Church Of St Giles

The Church of St Giles is a church dating back to the 12th century, with significant additions and alterations around 1300 and the 14th century. It’s constructed primarily of limestone rubble with ashlar dressings, and has an old plain-tile roof. The church comprises a nave, chancel, north transept, a west tower and spire, and a south porch.

The chancel retains a lancet window dating from around 1200 and a small arched doorway on its north side, but the south wall is early 14th century with two 2-light windows featuring geometrical tracery. The east window is late 14th century, in an early-Perpendicular style, and a square-headed 2-light window was inserted into the north wall during the 15th century. The south wall of the nave has a rebuilt section, containing a plain 3-light stone-mullioned window from the 17th century. Traces of former crossing piers are still visible. Further west is a 2-light Decorated window. The original 12th-century south door, sheltered by a 19th-century timber-framed porch, has a deep hood mould with lozenge decoration and an old plank door with remains of crescent hinges. To the west of the door is a 15th-century window set within a 12th-century opening, visible internally, and a matching 19th-century replacement. The north wall of the nave is largely blank, except for a late 12th-century doorway with an old plank door and a moulded outer arch supported by detached shafts with flat-leaf capitals. The western angles of the nave retain 12th-century roll mouldings. The late 13th-century north transept has a cusped lancet and a small 2-light window with cusped Y-tracery. The late 13th-century three-stage tower features a cusped lancet to the west, 2-light belfry openings with plain Y-tracery, and a rendered, octagonal broach spire rising above a plain parapet. Massive 15th-century buttresses flank the tower to the west.

Inside, the chancel has a 15th-century piscina and a richly-moulded arched tomb recess dating from around 1300, with pierced cusping. The 7-centred coupled-rafter roof is likely from the 14th century, and the black and white marble floor may be 17th century. A simple 15th-century screen is within the chancel arch. The canted roofs of the nave and transept are covered with 19th-century boarded panelling. A 12th-century archway with two unchamfered orders, represents a scheme for nave aisles, leads to an ancient stair with solid triangular treads. A plain 17th-century panelled pulpit is also present. Fine early 15th-century stained glass, including two donor figures, is found in the north chancel window, with fragments in two other windows. A notable memorial is an elaborate wall monument of 1650 to Walter Dunch, featuring two shrouded, wreathed marble half figures framed by black marble Tuscan columns supporting a broken segmental pediment with an armorial cartouche. A standing white-marble monument commemorates Sir Henry Dunch (died 1686) and features a large urn atop it. Several 18th-century wall tablets are dedicated to the White family, alongside numerous 17th and 18th-century ledger stones.