Church of St. George

Church of St. George

This is a parish church of 12th-century origin with substantial medieval development. The west tower dates from the 12th century at its base, with early 14th-century upper stages. The nave and aisles were built in the early 14th century, and the chancel was added in the later 14th century. The north porch dates from 1496. The church underwent major restoration in the 19th century: the east window was unblocked in 1874, the tower was restored in 1884, and in 1885 the nave was restored and re-roofed, along with restoration of floors, seats, windows, chancel arch, pulpit and reading desk.

The building is constructed of cut Quaternary and Quarry flint and chert with Lincolnshire Limestone ashlar dressings. The roof is covered with black glazed pantiles to the chancel, red pantiles to the nave, and lead to the aisles and porch.

The tower is three stages high. The lower stage is circular and has a two-light Perpendicular west window. There is a set-off to an octagonal belfry and ringing chamber stages, the latter lit through one cusped west light. The belfry has louvred Y-tracery windows to alternate facets. The parapet is flushwork crenellated.

The aisles are supported by diagonal east and west buttresses and stepped flanking buttresses. Each side has three cusped two-light Y windows. The south doorway is cusped and sub-cusped, following the pattern of Court Style funerary monuments. The shallow gabled north porch of 1496 has diagonal buttresses, a four-centred doorway with continuous mouldings and one order of shafts, and a canopied statuary niche above the apex. The parapet has ashlar kneelers and the porch has two-light arched side windows.

The south clerestory has four encircled quatrefoils. The north clerestory has four two-light late 14th-century lozenge windows. The chancel has diagonal flushwork east buttresses which develop into panelled pinnacles, matching similar pinnacles to the west of the chancel. It has two three-light proto-Perpendicular windows to north and south, separated by a stepped buttress. A priests' door is located on the north side. The three-light Perpendicular east window is below a 19th-century cusped circle in a square surround.

Interior features include a four-bay arcade with the first pier from the west being circular and the remainder octagonal, with moulded capitals and bases and double hollow chamfered arches. The tower arch has wave moulding. The chancel arch dies into the walls. The nave roof was renewed and comprises principals and purlins with wall posts dropping from the wall plate. The chancel roof is 19th-century with principals, purlins, tie beams and collars.

An octagonal font is present with eight orbiting Purbeck marble columns and a 19th-century bowl. In the south-east corner of the chancel is a small room entered from north and west through four-centred arches, whose purpose is unknown.

The chancel contains two significant monuments. A monument to Rose Claxton, dated 1601, features a tomb chest with decorated top edge bearing an inscription. A reclining stone effigy of the deceased, once painted, lies on the tomb chest in Elizabethan dress, resting her head on her right hand. Above the monument is a wall panel inscribed with biographical details and commemorative verse. An alabaster wall monument to Leonard Mapes, dated 1619, depicts Leonard Mapes and his wife in high relief praying, with several sons shown behind Leonard and two daughters behind his wife. The panel is bordered by a pair of black marble pilasters terminating in block entablatures, with a predella panel showing the eldest son praying on one side and a daughter-in-law and one daughter praying on the other.