Church Of St James And Attached Railings

Church of St James and Attached Railings

An Anglican church built between 1788 and 1792 by James Carr, with the steeple rebuilt in 1849 and the interior restored by Reginald Blomfield in 1882. The building is constructed in multi-coloured brick set in Flemish bond with Portland stone dressings and a roof of Welsh slate.

The church comprises a chancel, nave, porch and vestibules contained under a single roof, with a tower and spire rising over the pedimented west gable. The east end features crypt windows and two upper levels, all with plain stone architraves; the crypt and lower level have segmental-arched windows whilst the upper level is round-arched. The central east window is round-arched with a gauged brick head and inset Palladian motif, with a shallow segmental-arched window to the pedimented gable above.

The south side has slightly projecting outer bays with chamfered quoins and balustrated parapet. Each bay contains a flat-arched entrance flanked by Roman Doric columns carrying a triglyph frieze, mutule cornice and pediment; the eastern entrance is blocked whilst the western entrance retains its original panelled door. The entrances are recessed under round arches of gauged brick with double keystones. Above each entrance is a round-arched window with broad plain stone surround, similarly recessed under a round arch of gauged brick. Between the bays are four windows arranged over three levels, detailed as on the east end. A modillion cornice runs the full length of the south side, with a parapet above.

The north side follows the detailing of the east end but without enrichment; a two-storey parish hall is attached under a separate roof. The west end features a centrepiece under the tower faced with Portland stone, with brick wings detailed as the east end. The central flat-arched entrance is set back under a round arch with a Gibbs surround. Above it is a round-arched window set back twice under round arches and once under a flat arch, with balustrade and impost bands. Round-arched niches flank the entrance, with blank recessed panels above them. A modillion cornice and pediment complete this elevation.

The tower is square in plan at the clock and bell stages. The bell stage has round-arched louvred openings with central mullion, imposts, archivolt and keystone, with paired pilasters at each corner. A balustraded parapet with urns at each corner is followed by three octagonal stages, the first and principal of which features an arcaded order. An octagonal spire with ball finial completes the composition. Railings with wreathed handrails and columnar balusters protect the steps to both south entrances.

Interior

The church interior is remarkably unaltered from the late 18th century. The body of the church forms a single space, curved at the west end. A reredos with pilasters and engaged columns, a triglyph frieze, mutule cornice and central pediment dominates the east end; its panels and two side wall panels are painted with texts dating from the 19th or early 20th century, with panelled dadoes below.

A gallery supported on Doric columns is stepped and curved at the west end; upper galleries flanking the organ at the west end, added in 1822, are carried on cast-iron columns with iron balconies. The main cornice and architrave feature palmette and guilloche ornament, whilst the ceiling plasterwork is decorated with circular and oval panels ornamented with bay leaf and Vitruvian scroll motifs.

The late 18th-century communion rail features wrought-iron ornament. The organ case, crafted from Spanish mahogany in 1792 by George Pike England, was restored in 1978. The east window was created by Heaton, Butler and Bayne in 1863. A wall tablet to Elizabeth, Countess Dowager of Exeter, dated 1653, is positioned at the east end of the south aisle.

The porch rooms and vestibules have architraves, panelled doors and panelled dadoes. The staircase to the main gallery has a panelled dado, wreathed rail, open string and metal stick balusters, whilst the stairs to the upper gallery have a wreathed rail, open string and metal twist balusters.

Important wall monuments from the earlier church of St James are preserved in the porches. In the south porch, the monument to Thomas Crosse (c.1712) is a plain tomb chest with paired Corinthian pilasters and busts on scrolled consoles; an inscription panel is flanked by the pilasters, and an armorial cartouche with floral garlands set within a broken pediment rises above. Also in the south porch is the monument to Gilbert Burnet (c.1715, by R. Hartshorne), featuring pilasters flanking a panel with emblems of learning under a broken and open pediment. In the north porch is the monument to Elizabeth Partridge (c.1702), a cartouche with bust, weeping putti and a death's head.

19th and 20th-century glass includes a large Ascension window at the east end by Heaton, Butler and Bayne (1863) and the Rose memorial window in the north aisle (1899, by Curtis, Ward and Hughes).