Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew

Parish church of the 15th century with extensive restoration undertaken in 1862. The building is constructed of coursed squared sandstone and limestone rubble, with 19th-century work in snecked rubble and limestone dressings. The roofs are lead with raised coped verges and cross finials, though the finial is missing to the east. Ashlar parapets are present throughout. The church comprises a west tower, nave, north aisle and chapel, south aisle and chapel, south porch, and chancel, all executed in the Perpendicular style.

The west tower is in three stages. The western door has a pointed arch with a hood mould featuring mask stops. Above this is a large three-light window with a continuous hood mould. The second stage contains a smaller two-light window with hood moulds on all sides. The third stage has two-light bell-openings with Somerset tracery on all four sides, and to the south a small ogee-headed hollow-chamfered window. The tower has a plinth, weathered diagonal buttresses, and moulded string courses. An octagonal stair turret rises to the south-east with lancet windows. The top string course features gargoyles and supports an embattled panelled parapet with a central image niche containing an image flanked by crocketed pinnacles at the corners. Above the stair turret rises a ribbed spirelet with a similar parapet and pinnacles.

The four-bay north aisle has two-light windows to the north and one three-light window to the west, all with hood moulds. It features weathered diagonal buttresses, a plinth, a cornice with masks and gargoyles, and an embattled parapet. The north chapel has a three-light north window with a flat head and hood mould, a small door, a lancet, steps to a cellar, and a three-light east window. It shares the buttresses, cornice, and embattled parapet style of the aisle.

The three-bay south aisle has a two-light west window and two three-light south windows, the right one being furnished with a transom and lower lights with four-centred arched heads. It exhibits a cornice, parapet, and buttresses matching those to the north. The centre bay contains a porch with a pointed arched door featuring jamb shafts, diagonal weathered buttresses, a cornice, and gargoyles. A 19th-century pierced stone traceried parapet and 20th-century double doors have been added. The south chapel has a four-light south window with a hood mould and flat head, with tracery matching that of the south aisle windows, along with a cornice, gargoyles, and embattled parapet. Its three-light east window has a hood mould and mask stops.

The chancel has a three-light east window, a section of cornice and gargoyles to each side, rainwater chutes, a buttress to each side, and a finial to the gable.

The interior of the tower features a tierceron vault with a large circle in the middle and mask bosses, one reportedly depicting a woman with rabbit's ears. The tower arch has two broad wave-mouldings.

The nave contains a four-bay south arcade cut through a former wall, with pointed chamfered arches. The four-bay north arcade has piers with four shafts and hollow moulding between them, with pointed arches, angels at the springers and in the spandrels. The nave roof spans four bays with arched-braces and collars, one row of purlins, brattished wall-plates, and angel corbels along the walls—156 angels in total. The north and south aisles have four-bay roofs matching the nave design. Pointed arches connect each aisle and the nave to the chancel and chapels. A small four-centred arched door with a heavy fillet from the south aisle leads to the tower.

The south chapel has a five-bay ceiled roof with moulded ribs and a wide pointed north arch to the chancel. The north chapel has a two-bay roof with principal rafters, a collar, one row of purlins, brattished wall-plate, and two pointed arches to the chancel matching those of the north arcade.

The chancel roof spans two bays with the nave design, featuring leaf bosses on the arched-braces. A piscina is present to the south, and a 19th-century stone and marble reredos occupies the east end.

The porch has a common rafter and collar roof with 19th-century pointed arched double doors. Inset to the left is a carved woman with an anchor, removed from Whalley Court.

The 19th-century fittings include pews with poppy-head bench ends in the nave and aisles, a stone Perpendicular pulpit in the nave, a stone font on a stem with polished stone in the south aisle, and an eagle lectern in the nave incorporating a large crystal fragment. A carved wooden chest, used as an altar, sits in the south chapel. Royal Arms hang over the west door, and the tower contains four hatchments and a stone tablet recording parish gifts and subscriptions for a charity school.

A marble tablet to John Gray, dated 1851, by Tyley of Bristol, is located in the south aisle. A marble tablet with an urn in the north chapel dates to the 18th century, though its inscription is illegible.