The Roman Catholic Church of St Lawrence

The Roman Catholic Church of St Lawrence

A Roman Catholic church with sacristy, built in 1838 from a converted stable, brew house and ostler's accommodation belonging to a former inn, which now serves as the presbytery. The inn itself originated in the 17th century and was altered and extended in the 18th century.

The building is constructed of stone rubble with a tiled pitched roof. There is a rendered stack at its south end, heightened in brick, where it abuts the adjacent kitchen wing to the presbytery (probably a later infill). A further, smaller brick stack serves the nave, and another similarly serves the sacristy at its north end.

The plan comprises an open rectangular nave with a narthex at its south end, and a sanctuary with an attached sacristy at its north end.

The main elevation facing the courtyard retains a vernacular style and is four bays wide. The entrance in the far right-hand bay has a flat-arched opening with late 20th century timber double replacement doors. The three windows to the nave are set in rectangular openings with stone sills and a central keystone, and are surrounded by later brickwork, suggesting they were probably inserted when the building was converted into a church. The elevation shows the remnants of a number of former openings, now blocked up. The sacristy comprises the far right-hand bay of the former ostler's accommodation, attached to the north end of the church and projecting slightly further forward into the courtyard. The entrance to the sacristy has steps leading to a doorway with a moulded stone ashlar surround, restored in the late 20th century. Above it to the right is a stone mullion window.

Internally, the narthex has timber raised and fielded panelling with a dog-leg stair with stick balusters, square posts and swept handrail leading to the gallery. The nave has raised and fielded panelling with whitewashed walls and ceiling above, though remnants of decorative early 19th century bands of stencilling in green and gold are visible on the walls. The slightly raised sanctuary at the north end has taller raised and fielded panelling to the walls with a decoratively moulded frieze featuring a carved and gilded fleurs-de-lys motif. At its centre is a highly decorative timber altar piece in Gothic style. The reredos contains paintings of the four apostles flanking a gold tabernacle with crucifix above. The reredos is now separated from the altar, which has been moved forward as required by Vatican II. The altar also contains paintings, including that of the lamb of God to the centre, flanked on either side by images of white lilies.

The ceiling over the nave, sanctuary and gallery contains an exposed timber king-post roof of seven bays. A door to the left of the sanctuary leads to the sacristy attached to the north, which contains early 19th century raised and fielded timber painted panelling to wainscot level throughout with a projecting, fully integrated fireplace.

The parish hall with flat-roofed late 20th century extension attached to the north, and the outbuildings opposite the church on the west side of the courtyard, are not considered to be of special architectural or historic interest and are excluded from the listing.