Church Of St Mary Magdalene

The Church of St Mary Magdalene is an Anglican parish church dating to the early 14th century. The nave was rebuilt around 1499, and the west tower was constructed at that time, with a substantial restoration occurring in 1862. The church is built of coursed slatestone rubble with ashlar dressings; the nave and chancel walls are rendered and the roof is gabled slate. It comprises an aisled nave and chancel, with a north-east vestry, a north chapel, and a north aisle. The chancel features a mid-19th century, three-light Decorated-style east window, and an early 14th century, two-light south window with cinquefoiled lights. The north vestry has a label mould with 15th and 19th century stops above a reset 15th century square-headed, cinquefoiled window and a plain mid-19th century pointed-arched door. The north aisle has mid-19th century offset buttresses and two mid-19th century two-light Decorated-style windows. The south side of the nave has similar mid-19th century two and three-light windows, the latter incorporating some 14th century mouldings. A mid-19th century south porch has pointed-arched doorways and an early 19th century two-panelled inner door. The three-stage west tower has offset diagonal buttresses and string courses. It contains an early 14th century, three-light rectilinear window above a late 15th century two-centred moulded doorway, with label moulds above two-light belfry windows with chamfered depressed arches. Inside, the chancel incorporates reset medieval inlaid floor tiles, a mid-19th century painted waggon roof with scrolled borders to blue panels, and a mid-19th century wall painting around an early 14th century hollow-chamfered rear arch. An early 14th century pointed moulded north arch stands on a moulded column with an enriched leaf and figure carving to the capital and an image niche. The nave features a late 15th century two-bay north arcade with three-centred arches set on capitals and columns featuring crocketed image niches. The south aisle has a 16th century waggon roof with moulded ribs, carved bosses, and vine-leaf carving to the arcade plate. A tall round arch leads to the west tower, which has an early 14th century hollow-chamfered pointed-arched doorway to the staircase. Fittings include a mid-19th century brass candelabra, carved mid-19th century choir benches, mid-19th century pews, and a mid-19th century octagonal font. Monuments in the north aisle include a Baroque wall monument to Thomas Saltren, who died in 1700, featuring an inscription set within a garlanded cartouche with floral and leaf swags, palm fronds at the base, and angel heads at the top. A further Baroque wall monument commemorates Mary Townsend, who died in 1704, with a broken pediment of swags above Corinthian columns of black marble, enriched floral carving, and brackets flanking a black marble inscription surrounded by ballflower ornament and three skulls at the base. Various 17th and 18th century slate ledger stones are present in the aisle and nave, including one dated 1641 with an inscribed skull, hourglass, and poetic inscription. In 1499, Bishop Lacy granted an indulgence to aid in the rebuilding of the church fabric.