Church of St Edmund

Church of St Edmund

Parish church with a 13th-century chancel and 15th-century nave, aisles and west tower, restored in 1866. The building is constructed of ashlar with some brick, with the aisles rendered. The roofs are of slate over the nave and chancel, and leaded over the aisles.

The west tower comprises four stages with angle buttresses. A 4-centred west door is set within a square surround, with a 4-light panel tracery window above it. The north and south faces carry 3-light windows. The belfry stage has 3-light louvred windows with cusping below the transoms. A brick crenellated parapet crowns the tower, with stairs contained in the south-east angle.

The south porch is two storeys tall with a polygonal stair turret to the west. Diagonal buttresses flank an arched entrance. A statuary niche occupies the gable between two trefoiled lancet lights that illuminate the upper chamber. Trefoil lights pierce the north and south walls, with paired trefoiled side lights at ground level on both sides. The porch floor has been removed and the stairs blocked.

The north and south aisles embrace the chancel. Set-off buttresses separate the 3-light Perpendicular panel tracery windows, which are set beneath hood moulds. An arched priest's door opens from the sixth bay of the south aisle, and a 4-centred doorway from the first bay of the north aisle. Diagonal and angle buttresses strengthen the south-east and north-east corners. Six 3-light cusped 4-centred clerestory windows run beneath hood moulds on labels. A renewed sanctus bellcote sits at the nave east gable.

The 13th-century chancel has clasping angle buttresses now largely obscured by the 15th-century aisle extensions. The south aisle east window matches the nave pattern. The north aisle was elaborated in the later 13th century into a two-storey vestry. The original 13th-century east window is blocked; three 19th-century square-headed windows now pierce this wall, two at ground level and one to the upper floor. The chancel's east face displays three stepped Early English lancets above a string course. The lancets carry a continuous hood mould. Below the string course are two pilaster strips that deflect a double roll string course.

Interior

The nave is carried on a six-bay arcade of lozenge piers set on high moulded plinths. The piers have moulded capitals beneath wave moulded arches, with colonnettes rising from the piers to corbels that support the roof. Clerestory windows light the nave above the arcade apexes. The tower arch features rolls to its responds and capitals carved with angels, with wave moulded arch mouldings. The chancel arch is similar.

The nave roof comprises moulded and crenellated tie beams on arched braces alternating with hammerbeams fashioned as angels bearing books and instruments of the Passion. Wall posts drop to corbels enriched with carvings of Angels, Kings and Prophets. The spandrels of the tie beam braces are pierced with tracery; the ties support three winged angels above crenellations. Queen and subsidiary posts rise from the ties to a single tier of moulded butt purlins and principals, with a moulded ridge piece. The aisle roofs employ principals and two tiers of moulded butt purlins; the south aisle roof is largely renewed. A polygonal turret houses the rood stairs, topped by a crenellated parapet.

A 15th-century rood screen of two bays occupies the space right and left of a cusped and sub-cusped opening. The arched dado panels retain traces of colour. A 19th-century west canopy carries a tierceron vault, with 19th-century top rail cresting.

Twenty-five 16th-century plain poppyhead nave benches remain. An octagonal 15th-century font with panelled stem and bowl is decorated with tracery patterns, shields and figures bearing shields.

The chancel arcade is Early English, comprising two bays with waterholding bases, drum piers, polygonal capitals and chamfered arches. A double roll hood mould spans the opening, carved with a dog's head to the north and a rosette to the south. Plain arched sedilia and a piscina occupy the south wall. The east window contains internal annuleted shafts upon triangular bases. A single splayed lancet on the north wall now opens into the north chancel aisle.

A standing monument in the south chancel aisle commemorates Thomas Hewar and his wife, executed by Nicholas Stone and dated 1617. It is of marble. Three columns with modified volute capitals stand upon a three-bay pedestal, with rear pilasters supporting a stone tester. Effigies of Thomas Hewar and his wife lie in recumbent position before a rectangular inscription panel. The tester is crowned with achievements to the south and west. Within the monument, set in the east wall of the aisle, a rectangular niche contains the recumbent effigy of a child.

A wall monument on the south aisle wall commemorates Thomas Hewar and his wife, dated 1585. Of marble and stone, it comprises a plain plinth below an apron of two panels separated by pilasters. Three columns of indeterminate order support a dentilated pediment with a crowning achievement. The columns stand before two strapwork panels decorated with coats of arms above inscriptions and painted fruit and strapwork scrolls.