Church Of St Vincent

The Church of St Vincent is a parish church with origins potentially dating back to the 12th century. The chancel was rebuilt or lengthened in the early 13th century, and a south aisle and west tower were added around 1340 or earlier. Repairs and alterations were undertaken between 1420 and 1440 by John of Wheathampstead, Abbot of St Albans, which likely included the east window, a stair turret, and the south porch. The church was renovated in 1881.

The church is constructed of clunch rubble masonry with dressed stone visible on the stair turret. The exterior is rendered with incised lines to imitate ashlar. The building features a three-bay nave. The north wall contains a chamfered arched, blocked entrance and a single square-headed 15th-century window with two cinquefoiled lights – the only window without a 19th-century label mould. Three square-headed, two-light 15th-century clerestory windows are positioned above the nave, mirrored on the south side. The chancel has two simple early 13th-century lancet windows on its north wall, and an east window of 15th-century design with unusual tracery. The south wall contains a small doorway between two windows of two trefoiled lights with pierced heads. The south aisle has a blocked window on its east wall and two windows with 19th-century tracery on its south wall, with another two-light window on the west wall. The south porch has a 15th-century four-centred arched entrance under a square head decorated with mask label stops, moulded reveals, and blank shields within quatrefoils in the spandrels. The porch also has two trefoiled windows on its east and west walls. The west tower is tall, featuring a two-light cinquefoiled window with a pierced head under a pointed arch on its west wall. Four bell chamber windows, also with two lights and trefoiled heads under square heads, are positioned above. A semi-octagonal stair turret is present. The tower has two-stage angle buttresses and the chancel and south aisle have diagonal buttresses, with straight buttresses on the north wall and south aisle. A battle-mented parapet runs throughout the building, above a string course, with the chancel parapet being a later 19th-century addition.

Inside, the chancel arch has two chamfered orders and no responds. The south arcade has four bays with octagonal shafts, moulded bases and capitals, and pointed arches of two chamfered orders. The tower arch shares similar details with a label. The north and south walls of the tower are carried on arches springing from the west wall and return of the tower arch. A door to the stair turret is located in the southeast corner of the tower. A chamfered arch provides entrance from the south aisle to the south porch, with a segmental rear arch. A 15th-century plank door, with two original wrought iron strap hinges, remains in situ. The south porch's roof retains 15th-century timbers, including moulded principals, purlins, and collars, with brattished cornices featuring timber-carved angels at the east and west ends. Wall paintings from the late 15th century survive, including a depiction of St Christopher opposite the entrance. Fragments of a wheel design are also visible, along with a hooded figure and an unusual consecration cross on the stair turret. A 15th-century octagonal font sits at the west end of the nave, featuring cusped quatrefoils enclosing blank shields on the bowl and cinquefoil-headed panels on the shaft. Fragments of 15th-century glass are incorporated into the west window of the south aisle and the south clerestory. Two brass memorials are positioned at the east end of the chancel.