Church Of St Lawrence

The Church of St. Lawrence is a building dating back to the early 12th century, with significant alterations made in the early 14th and 15th centuries. Further work occurred around 1632, commissioned by William Lenthall, Speaker of the House of Commons, and again in 1788 by William John Lenthall. The church is constructed of uncoursed limestone rubble with a gabled stone slate roof.

The church comprises a nave and chancel. A late 13th-century three-light window with a trefoil head is a prominent feature. The south wall has three 15th-century windows, each with two cinquefoil-headed lights, and three restored buttresses. A narrow, pointed, chamfered priest's door is set into the second bay from the right. An early 17th-century gabled porch has a wide, cusp-chamfered arch, and timber-framed side walls built on brick and limestone plinths. An early 12th-century round-headed doorway frames an ancient plank door, fitted with two 12th-century strap hinges and a crescent-shaped decoration at the top. The north wall features restored buttresses, a 15th-century two-light window, and an early 14th-century two-light Decorated window, flanking a projection for rood stairs with a narrow slit window. The west gable contains a late 13th-century three-light trefoil-headed window and a twin bellcote dating to 1632.

Inside, the east window retains a cinquefoiled rere-arch. A late 19th-century reredos is present. Architectural features include a late 13th-century trefoil-headed piscina and an early 12th-century pillar piscina with a decorated stem and scalloped capital. A parish chest from the early 17th century has a panelled door, a hinged lid, and is set on wooden wheels. The chancel floor has a marble floor tablet commemorating John Lenthall (died 1681), alongside a set of early 17th-century floor tiles decorated with quatrefoils. The chancel roof has a 15th-century brattished cornice and a plastered ceiling. A tympanum dating to 1632 is decorated with carved oak pendants and a painted depiction of angels bearing the Lenthall arms, over an inscription which reads: "THIS CHURCH WAS RESTORED IN THE YEARE 1632/AND ALSO REPAIRED BY THE HONOURABLE WILLIAM LENTHALL ESQR./MASTER OF THE ROLLS IN THE YEARE 1657." The nave houses an unusual mid-17th-century font, described as having a "small garlanded bowl set on a round stem with bands of rocky rustication". The mid-to-late 19th-century roof features a 17th-century moulded cornice with angels holding shields of arms at intervals. Other furnishings include a late 18th-century communion rail, a pulpit with a tester, box pews, and steps to a gallery with hat-pegs and splat balusters at the west end. Numerous 18th and 19th-century wall memorials are also present, along with a small white marble inscription in a black marble surround commemorating Winnifred Thompson (died 1708/9) and a memorial to Susanna Brome (died 1717), which includes a heraldic achievement with a draped and garlanded surround and palm sprays at the base.