Church Of King Charles The Martyr

The Church of King Charles the Martyr is a parish church with a medieval core that was remodeled in 1646 for Thomas Cropley and virtually rebuilt in 1767 for Richard Ray, whose coat of arms and the date are located above the east window. The church consists of a nave, chancel, north porch, and south vestry. The nave retains its medieval core, while the chancel, north porch, and south vestry were all added or rebuilt in 1767. The nave walls are made of stuccoed masonry with medieval freestone quoins, except for the east wall, which, like the chancel, was rebuilt in 1767 using quoins of gault brick. The porch features an outer doorway made of gault brick, designed in a Gothic style. The roofs are covered with concrete tiles and have parapet gables made of gault brick. Above the west gable is an 18th-century bell turret topped with a leaded ogee cap. The church has four plain Y-traceried windows and two lancets, all made of freestone and resembling early 14th-century designs, though they may have been renewed in the 18th century. The butt-purlin nave roof likely dates back to 1646.

The interior, which is entirely from 1767, features an east window in the Perpendicular style. It includes complete box pews and a matching triple-decker pulpit, along with rails at the chancel arch and sanctuary. A notable mid-14th-century octagonal limestone font is present, with a bowl decorated with carved foliate patterns and shields, and a stem featuring a moulded capital and base. The ogee cover from 1767 has a pineapple finial. In the chancel, there are six marble floor slabs commemorating 17th-century members of the Cropley family, with another slab located in the nave. The arms of George III are displayed above the west window. Additionally, there is a fine and rare barrel organ made by H. Bryceson of London, dating to around 1810. The living was donative until 1937.