Church of St James

The Church of St James is a parish church with origins dating back to the 12th century, significant fenestration from the 14th century, and a restoration by Street in 1868-69. It is constructed primarily of flint with plain tiled roofs. The church comprises a chancel and nave, a north aisle to the nave, a north chapel to the chancel, a south porch, and a west tower.

The two-stage west tower features offset clasping buttresses, a string course, and battlements. Lancet windows are set into the upper stage, while the western doorway is moulded with attached shafts. The nave and chancel are punctuated by five offset buttresses, largely dating to the 19th century, and feature a 19th-century south porch with a 16th-century six-panelled and ribbed door. The chancel east window, dating from around 1300, has five cinquefoiled lights under a hood mould. A small lancet window is found on the chancel south wall, and other windows are in the 14th and 15th century styles, reflecting Street’s restorations as much as original fabric. A large brick buttress is situated between the nave and tower on the north-west side.

Inside, the unmoulded pointed tower arch has scalloped wall brackets set into the wall to the left and right. The north arcade consists of three bays dating from the 15th century, with double-chamfered arches, piers with clustered shafts, and responds with attached shafts. The nave and chancel share a single roof structure; the nave has six crown posts with moulded knee-braces, while the chancel has two. The north aisle has a lean-to roof supported by a crenellated wall plate and moulded cross-beams. A single arch with a double chamfer connects the chancel to the north chapel, accompanied by a 19th-century side doorway. The north chapel is covered by a braced rafter roof.

Notable fittings include a trecusped piscina and a small trecusped aumbry on the north wall of the chancel. A 16th-century screen separates the north aisle from the chapel, composed of four bays with solid lower panels on either side of a centrally restored door, topped with a crenellated beam. The 15th-century font is set on a double-stepped base, featuring an octagonal bowl and stem decorated with symbols of the four evangelists alternating with demi-angels, a pilgrim, and the Trinity. The stem is adorned with lions and wild men. A decorative chandelier of brass and possibly wood hangs in the tower.

The north chapel contains a series of notable monuments, including a pair of identical tablets commemorating John Lynch, who died in 1732, featuring white plaques within grey marble surrounds, fluted Doric pilasters, a frieze, and an open pediment displaying an achievement. Oval tablets of the Lynch family and a tablet dedicated to John Squire, who died in 1661, are also present. Additional tablets commemorate John Clarke (1691), William Lynch (1785), and Gratianus Lynch (1674): the latter features an architectural surround with black marble Ionic columns and foliated scrolls, an open segmental pediment, and an achievement, all resting on an enriched bracketed base. Tablets with draped urns honor Reverend William Tatton (1782) and Terry Marsh (1789), both crafted by Longley of Canterbury. A brass figure, approximately two feet in height, portraying a civilian from the early 16th century remains in the north chapel.