Church Of St Helen

The Church of St Helen is a parish church with origins dating back to the pre-Conquest and Norman periods. The chancel was constructed around 1230, the crossing tower in the late 13th century, and the nave and aisles in the early to mid-14th century. North and South transepts were added between approximately 1330 and 1350, and a north vestry was added around 1380, later altered and enlarged in 1897. A general restoration of the church occurred in 1865-6 by Edward Browning.

The church is built of flint rubble with stone dressings and slate roofs. It follows a cruciform plan, where the nave and chancel are of equal length. A prominent central tower with a leaded pyramid roof and spire dominates the structure. The church features numerous well-preserved windows from the Decorated period, particularly in the transepts and the north and south walls of the chancel. The west door dates from the early 14th century, adorned with ball flower ornamentation within a double hollow surround. A south porch of the same period showcases a chamfered arch and attached shafts.

Inside, the nave arcade consists of three arches supported by octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases. The roof is supported by arch-braced collar trusses, with figured stone corbels. The crossing is characterised by broad, chamfered piers and arches. The south transept includes a stone arch in its south wall, believed to be the remnant of a Saxon doorhead. The east wall has an intricate Decorated-style window with fleurons in the jambs. A corresponding window in the north transept exhibits ballflower ornamentation and a blind arcade from around 1330 beneath the sill. A large north window displays net tracery. The chancel’s east end features three lancet windows dating to around 1230, set in deep splays with deeply cut moulded arches. A 15th-century piscina is located in the jamb of the southeast window. A dog-tooth moulded arch frames the vestry door. The octagonal font at the west end of the nave, dating from the early 14th century, has a quatrefoil frieze. An early 17th-century oak pulpit is decorated with shallow strapwork ornament. A Jacobean screen marks the entrance to the north transept, likely a fragment of a former west gallery. Adjacent pews are from the early to mid-17th century, one dated 1631. A range of notable monuments are present, including an alabaster tomb chest of Sir John Brocket and his wife (1558) with recumbent figures and an armorial frieze, a large wall monument to Elizabeth Garrard (1630s) with a broad arch surround, columns and a broken pediment, and a classical wall plaque to Sir John Garrard (d. 1700). Numerous plaques adorn the east wall, including one by Thorwaldsen from 1817.