Church Of St Edmund

Church of St Edmund

Parish church, mainly of the early 12th century with 15th-century addition and alterations. Built of pebble, flint, and clunch rubble with freestone dressings and steeply pitched plain tile roofs. The plan comprises a west tower, nave, and chancel.

The West Tower, dating to the 15th century, stands on a plinth with an embattled parapet and three-stage diagonal buttressing. A newel staircase is located in the northwest corner. The west window comprises three cinquefoil lights with vertical tracery in a two-centred head. A small single light window lights the first stage, and two-centred arches open to the bell chamber.

The Nave dates to around 1120 and originally included north and south transepts, now blocked. Each corner of the nave has an enlarged angle shaft of Barnack limestone. The south doorway, also of around 1120, features a round-headed and roll-moulded arch with attached columns having moulded bases and cushion capitals. A frieze of chip carving decorates the lintel over the doorway. One small round-headed window with similar ornamentation survives, along with later windows of clunch, which have been restored. A 13th-century lancet with a restored pointed head appears in the north wall of the nave.

Interior of the Nave: The tower arch, dating to the late 14th century, consists of two wave-moulded arches, the inner supported on enlarged shafts with half-octagonal capitals. The early 12th-century nave has two opposing windows on each side wall. The two at the east end have deep splays and round-headed rear arches of early 12th-century date. At the west end, the north side has a restored 13th-century lancet, and the south side has an enlarged window opening probably of 14th-century date. Opposing north and south doorways of the early 12th century survive.

The nave roof is of six bays and dates to the 15th century. It is of upper crown post construction, with the crown post carried on a collar between the principal rafters and braced to the collar purlin only. Ashlar pieces and arch bracing strengthen the principal rafters and collars. The collars are embattled and moulded with rosette bosses to the soffits.

In the 14th century, transepts were added but have since been removed and the openings blocked. Parts of the two-centred arches remain.

The Chancel has been rendered, but similar materials to those of the nave are visible. It comprises two restored 15th-century windows with low sides in the south wall, and one 12th-century round-headed window of one light in both the north and south walls. The east wall, of 15th-century date, replaces the original apsed sanctuary.

The fine chancel arch is of early 12th-century date, round-headed with two roll-moulded arches on the west side. The responds each have two semi-circular shafts with holdwater bases, cushion capitals, and square abacuses. The east side has a single order of roll moulding. An early 13th-century side altar of clunch is positioned on the north side of the chancel arch, featuring hollow and roll-moulded orders in a two-centred arch on corbels. On the south side is another side altar in an unmoulded two-centred arch, its recess painted with a figure of St Thomas Becket and the reveals decorated with scrolls.

The chancel is of early 12th-century date and was originally apsed. North and south walls have opposing early 12th-century windows, with later fenestration in the south wall.

Interior Fittings: The font is of late 12th-century date, with a tapering octagonal bowl on an octagonal base and stem, surrounded by four subsidiary columns. Ten 16th-century pews survive in the nave, along with a good 15th-century pulpit of hexagonal form on an original stem and base, its panels carved with blind tracery at the heads.