Church Of St James

Church of St James

A parish church comprising a late 15th or early 16th century tower with the remainder rebuilt in 1844 by R. D. Gould. There is no evidence to support the reputed rebuilding of the tower in 1899. The building is constructed of stone rubble with ashlar dressings and slate roofs featuring apex crosses to the coped gable ends.

The plan consists of a west tower, nave, chancel and south transept. The tall west tower rises through three stages and is topped with an embattled parapet bearing crocketted pinnacles. Set back buttresses with cusped niches to the top stages are a distinctive feature. Stone quatrefoils are built into two buttresses at the west end, and a polygonal stair turret rises at the north-west corner. The tower contains Perpendicular 2-light bell-openings on each face fitted with louvres, and trefoil-headed niches to the middle stage on the north and south sides.

The west window is a 19th century Perpendicular style pointed-arched opening of three lights with a hoodmould corbelled out bearing busts that carry shields. The straight-headed west doorway features quatrefoils to the spandrels and a moulded surround to the pointed arched opening with engaged shafts. The hoodmould is carried as a string around the buttresses.

The south transept contains 19th century Perpendicular style pointed arched windows of three lights, with a niche above a 2-light Perpendicular window over the doorway. The doorway has a moulded surround and human head corbels supporting the hoodmould. Two 19th century Perpendicular 2-light windows flank the chancel priest's door. The chancel east window is a four-light Perpendicular style opening with pointed arched hoodmould. A 2-light window to the north side of the chancel and an east vestry window of two trefoil-headed lights complete the chancel fenestration. Four 19th century Perpendicular style 3-light windows with intermediate buttresses light the north side of the nave.

The interior is plain 19th century work. The nave and chancel feature arch braced roofs, whilst the tower and transeptal arched sections have blind cusped-headed panels to the soffits. A 19th century stone reredos, double sedilia, communion rails, choir stalls and a patterned tiled floor furnish the chancel. A tall timber wine-glass pulpit with access from the vestry only stands in the nave. The font is octagonal with a 19th century bowl and an ogee cover incorporating old belfry timber presented in 1914.

The church contains several monuments of note. A late 14th century effigy, reputedly of Thomasine Raleigh, is set in a recess on the north side of the chancel. Also on the north side is a wall monument to Reverend Gascoigne Canham (died 1667), featuring a broken pediment with reclining cherubs flanking the achievement, Corinthian colonnettes and a skull to the base. A monument to Louis Chichester (died 1858) by E. J. Physick is positioned on the right wall.

Wall monuments to Edward Bampfield (died 1719) and John Meadows, Architect of St John's Westminster (died 1791), appear on the south wall of the nave. Meadows designed the house erected prior to the present Arlington Court, which stood for only some thirty years. Further nave monuments include several to the Chichester family. On the north side are monuments to Mary Anne Chichester (died 1858) and Sir Alexander Chichester (died 1881), both by E. J. Physick of London, and to William Bampfield, Rector (died 1719), featuring a broken pediment with large reclining cherubs flanking a central torch.

In the west tower stands a large elaborate marble wall monument by Moore and Smith of London to Mary Ann Chichester (died 1791). Floor slabs to John Chichester (died 1644) and Robert Chichester (died 1622) with 19th century facsimiles and a 17th century stone slab to the Harris family with verse are also present.

Stained glass includes an east window in memory of Reverend James Chichester (died 1884) and chancel windows to Major George Chichester (died 1876) on the north and Robert Chichester (died 1883) to the south. A richly coloured Chichester memorial occupies the west window, with the other lights replaced with plain glass.