Church Of St Gregory

The Church of St Gregory is a medieval parish church, with significant features dating to the mid-14th century and early 16th century. It comprises a nave, chancel, west tower, north porch, and vestry. Constructed mainly of plastered rubble with freestone dressings, the south-west corner of the nave exhibits prominent long-and-short quoining, possibly from the 11th century. The roof is covered in plain tiles. The north and south moulded doorways into the nave date to the mid-14th century; the north door is likely from the early 16th century. The tower doorway has a 14th-century iron-bound door. Three mid-14th-century traceried windows are present, one retaining original glass in the tracery. A plain, cusped piscina is from the late 14th or 15th century. The tower was built or remodelled in the early 16th century, featuring flushed flintwork, embattled parapets, traceried belfry openings and a large west window. Early 16th-century windows are found in the nave and chancel, with those on the north side having much 18th-century crown glass. The east window was restored in the 16th century. The north porch, dating to around 1530, is constructed of red brick with diaper patterning created with burnt headers, and features good moulded brick detailing on the doorway, the niche above, and the side windows. The porch roof has coupled rafters without collars. A continuous roof, dating from around 1500, covers the nave and chancel; it has a canted construction, a moulded cornice, and a rood-beam. The southern half of an early 16th-century roodscreen survives up to dado level. The late 14th-century octagonal limestone font has a plain stem and a carved bowl with crocketed gables and tracery. In the chancel is a tomb-chest to William Cantrel (died 1585), featuring pilasters at the base, an inscription framed by Corinthian columns and an entablature, and above, two obelisks and a shell. A small room to the north of the chancel was added around 1600, now a vestry but of uncertain original purpose. This room is constructed of red brick, retains fragments of original plaster, has plain chamfered openings, and has a side purlin roof. Painted texts adorn the walls, with one above the north door recording repairs from 1773. Two large marble slabs are set into the outer south wall, commemorating Francis and William Thorne, who died in 1704 and 1718 respectively. Two late 18th-century marble slabs are in the chancel floor. Two coats of arms are in the vestry, one depicting William and Mary.