Church Of St James

Church of St James

An Anglican parish church of outstanding architectural and historical importance, with origins in the 12th century but substantially developed in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. The building was further enriched by the addition of a west tower built between 1630 and 1632, a memorial chapel dated 1656, and underwent restoration in 1904. The structure is built in rubble stone and ashlar with stone slate roofs and coped gables.

The most prominent feature is the west tower, constructed in ashlar for Henry, 1st Earl of Danby. It is a substantial structure with heavy ashlar clasping buttresses rising to square angle pinnacles, a plinth, dripcourses and a cornice decorated with shields and gargoyles. The parapet is embattled and the main walling is composed of small ashlar pieces. The bell-openings are plain and 2-light with Tudor arches. On the second stage, the west front displays a large and ornate achievement of the Danby arms within an open pedimented frame, beneath which is an inscription plaque. The south side features a similar 2-light opening with a fielded panel below, and a sundial dated 1680 on the buttress to the left. The north side has a fine lozenge-framed clock face. Above all this sits a three-light Perpendicular-style west window, with a plain four-centred arch over the west door below.

The nave and aisles date from the 14th century and are built in roughcast rubble stone. They are arranged in four bays with substantial gabled aisles and buttresses at each end. Heavy stone corbel tables run along the gable lines. Large porches occupy the second bays on both sides, dating from the 14th century, with their fenestration possibly of the 17th century. These porches feature two-chamfered pointed arches with stone seats within, rafter roofs with moulded wall-plates, and plank doors set in recessed segmental-headed arches with imposts and octagonal shafts bearing cushion capitals. These shafts are of 12th-century date and appear to have been reused. The remaining windows of the aisles are 2-light with ogee-headed lights and blank spandrels. The south aisle has a 3-light east window with a quatrefoil head. The north aisle continues in matching style but is built in small ashlar blocks for the 17th-century chapel extension, which has two matching north windows and a Perpendicular-style 3-light to the east with unusual tracery details.

The chancel dates from the 15th century and was extended eastwards in the 16th century. It contains two 15th-century 2-light south windows, followed by a 16th-century flat-headed 4-light window on both south and north walls. The east end has angle buttresses and a Perpendicular-style 3-light window.

The interior preserves remarkable features spanning centuries. The nave and aisles have five-bay roofs of 1904, but the east bay of the nave retains a boarded wagon ceiling with reused 15th-century moulded ribs and diagonal intersecting tracery, adorned with carved angels on the ridge. The chancel also has a 1904 boarded wagon roof with similar applied decoration in the east bay. The arcades are of 14th-century date, consisting of four bays with octagonal piers and two-chamfered pointed arches. The tower arch dates from 1630 and is pointed with moulded imposts; it is painted with an inscription and displays carved Danby arms above. A 17th-century tower screen appears to be a palimpsest incorporating 15th-century woodwork. There is no chancel arch, but instead stands a remarkable oak screen of outstanding importance. The upper cornices and ogee-traceried heads of the lights date from the late 14th or 15th century, but the uprights were replaced with elongated columns around 1640 and feature 17th-century scratch-moulded panelling below. The northeast chapel features moulded round arches with imposts and keystones; the arch to the aisle bears a keystone dated 1656. The chancel has a heavy bar-stopped tie-beam.

The furnishings and monuments are of outstanding quality. The nave and aisles retain a complete set of 17th-century scratch-moulded box pews with ball finials. A pulpit of circa 1900 incorporates reused attached carved panels. The octagonal stone font is located in the north aisle.

Of exceptional rarity is a painted C16 doom on timber panels, now located at the west end of the north aisle, having formerly infilled the space above the chancel screen. The arms of George II appear over the door.

The monuments include: a wall monument in the south aisle to Ann Creed, died 1772. A plaque to Alice Wayte, circa 1780, by Reeves and Sons, at the east end. In the northeast chapel, a very large white marble tomb of the Earl of Danby, died 1643, with carved inscription running around the top slab, Purbeck marble angle piers, carved arms at the west end, and an epitaph by G. Herbert together with extensive biography on the side panels. A Gothic monument to Reverend G. Bisset, died 1828, stands on the north wall of this chapel.

In the chancel itself are two exceptionally fine monuments to Sir John and Lady Ann Danvers. On the north wall stands a Perpendicular-style tomb chest for Sir John, died 1514, decorated with quatrefoil panels and carved arms, with a Purbeck marble top inset with brasses of Sir John and Lady Danvers. A window above contains stained glass dated 1520. Opposite this, the monument to Lady Danvers is a similar tomb-chest but with a canopied recess above and concave-octagonal angle piers carried up as free-standing elements to large dog finials, displaying fine carved detail. A brass to Lady Ann Danvers, died 1539, is set into the rear wall, with fragmentary glass dated 1525 above. Three floor slabs before the altar include an incised 15th-century slab to John Dauntsey and John Dewale, a slab to Lieutenant General H. Mordaunt died 1719, and a slab with a raised white marble coronet for Charles, 5th Earl of Peterborough, died 1819. A wall monument to C. West, died 1760, is located on the north wall of the chancel.

The chancel windows merit particular note: the south windows are 15th-century 2-light; the 16th-century flat-headed 4-light windows exist on both south and north; and a Perpendicular-style 3-light occupies the east end, containing glass of 1897 to Sir H. Meux, with the central figure reputedly a portrait of Lady Meux. The south aisle contains a circa 1920 east window by W. Tower.

The chancel retains fine stalls of 16th- and 17th-century date, carved with the arms of Ann Danvers and the Earl of Danby.