Church Of St James

Church of St James

Parish church largely dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, with some details from around 1300. The building was restored by architect Ewan Christian. It is constructed of rubble flint with squared knapped flint and cut stone dressings, with leaded aisles and green slate roofs to the nave and chancel.

The church comprises a west tower, a five-bay nave with clerestorey, north and south aisles, a north porch, a three-bay chancel, and a north vestry.

The west tower is Perpendicular in style, rising through five stages. It has two angle buttresses to each face, with five set-offs that become a sixth stage rising as angle clasping buttresses incorporating tracery panels. The bell stage contains four two-light Perpendicular windows. Above this is a sounding chamber with two quatrefoil sound-hole openings to each face. The tower is topped with a battlement featuring tracery panels and carries a flat roof. The west doorway has a Perpendicular moulded arch, and above it sits a large two-stage four-light window with embattled transom and traceried upper panels. The plinth is of moulded stone.

The two-storey north porch is Perpendicular with an outer moulded arch and a large arched aumbry or stoup opening. A blocked three-light parvise window is visible.

The five-bay north aisle contains a mix of window styles. At the west is a straight-headed three-light Perpendicular window, followed by two windows under four-centred Perpendicular arches. The three central windows feature rich Curvilinear tracery with two quatrefoils set in lozenges. The two easternmost windows display Rectilinear tracery, with the easternmost being the richest. Five buttresses with two set-offs support the aisle wall.

The five-bay south aisle has four three-light Perpendicular windows and one two-light west Perpendicular window with battlemented transom, plus a three-light Perpendicular window at the east. The five-bay clerestorey is Perpendicular with three-light straight-headed windows.

The three-bay chancel has a re-set Early English south priest's door with colonnettes and moulded arch, with a blocked arch above it. Two elaborate three-light Perpendicular windows with battlemented transoms in their upper lights light the chancel. The east window was replaced by Ewan Christian with a four-light Early English-style plate tracery window.

The distinctive two-storey north vestry dates from the 15th century. Its east elevation has two two-light straight-headed Perpendicular windows, while the north side features three rectangular slit openings. An angle buttress and stone parapet with four kneeling beast pinnacles complete the exterior.

Interior

The five-bay north and south arcades incorporate either 15th-century rebuilding of circa-1300 piers or insertion of alternate 15th-century piers, all carrying Perpendicular double hollow chamfered arches. Almost detached quatrefoil shafts from around 1300 with original moulded bases and capitals alternate with quatrefoil piers of 15th-century bases and capitals. The tower and chancel arches are Perpendicular.

The nave roof is of double-frame construction with arched upper trusses—possibly from the 17th or 18th century—resting on the main truss, with 19th-century boarding. Roofs elsewhere date from the mid-19th century. The aisles have sides and upper arched trusses with crested framing of parclose screens.

A 15th-century octagonal stone font of simple design features roll mouldings rising from stem to bowl. A fine 15th-century spire canopy survives with an architectural frame of arches, buttresses and spirelets, though some panels are missing.

The tower arch displays 18th-century Commandment boards that were re-used in a 20th-century screen. Fifteenth-century poppyhead benches survive in both aisles. A fine painted 15th-century pulpit in the form of a goblet is decorated with representations of the Four Doctors of the Latin Church. Rood stairs and a rood loft door are positioned at the south side.

A fine painted rood screen dado survives with Apostle panels. The chancel stalls retain misericord seats with front panels made up from re-used screens. A large mutilated piscina, possibly from around 1300, features a cut-back triangular spandrel with traces of trefoils.