Church Of St James

Church of St James

Anglican parish church with origins in the 14th and 15th centuries, substantially altered in the 19th century. The church was extended with a north aisle by H.E. Goodridge in 1832, and underwent restoration with a new chancel designed by Weaver and Adye in 1882.

The building is constructed of random rubble stone with a stone slate roof featuring coped verges and cross finials. The plan comprises a west tower, a nave with north aisle and south chapel, a porch, a chancel, and a north vestry.

The south porch, integrated into the west end of the south chapel, has a moulded pointed doorway with hoodmould terminating in lozenges. To its right is a 17th-century square-headed doorway with hoodmould bearing a relief-carved date of 1666 and initials RL (Long family), alongside a square-headed three-light Perpendicular window. A chamfered light is positioned at the west end, with a three-light Perpendicular window to the east. An 18th-century memorial tablet is set into the south wall.

The ashlar chancel of 1882 features two two-light Perpendicular-style windows to the south, diagonal buttresses, and a three-light Perpendicular-style window to the east, below which a large consecration cross is inscribed. The north vestry has a two-light Perpendicular-style east window, angle buttresses, and two Tudor-arched north doorways.

The north aisle contains three two-light Tudor-arched windows with hoodmoulds, gableted buttresses, and a moulded cornice to a plain parapet.

The three-stage west tower has short angle buttresses and a three-light 19th-century west window. A blocked south doorway is present. The bellstage is offset and pierced on both south and north sides with two-light pointed windows and pierced stone louvres. The tower is crowned with a steep saddle-back stone roof decorated with short obelisk pinnacles and ball finials.

The interior of the nave features a six-bay collar-rafter roof dating to the 1880s, with moulded arch braces, purlins enriched with carved bosses, and a foliage-carved frieze. The floor is laid in polychrome tiles with ashlar-lined walls. An early 14th-century continuously double-chamfered tower arch opens into the space.

The four-bay north arcade, also 1880s work, consists of moulded pointed arches on moulded piers with attached shafts. The aisle roof is rib-panelled. A wide moulded arch opens to the Long chapel, where a restored piscina stands on the north side of the arch. The chapel itself contains a cusped ogee piscina on the south wall, crocketed image niches flanking the east window (possibly 19th-century work), and a trefoiled squint affording a view through to the chancel.

A wide moulded chancel arch of 1880s date, resting on attached shafts, is accompanied by an open traceried low stone screen with wrought iron gates. A polygonal traceried pulpit is incorporated on the north side. The chancel floor is laid in polychrome tiles and is roofed with a four-bay collar rafter having moulded purlins and arch-braces surmounted by a carved vine frieze. A moulded pointed arch opens to the north organ chamber, with a pointed doorway accessing the vestry. A 19th-century cusped piscina stands on the south wall. Painted metal Commandment boards are mounted on the east wall. Late 19th-century seating and a 19th-century brass and wood communion rail complete the chancel furnishings.

The west window contains stained glass by O'Connor of London, commissioned in memory of William, 5th Earl of Mornington.

A stone octagonal font of 19th-century date is positioned in the tower.

The church preserves a significant collection of monuments from the 18th century onwards. In the nave is a large pilastered tablet to Sarah Newel, died 1755. The north aisle contains a scrolled pedimented tablet to Stephen Bowyer, died 1780, signed by Ranlings of Box. The chancel holds several classical black and white marble tablets, including two by King of Bath: one to Stephen Iles, died 1816, and another to James Finch, died 1815. A moulded tablet with guilloches commemorates William Jones, died 1660.

The south chapel displays an imposing classical monument on its west wall, featuring grey marble Composite columns supporting a modillioned pediment with cartouche. A grey marble tomb beneath is surmounted by a large urn and an inscription to Thomas Long, died 1759. Against the south wall stands a stone chest tomb with a high-relief carved angel flanked by beasts with shields; the lid bears the effigy of a lady, possibly of the 15th century. A wall tablet to Henry Long, died 1686, has floral-carved pilasters supporting a Doric entablature. Eighteenth-century marble floor tablets commemorate various members of the Long family.