Church Of St Giles

The Church of St. Giles is a parish church with origins in the 12th Century, with further development in the 14th and 15th centuries. Extensive restoration occurred around 1880 by Edward Browning, including the addition of a north aisle, a south porch, and a northeast bell tower. The church is constructed of flint rubble and puddingstone limestone dressings, with dressed stone on the chancel, north aisle, and bell turret, and red plain tiled roofs with stone coping to gables; the bell turret is roofed with shingles. The east wall of the chancel features a moulded band above and below three graduated lancet windows, topped by a circular window. A moulded plinth runs along the base, with angle buttresses present. The bell tower has rusticated quoins and square panels with a sunk moulded quatrefoil on its south, east, and north faces. Timber sounding louvers, each with two lights, are placed on each face, surmounted by a weathervane finial.

The south wall features a stone-faced chancel with a moulded plinth and band, a buttress dividing the chancel and nave, and a plastered wall extending to the north wall of the apse. There is one small lancet window and one small square headed window in the chancel, alongside two 19th-century two-light windows with two-centred heads and labels. A gabled open porch, constructed in the 19th century, has a stone plinth, timber supports forming a two-centred arch entrance, and bargeboards to the gable; a clock is placed above the entrance. Internal side seats are also present.

A north doorway, dating to around 1100, has plain jambs, a round arch, and chamfered imposts, leading to a vertically boarded door with strap hinges. Three small round-headed windows, also from around 1100, are set into the west apse. The north aisle has a dressed stone facade, a moulded plinth, four buttresses, and a small reset round-headed window on the west wall. Three two-light cinquefoiled windows with square heads and moulded labels are also present; one is a 15th-century window that has been restored and reset. A vertically boarded doorway, with a segmental pointed arch under a square head and moulded label, is found on the north side.

Inside, the chancel and nave roofs are boarded, ribbed, and barrel vaulted, with moulded and crenellated wall plates. There is no chancel arch, but corbels support moulded wall posts, with a moulded rood beam featuring traceried spandrels and side tracery above. A 13th-century double piscina is located in the chancel, featuring a shouldered head and round drains. A stoup of uncertain date is situated in the nave, with a two-centred head and a 19th-century cill. Circa 1950 carved panelling decorates the carved and painted 19th-century reredos. 19th-century stained glass is found in the east windows. A circular stone pulpit, with a moulded circular base and stem, fleuron and ball flower moulding to its cornice and soffit, is also present, along with colored tiling to the floors. The north arcade features two segmental pointed arches, moulded capitals and bases to sunk chamfered columns, and 19th-century panelling to the west wall of the organ chamber. Sanctus stained glass windows are located in the north windows. A 15th-century plain octagonal font with a chamfered base and rings to the stem is also incorporated. The line of the former eastern apse can be seen in the chancel wall. Despite extensive 19th-century restoration, the church is notable for its surviving western apse, which is believed to be the only one of its kind in Britain.