Church Of Saint Giles

The Church of St Giles is a parish church largely dating back to the 13th century, with significant additions and alterations through the 14th and 15th centuries. It was restored in 1870 by William White, with further work in 1886 by J.L. Pearson.

The church is constructed of regular coursed ironstone rubble, with a plain tile and lead roof. It comprises a chancel, nave, north aisle, south aisle, a west tower, and a north-west porch. The chancel features two-light curvilinear windows, some with hood moulds and head stops; the two western-most side windows have dropped sills. A blocked two-centred arched doorway is situated on the north side. The north and south aisles have mainly triplets of lancet windows, with a pointed arched doorway to the south side and two-light Perpendicular windows to the clerestory.

The three-stage west tower has two-light Perpendicular windows at the first stage and in the bell tower. String courses define the first and second stages, and a pointed arched doorway with chamfered jambs is located on the south side. A sundial is set into the south wall, and two diagonal buttresses are present. The porch is in an unusual position, situated in the angle between the tower and the north aisle. The clerestory and tower are both crenellated. Stone copings and ridge tiles are found on the chancel and porch.

Inside, the chancel has a piscina with ball flower decoration, a stone seat with an elaborate crocketed ogee canopy to the southwest, and tomb recesses in the north and south walls. The nave has three-bay arcades with double-chamfered arches. The piers are round on the north side and octagonal on the south side. The nave and north aisle roofs are Perpendicular in style, with ornamental bosses, and corbels to the nave roof display carved head decoration. Steps lead to a rood loft to the left of the pulpit, and a piscina is located on the south wall of the south aisle. Two early 14th-century stone effigies are in the chancel, depicting a recumbent knight on the north side and a recumbent man with two small female figures on the south side. Fragmentary 14th-century foliage designs are present in the tracery lights of two north chancel windows, while the south window features 14th-century figures of a dragon and a lion’s face. The east window is a 1909 work by A.L. Moore. Fittings include two Perpendicular bench ends in the north aisle and a 19th-century font with unusual moulding.