Parish Church Of St Thomas A Becket

The parish church of St Thomas a Becket largely dates from the 15th century, with a chancel, west tower and crossing arches. The porch and nave arcades are 16th century, and the north and south aisles and general restoration are 19th century. South aisle windows were added in 1870 by Rev F C Hingeston-Randolph. The church is built of coursed rubble, coursed squared rubble, and ashlar with ashlar dressings. It has tiled, gabled roofs to the nave and chancel, and slated, gable-ended roofs to the north aisle and vestry.

The original church was likely cruciform in layout. Architectural styles include the Perpendicular (15th and 16th centuries) and Decorated (19th century). The west tower has two stages separated by a string course and an embattled parapet. A vice tower on the north side has a small window. The upper stage of the tower has two-centred 'Perpendicular' windows with hood moulds and pierced stone panels, and diagonal buttresses. A doorway appears to have been inserted below the original west window, with a moulded round head and a label featuring carved stops. The west window itself is of three lights under a two-centred head with an interesting label featuring sculpted bishop and king head stops, reminiscent of the church at Fifehead Neville. South aisle windows are of two trefoiled lights with cinqufoils, under two-centred heads with returned labels. North aisle windows are generally of four trefoiled lights under flat heads with returned labels. A west north aisle window has two trefoiled lights under a two-centred head with labels featuring 18th-century head stops. The east window is of three trefoiled lights with cinqufoils. The south aisle has a moulded ashlar parapet with gargoyles. The south porch has diagonal buttresses and a vice turret in ashlar, with an elliptical arched entrance and a parapet with gargoyles. The inner doorway has a two-centred head with continuously moulded jambs.

Inside, the nave arcades have four bays with two-centred arches. The eastern arch is likely part of the original crossing and features head corbels, while the western pier capitals show Renaissance influence. There are also squints to the aisles. The two-centred moulded tower arch has small head stops and plain jambs. The chancel arch springs from head corbels. A reset 15th-century sedilia has a niche with pinnacles and crocketted finials. A cylindrical font from the 12th century stands on later shafts. The nave and chancel have waggon roofs, while the aisles have boarded, sloping roofs. A carved head from the 12th century is set in the reverse of the tower vice door head. Some 15th-century glass has been reset, along with other fittings from the 19th and 20th centuries.