Church Of St James

Church of St. James, South Leigh

A church of late 12th-century origins with significant late 15th-century work. The chancel dates from the late 12th century but was rebuilt in 1871–72 by E.W. Christian. The nave and north aisle are late 15th-century work, probably by William Orchard, and were restored in 1871 by C.C. Rolfe and again in 1887–88 by H.W. Moore. The west tower is also late 15th-century.

The exterior is built of coursed limestone rubble with gabled stone slate roofs to the aisle and north chancel; the nave and north aisle have shallow-pitched roofs. The chancel features a north chapel that runs into the north aisle. The late 15th-century five-light east window has panel tracery. The south chancel wall contains an early 16th-century three-light window with round arches and a vine-carved label mould. A chamfered Norman doorway with a hogbacked lintel and carved tympanum depicting a Maltese cross bordered by arcs and coves is also on the south chancel wall, with a further chamfered Norman window with hood-mould to the north.

The late 15th-century north chapel has a three-light window with panel tracery and head stops to the label-mould, plus a three-light cinquefoil-headed north window. The north aisle, comprising three bays, contains three-light cinquefoil-headed windows divided by offset buttresses and a three-light west window with panel tracery, beneath a crenellated parapet. The south wall of the nave has two three-light windows of panel tracery and a pointed chamfered doorway in a south porch; the porch gable contains part of a Maltese cross in its apex. A casement-moulded south doorway with mid-19th-century doors is also present. The nave has a crenellated parapet.

The three-stage west tower features string courses and is decorated with a casement-moulded west door with foliate spandrels including a Green Man. Above this is a two-centred Y-tracery window. The tower has offset corner buttresses and an adjoining square stair-turret on the north aisle; two-light belfry windows; and carved heads and gargoyles on a coved frieze beneath the crenellated parapet. All late 15th-century hood-moulds over windows have fine head stops.

Interior features include a late 12th-century pillar piscina in front of an aumbry. The late 15th-century archway to the north chapel has slender shafts running into casement moulding with moulded capitals. The chancel arch is double-chamfered with moulded capitals. The three-bay north arcade contains slender piers of similar moulding to the north chapel arch; a statue corbel with a carved herald stands above a squint to the east. A similar 15th-century archway connects the north aisle to the chapel, with a 15th-century cinquefoiled and ogee-headed chapel screen. The mid-19th-century chancel screen has reset 15th-century traceried open panels and a rood by Gibbs and Moore dating to around 1873. A candelabra by Sir Ninian Comper dates to 1935. A plain polygonal pulpit with octagonal stem, presented in 1712, stands next to a parish chest dated 1780. The late 15th-century octagonal font rests on a simple panelled base. An organ case by Sebastian Comper is present, together with a 15th-century plank door to the west tower. Other fittings and roofs are late 19th-century. Three late 15th-century head corbels survive in the north aisle.

Memorials include late 17th- and early 18th-century ledger stones in the north chapel and a brass to William Secoll (died 1557) in the nave.

An important group of late 15th-century wall paintings survives, restored in 1872 by Burlison and Grylls. The south chancel wall displays the Virgin under a canopy, whilst the east end of the north aisle shows St. Clement of Rome under a similar canopy, with stars on a blue background around the adjoining window jamb. A complete Last Judgement scene is painted over the chancel arch and adjacent nave walls. Unrestored paintings at the west end of the north aisle depict the '7 deadly sins falling into the mouth of hell'. Repetitive floral patterns at the east end of the nave were added by Gibbs and Moore around 1888.

The stained glass includes an east window by O'Connor from 1871. The east window of the north chapel contains fragments of 15th-century glass, including quarries and border pieces, heads of Christ and the Virgin, Adam Digging, and hanging shields of arms. A Yorkist sun badge or crown is set in the cusping of the north window of the north chapel and the middle window of the north aisle.

The church holds historical significance as the venue where John Wesley preached his first sermon in 1725.