Church Of St James

This parish church dates from the late 11th or 12th century, with 13th and 14th century additions and alterations, and was restored in 1877. It is built of flint with stone dressings and has plain tile roofs. The church comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, south porch, and chancel with north and south chapels.

West Tower

The tower is 13th century with a late 11th or 12th century base and retains its medieval belfry. It has a single stage, though the north and south sides reduce in width about halfway up with plain-tile shoulders. Large stone quoins mark the north-west and south-west corners of the lower half. A diagonal buttress stands at the south-west corner. The shingled timber-framed belfry is jettied to the west and topped by a splay-footed octagonal spire. Each face of the belfry has two louvred three-light trefoil-headed windows. There are no tower windows to the north or east. Towards the top of the west face is a broadly-pointed plain-chamfered lancet, with another to the south. A taller plain-chamfered lancet forms the west window. The west doorway has a plain-chamfered pointed arch.

Nave and South Aisle

The south elevation of the nave is continuous with the south wall of the tower base and contains a 19th century traceried three-light window. The south aisle is 14th century, possibly with late 11th or early 12th century origins. It is narrow and gabled, stopping short of the west end of the nave, and has no plinth. A buttress stands towards the east end. The 14th or early 15th century pointed west window has two cinquefoil-headed lights with tracery of vertical bars and a hoodmould. East of the porch is one straight-headed 15th or 16th century south window with two cinquefoil-headed lights and a rectangular hoodmould.

South Porch

The south porch is medieval, restored in the 19th century, built of coursed knapped flint with a gabled plain-tile roof. Windows with cambered heads appear on each side. The roof is a crown-post structure with two plain outer crown posts and a broadly-chamfered rectangular central crown post featuring broach stops and head braces. The tie-beams are chamfered. The inner doorway has a pointed arch with plain chamfering and broach stops. The outer doorway has an unchamfered pointed arch.

South Chancel Chapel

The early 14th century south chancel chapel is continuous with the south aisle but has a chamfered stone plinth and lower eaves and ridge. Its east end is flush with the chancel. A diagonal buttress stands at the south-east corner. The large straight-headed south window has three cinquefoil-headed lights and a moulded hoodmould. A similar two-light window faces east.

Chancel

The chancel is 13th century, probably with late 11th or 12th century origins. It is slightly narrower than the nave and has no plinth. Two buttresses support the structure. The 15th or 16th century untraceried east window has a cambered head, three cinquefoil-headed lights, and a hoodmould.

North Chancel Chapel

The early 14th century north chancel chapel is flush with the east end of the chancel and has no plinth. A diagonal buttress stands at the north-east corner. The 14th century pointed-arched east window has three cinquefoil-headed lights, tracery of cusped intersecting glazing bars forming trefoils and quatrefoils, and a hoodmould. The pointed-arched 14th century north window has Y tracery and a trefoil, without a hoodmould.

North Aisle

The 14th century north aisle has more stone mixed with the flint construction. It is continuous with the north chancel chapel and slightly overlaps the tower. It has no plinth. One untraceried 15th or 16th century north window has a cambered head, three cinquefoil-headed lights, and a hoodmould. The straight-headed west window has two cinquefoil-headed lights and a hoodmould. A small blocked plain-chamfered pointed-arched north doorway is also present. Rainwater heads are dated 1877.

Interior Structure

The nave has a two-bay early 14th century south arcade with doubly plain-chamfered pointed arches and octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases. The 14th century north arcade is similar but extends further to the west and has more intricately-moulded capitals. The east end of the south arcade rests on a late 11th or 12th century pier of large ashlar blocks on a plain-chamfered plinth, with the top heavily corbelled to the south side. Footings for further structure extend to the east and south. Small, probably pre-14th century, stone quoins cap the east pier of the north arcade, topped by a single block from which the arch springs.

The doubly plain-chamfered pointed early 14th century chancel arch springs from moulded rectangular capitals which break forwards unusually. The piers are plain-chamfered with broach stops. Two-bay early 16th century north and south arcades to the chancel have doubly hollow-chamfered four-centred arches and octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases.

The early 14th century pointed arch between the south chancel chapel and south aisle has a plain-chamfered inner order and a slightly ovolo-moulded outer order. Moulded rectangular capitals, slightly different from the chancel-arch capitals but similarly breaking forwards under the inner order of the arch, rest on image corbels. The piers are slightly hollow chamfered with cushion stops to the base and undercut trefoils to the tops.

The doubly plain-chamfered pointed arch between the north chancel chapel and north aisle springs from chamfered imposts which break forwards to the centre with rounded corbels underneath. The low, pointed 14th century tower arch has a plain-chamfered inner order springing from moulded semi-octagonal piers and a hollow-chamfered outer order descending to ground with cushion and broach stops. Above the arch are exposed voussoirs of a taller, broader, blocked, round-headed late 11th or 12th century tower arch.

Roofs

The nave and north aisle have 19th century crown-post roofs. The chancel and north chancel chapel roofs are boarded in five cants. The south chancel chapel has a plastered barrel vault. The south has a medieval crown-post roof with three cambered plain-chamfered tie-beams, moulded octagonal crown posts, sous-laces and ashlar pieces.

Fittings

A piscina sits in a rectangular recess towards the east end of the south chancel chapel. A 13th century piscina occupies a moulded recess with a trefoiled head and moulded hoodmould towards the east end of the south wall of the chancel. An image corbel appears on the north wall of the north chancel chapel.

The late 11th or 12th century font is low, deep and octagonal, with two panels of blind arcading to each side, a circular central pier and eight slender perimeter columns. A small 17th century altar table and a hexagonal 17th century pulpit with sunk moulded panels, strapwork, fleur-de-lys frieze and enriched cornice are present. A medieval screen, probably of domestic origin, with close-studded partition under a moulded and brattished beam, stands across the west end of the north aisle. Laudian altar rails with turned balusters complete the fittings.

Monuments

On the south wall of the south chancel chapel is a cartouche to Sir William Honeywood, who died in 1748. On the same wall is a monument to Thomas Honeywood, who died in 1622, in grey-painted chalk in the form of a triptych. The central section has a moulded and pulvinated base, scrolled base-plate and shield, and a raised and moulded inscription panel in an eared surround, flanked by Composite columns. Above it is a recessed panel with inverted scrolls and a triangular pediment with a cherub's head and achievements. The recessed flanking sections are each carved with an angel in a husked surround, with a scrolled base plate and corniced pediment with shields. Also on the same wall is a tablet to Mary Honeywood, who died in 1708, lettered on a shroud with gilded fringe, cherubs' heads and a shield surmounted by an urn. A brass of a lady, part of a brass to Christopher Gay, who died in 1507, survives.

On the north wall of the north chancel chapel is a monument to William Honeywood, who died in 1669. It has a black marble inscription panel in a frame which breaks forwards twice. Each back panel is eared, the outer with inverted scrolls to the base and festoons to the return sides. A festooned rectangular panel is flanked by acanthus consoles and has a scrolled acanthus base plate under the inscription panel. A moulded cornice over an oak-leaf frieze breaks forwards three times. A segmental pediment with achievements sits over the central break.

On the same wall is a monument by Thomas Scheemakers to Sir John Honeywood, who died in 1781. In white marble, it has a rectangular inscription panel flanked by reeded pilasters which curve out at the top to form consoles under flower paterae. A shaped base plate also bears an inscription. A moulded cornice is surmounted by a sarcophagus with a bust above it, set against a grey marble obelisk back plate.