Church Of St Helen

The Church of St Helen is a church with a history spanning several centuries. The core of the building dates back to the 12th century, comprising the nave and chancel, with aisles added in the 13th century. The nave was re-roofed in the late 15th century. The west tower was substantially rebuilt around 1765, with work begun in a classical style and completed around 1781 by Stephen Townsend in a Gothic style. The chancel was rebuilt in 1862 by Charles Buckeridge.

The church is constructed from a variety of materials, with the nave likely using rendered limestone rubble, the chancel incorporating flint and stone dressings, and the tower built with ashlar limestone. The nave has a sheet aluminium roof, the aisles have sheet copper roofs, and the chancel retains an old plain-tile roof. The tower roof is not visible.

The building plan consists of a three-bay aisled nave, a chancel, and a west tower. A gabled porch with ribbed double doors and a two-centred stone arched surround is located to the left of the aisle. The aisle has two windows with Reticulated tracery, each with two lights and a hood mould. The clerestory of the nave features three two-light stone mullioned windows with leaded lights. The chancel to the right holds two 19th-century Romanesque lancets flanking a round-topped plank door.

The west tower has three stages. The ground stage holds a central plank door with a two-centred arched top within a stone surround set in a tall, round-topped shallow recess, complemented by angled corner buttresses. A string course runs between the first and second stage. The second stage features a round window with a plain surround, and another string course separates the second and third stages. A two-light Y-tracery louvred opening is situated in the third stage, topped by a battlemented parapet with fluted finials and pyramidal caps at each corner. Return views of the tower are similar, with a round-topped window in the center of the first stage of the left return, and a round-topped blind panel on the first stage of the rear. The rear of the church has three two-centred arch-topped windows to the aisle, alongside two dormer windows in the aisle roof. There are also two trefoil-topped lancets, likely belonging to a former Lady Chapel, now serving as a vestry and organ chamber. The right return of the chancel displays three lancets under a common two-centred arched hood mould.

Internally, a 12th-century font with a 17th-century cover is located to the left of the chancel arch. The chancel arch is of the 13th century, consisting of a single chamfered order with a roll mould. The nave roof comprises square panels with carved bosses, some decorated with the Tudor rose. 19th-century stained glass is present in the chancel.