Parish Church of St Laurence

The Parish Church of St Laurence is a substantial parish church with origins in the 12th century, significantly altered throughout the medieval and 18th centuries. The nave dates from the 12th century, with the aisles and west bays of the nave added in the mid-13th century. The chancel was constructed around 1380, the nave arcade and clerestory around 1400, and a porch and west tower in the mid-15th century. The church is built of stone rubble with stone dressings, with slate roofs over the nave and chancel, lead to the aisles and old clay tiles to the porch.

The church comprises a two-bay chancel, a four-bay aisled nave, a west tower, and a north porch. The chancel east window features three lights with elaborate tracery and a moulded label. Two north and south windows are each of two lights with quatrefoils. The nave aisles have flat-headed three-light windows with trefoiled ogee lights and tracery. A 13th-century doorway on the south side has chamfered jambs and a label with grotesque head stops. The north door is from the 14th century with moulded jambs and a plain label. The porch's outer entrance has moulded jambs and a label, with a single trefoiled light in each side wall.

The clerestory has three windows on each side, each of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil and a plain label. The two-stage west tower has diagonal buttresses on its lower stage and a two-light window above a two-order chamfered west door. The two-light belfry windows have cinquefoiled lights and tracery. The tower has a battlemented parapet and an 18th-century ogee leaded cupola with a wrought iron weather vane.

Inside, the chancel includes an aumbry to the north and a piscina to the south, with a cinquefoil head and octofoil basin. The chancel arch, dating from around 1330, exhibits two chamfered orders, triple shafts, and moulded caps and bases. A rood stair entry is located to the left in the nave. The nave arcade has two chamfered orders with octagonal or circular moulded caps. Aisle roofs retain some old principals with curved wall brackets; other ceilings are flat.

An octagonal font from the 15th century stands on a base with traceried panels, each containing a shield. A 17th-century font cover, communion table, and communion rails, the latter with twisted balusters, are also present. Brasses include one depicting John Olney, dating from around 1400, on the north aisle wall, with marginal inscriptions, evangelist symbols in the corners, and a shield. A brass effigy on the south aisle wall represents Elizabeth, wife of Sir Walter Hungerford and secondly of Sir Roger Throckmorton, along with her five daughters; she died in 1571. A 17th-century Throckmorton family monument on the south aisle’s east wall exhibits panelled Corinthian pilasters, a broken entablature, a scroll pediment with a central cartouche of arms, a base mould with curved scroll brackets under pilasters, fringed drapery, and cherub’s heads.

Stained glass from around 1300 is found in the chancel east window, depicting censing angels flanking Christ in the upper lights, and a bishop and five Apostles below. Medieval glass is also present in the upper lights of two chancel north windows and the west window on the south side.