Church Of St George

The Church of St George is a parish church with a west tower dating from around the 13th or early 14th century, and the remainder of the structure built in the 15th century. It was altered in the 17th century and heavily restored in the late 19th century, when the south porch was added. The church is constructed of stone rubble with granite dressings, the tower being roughcast, and has slate roofs. The nave and chancel are combined into one space, with long north and south aisles that do not extend the full length of the church. There are three 15th-century perpendicular four-light east windows in the chancel and aisles. Late 19th-century rudimentary perpendicular four-centred arch three-light north and south aisle windows are also present. The west ends of the aisles feature windows from the 15th or 16th century. The west tower is in two stages, slightly battered, and unbuttressed, with an embattled parapet that is slightly corbelled out. It features single two-light bell openings. On the south side are single-light bell openings flanking a polygonal stair turret, which also has battlements, small loops, and a moulded two-centred arch external doorway. A three-light perpendicular west window and a moulded two-centred arch west doorway, converted into a window, are also present. A late 19th-century granite ashlar south porch with large diagonal buttresses includes a 19th-century inner doorway with a round arched and nail-studded panelled door. The interior has plastered walls. There are four-bay north and south arcades with low, monolithic granite octagonal piers, crude uncarved octagonal capitals, and double-chamfered two-centred arches. A tall, unmoulded round-headed tower arch has imposts. The arch-braced nave and aisle roofs are from the 19th century. Late 19th to early 20th-century furnishings include a painted wooden reredos and wainscoting in the chancel, carved choir stall ends, and a carved octagonal pulpit. A 12th-century round font with frieze crosses, a saltire, and a frieze depicting two long dragons is present, along with a 17th-century conical wooden font cover. A monument in the north aisle commemorates the Furze family (17th century), featuring a convex oval tablet flanked by pilasters with angel capitals and a broken pediment with an urn. Another monument commemorates John Taylor (1803) with a draped urn. In the south aisle are monuments to Sir Edward Giles of Dean Court (died 1637) and his wife Mary (died 1642), depicting three kneeling figures with Corinthian columns and an entablature, and a panel bearing an epitaph by Robert Herrick. Herrick, vicar from 1629-47 and 1662-74, is buried in an unmarked grave in the churchyard. Its group value lies in its historical significance and architectural features.