Church Of St Andrew

The Church of St Andrew is a parish church dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. It is constructed of flint rubble with dressings of squared and knapped flint, stone, red brick, and red clunch. The nave roof is machine pantiled, while the aisles and chancel have leaded roofs.

The church comprises a three-stage Decorated west tower, a three-bay nave with a clerestory, north and south aisles, and a two-bay chancel. The west tower has a stone plinth and four-stage set-off angle buttresses on its west face, featuring a two-light Decorated window and four two-light Decorated belfry windows. It is topped with a brick battlemented parapet and semi-octagonal south tower stacks with red brick quoined angles and some diapering. A fine Perpendicular south porch has a moulded outer arch, flushwork panelling, angle buttresses, and finial spirelets. The north side of the church features straight-headed windows, while the south aisle has one three-light and two two-light Perpendicular windows, along with a Decorated three-light east window. A Perpendicular north door is also present. The clerestory incorporates three two-light straight-headed Perpendicular windows. The two-bay chancel has two two-light Decorated south windows and a three-light Recticulated tracery east window, complemented by two massive east gable buttresses.

Inside, the south porch door has a moulded arch with carved heads and label stops. The north and south arcades feature octagonal piers with bases and capitals, double hollow chamfered arches with labels and stops. The nave has a fine arched braced Perpendicular roof with six trusses on single hammerbeams, upper collars, moulded through purlins, and ridge. Cornice hammerbeams and collars are embellished with upper brattishing and bosses at the principal junctions. A similar roof covers the chancel, alongside C19 aisle roofs. There’s a Decorated tower arch and a Perpendicular chancel arch. A table tomb of Sir John L'Estrange (obit 1517), originally moved into the tower in 1857, includes matrices of coats of arms. The south aisle holds an ogee piscina and a hagioscope squint into the chancel. A mid C17 classical wall tablet commemorates Sir Charles Mordaunt and Jaisle Mack (obit 1648), alongside a 1783 tablet that retains Rococo detailing. A High Victorian pulpit from 1857, designed by Thomas Jeckyll, is also present, along with High Victorian benches and chancel furniture. A C14 angle piscina and arched aumbry are set within the east wall, and a carved reredos dates to 1907. A Breseton family monument from 1907 is in a High Victorian style.