Church Of St Martin

The Church of St. Martin is a medieval church altered in 1843, 1861, and 1920. It comprises a nave, chancel, west tower, south porch, and north vestry. The nave and chancel are constructed of plastered flint rubble with limestone dressings. The tower is of squared knapped flint and limestone rubble, with the belfry stage featuring chequerwork of red brick and flint, diagonal buttresses, and crenellated parapets with flushwork panels. The building has plaintiled roofs with parapet gables.

A 12th-century north doorway retains two orders of engaged shafts with cushion capitals supporting a roll and chevron-moulded arch, leading to a 15th-century plank door. An early 14th-century angle piscina with moulded shafts stands beside a blocked south chancel window. Significant alterations date from the mid to late 15th century, with legacies for the tower's construction surviving from 1452-60. The three-stage west tower has a labelled arch with weathered carving in corbels and spandrels above the original door ornamented with moulded battens. A 3-light west window sits above the doorway. The north and south nave windows are late 15th-century, with three lights each. The nave features a fine five-bay, late 15th-century roof with hammer-beams carved as angels, complemented by further angels affixed to the wall-pieces, along with a heavily moulded cornice, high collars and kingposts. A roodloft stair is located in the south wall, complete with upper and lower doorways, opposite which is an image niche in the north wall.

The octagonal limestone font has an inscription on its base recording a 1443 gift from Richard and Agnes Sylvester, displaying very fine sculpted figures in high relief on the bowl and at the corners of the stem, topped with a 19th-century painted pyramid cover. The 15th-century oak octagonal pulpit features exceptional carving, with corner turrets supporting figures within niches, and traceried heads on each panel; a carved portcullis adorns the door (now facing the wall). Fine poppyhead bench ends from the 15th century have buttresses supporting carved figures. They were thoroughly but skilfully restored around 1843 by Henry Ringham, who also contributed some of the choirstalls with 15th-century bench ends. A vestry and south porch were added in 1920, built in the Tudorbethan style. The east window was renewed in the 14th century style with glass by F. Preedy in 1861. Within the sanctuary is a wall-tablet with a painted coat of arms to John Sicklemoore (1644) and his wife Elizabeth, opposite another painted coat of arms relating to Richard Keeble (1653), and his wife Mary and three children. A floor slab of black marble in the nave marks the graves of William Minter (1739) and Elizabeth (1729).