rebuilding. The west elevation features a two-light pointed window in the lower stage and a small single light in the top stage. The south elevation has a relatively small pointed arched doorway within a large blocked 15th-century pointed archway, and the top stage has a small single light.

Inside, the church is rather plain, with 19th-century roofs that reuse some old timbers. There are two image brackets and a cinquefoiled piscina in the chancel, likely reset. The nave retains some 15th-century pews, along with 19th-century box pews and a two-decker pulpit with a reading desk. The font is octagonal and lacks a pedestal.