Church Of St Edmund

The Church of St Edmund is a parish church dating to the 13th century, with additions from the early 16th century. It was restored and appears to have been partially rebuilt in 1888. The building is constructed of coursed rubble walls, rendered to the top stage of the tower, and has a gable-ended slate roof. The plan includes a nave, chancel, north and south aisles, a west tower, and a south porch. Evidence of the 13th-century origins is found in the two lancet windows in the chancel and the early form of the arcades, although these may have been partially rebuilt. The west tower was added around the early 16th century, and the porch was likely built at the same time but rebuilt in the 19th century. According to Kelly’s Directory, much of the church was rebuilt during the 1888 restoration.

The three-stage west tower has diagonal buttresses, crenellations, and a chamfered plinth. The granite west doorway has a Tudor arch with roll moulded recessed spandrels and a square hoodmould. Above the doorway is a rebuilt two-light trefoil-headed window. Square slits are visible in the stair turret on the north side of the tower. The west end of each aisle has 19th-century Decorated style windows. The north aisle includes a small Tudor-headed doorway and two three-light Decorated style windows, with a similar two-light window at the east end. The north side of the chancel has two probably 13th-century lancets. The east window is a large 19th-century copy of a 14th-century window. The south aisle has a three-light Perpendicular style window at its east end, and two similar Decorated style 19th-century windows to the north aisle, alongside a small Tudor-headed priest's door. The rebuilt south porch has a pointed arch and small lancets on either side.

Inside the porch is an arch-braced collar beam roof. The south doorway to the church is a pointed arch chamfered sandstone, possibly original. Both arcades feature wide pointed arches, chamfered and resting on massive chamfered piers with stopped capitals. A pointed and chamfered tower arch is present. The nave and aisles have old wagon roofs with chamfered ribs and carved bosses, while the chancel and south aisle have carved wall plates. The chancel roof was renewed in 1862. Surviving bench ends in the south aisle are of Renaissance style, bearing the initials I. S. and the date 1581, commemorating John Stafford. Old glass, including the Stafford arms, has been preserved in the east window. A memorial to Barbara Lister, dated 1696, is located on the north chancel wall, consisting of a marble plaque with elaborate carved decoration. The font is of particular interest, composed of two intricately carved Saxon stones of unclear original purpose, though they are thought to have possibly formed a cross.