Church Of St Lawrence

Church of St Lawrence

Parish church with complex development spanning from the 14th century to the 18th century. The nave and north aisle date to the 14th century, the central tower to the 15th century, and the clerestory and two-storey south porch to the 16th century. The chancel is dated 1708 by an inscription on a rainwater head.

The building is constructed of rubble limestone with ashlar dressings to the chancel, and ironstone to the tower. Roofs are flat lead to the main building, with tiles and stone coped gable to the south porch. The nave and north aisle have battlemented parapets.

The windows include four clerestory windows, a 15th-century window to the south walk of the nave, a 14th-century west window, and a blocked north door. The tall tower is distinguished by shallow buttresses and long 15th-century windows below a string course, with paired bellchamber windows above and a battlemented parapet with string at the foot. Large gargoyles occupy the corners, and a central wrought iron scroll weathervane sits at the apex.

The chancel elevation displays particularly elaborate classical detail. The east wall features Corinthian pilasters on plinths supporting sections of entablature and pediment, with a trophy of arms carved in the tympanum and vases at the corners. Between the pilasters are two niches with shell heads and architraves supported on pilasters with projecting moulded aprons. The south elevation carries a cornice round and has a similar pilaster at the east end. Two windows with 19th-century gothic tracery are enclosed in architraves under bolection friezes, cornices and segmental pediments, flanking a central door with eaves architrave, carved skull brackets, frieze, cornice and scroll pediment with central coat of arms. The carving is by William Oldfield.

The interior of the nave has a 14th-century arcade of three bays with 18th-century dados. The tower contains an 18th-century ringers gallery which was formed into a roodloft with screen by J.N. Comper in 1905. Tall tower arches rise to a lierne vault above.

The chancel screen dates to the 18th century and comprises slender oak Doric columns supporting three moulded oak arches with keyblocks. The central opening contains a wrought iron gate with scroll side panels and foliage ornament. The chancel has an enriched plaster ceiling and cornice, with a panelled dado below. The floor is black and white marble. The reredos is arcaded with three text panels divided by Corinthian pilasters supporting entablature with carved frieze and pediment panel with side scrolls over the central panel. An 18th-century altar stands with altar rails featuring turned barley-sugar balusters.

The church contains important monuments. In the north aisle is a monument to Anthony Cave dated 1554, erected in 1576, featuring a skeleton in a shroud on a sarcophagus in front of an inscription panel with strapwork scrolls. Above are a son and six daughters floating on either side of a table, flanked by caryatids with Doric capitals standing on plinths and supporting a canopy with entablature, frieze of triglyph and roundels, and pediment. A monument to Sir Anthony Chester (died 1637) and Dame Elizabeth his wife (died 1629) has effigies kneeling on either side of a desk on a flat marble shelf, flanked by fluted marble Corinthian columns and pilasters supporting entablature with floral frieze and large central coat of arms with scroll supports. The soffit is panelled and enriched. A brass with engraved skeleton and shield bearing Cave arms also commemorates Anthony Cave, dated 1558. On the chancel north wall is a large black and white marble monument to Sir Anthony Chester (died 1697) and Mary his wife (died 1710), with inscription, curved broken pediment and coat of arms.