Church Of St Ethelbert

The Church of St. Ethelbert is a mediaeval church, significantly restored in 1869 by A.W. Blomfield following a major fire. It consists of a nave, chancel, south transeptal chapel, south porch, west tower, and north vestry. The building is constructed of flint rubble with freestone quoins and parapet gables, and has plaintiled roofs; the tower roof is flat behind crenellated parapets. Areas of 12th-century coursed rubble walling are visible in the nave and chancel, with an angle shaft featuring a cushion capital at the north-east corner of the nave. A transept was added in the 14th century, featuring 2- and 3-light windows; the south window has an image niche above and a quatrefoil vent at the apex. The chancel was extended in the mid-14th century, and the nave and chancel walls were raised at this time. A 3-light net-traceried east window and 2-light side windows were inserted then, along with a hood-moulded doorway now leading to the 19th-century vestry, and a south nave doorway. Image niches from the 14th century are located in the outer walls of the south transept, the east diagonal chancel buttresses, flanking the central west tower buttress, and above the south doorway. Further niches are found flanking the chancel’s east window. The chancel contains a double piscina with a central moulded pillar; the arches with crocketing and pinnacles were renewed in 1869. A late 14th-century chancel arch was restored at the same time. The porch, also from the late 14th century, has a pilastered doorway and 2-light side windows, and a butt purlin roof possibly from the 16th century. A circular stoup beside the south doorway is likely Norman, and was reset on a later polygonal stem. The 14th-century tower includes a large south stair turret, with lion-head gargoyles, flushwork parapets, and 2-light belfry openings, which are later 15th-century alterations. Piers supporting the east tower walls, braced by flying buttresses to the extended aisle walls, date from around 1500, as does the north 2-light window. Roofs were rebuilt in 1869; the nave roof has arch-braced collar-beam trusses in 4 bays, and the chancel roof is canted and boarded. Of 1869 are three nave windows with pointed arches and Y-tracery, and the octagonal limestone font. Good stained glass from around 1900 is present in most windows, depicting pastoral subjects of local significance.