Church Of St Lawrence

Church of St Lawrence

Anglican parish church, originally 12th century but largely rebuilt in neo-Norman style around 1845 by T. Fulljames. The building is constructed of ashlar with a stone slate roof and a single ashlar chimney stack.

The church comprises a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel with vestry on the north, and a distinctive hexagonal west tower. The buttressed north aisle features three 19th-century two-light pointed windows with tracery and hoods with head stops, beneath a scroll-moulded continuous string. A single similar window is set in the west end, with a pointed 19th-century window in the east wall. A 19th-century plank door within a moulded basket-headed surround serves the vestry at the east end of the north aisle.

The chancel retains evidence of its 12th-century origins. Set-back buttresses appear at the east end, and the remains of a 12th-century pilaster buttress survive on the north wall, now partially obscured by the 19th-century vestry addition. A blocked narrow 12th-century round-headed window is visible to the left, with remains of a flat-chamfered band nearby. The chancel north wall is lit by a single lancet window and the upper part of another lancet, the lower half being concealed by the vestry. A three-light 19th-century east window features a stopped hood. A two-light 13th-century pointed window with a small quatrefoil at the top lights the south wall, with a similar window at the east end of the south aisle. The south wall was rebuilt in the 19th century with a central door within a moulded pointed surround with a hood and head stops, flanked by two 19th-century two-light pointed windows. Set-back and side buttresses support the south aisle.

The west tower is the building's most distinctive feature, forming an irregular hexagon largely rebuilt around 1845. It retains two-light 12th-century belfry openings divided by round columns with cushion capitals set in splayed round-headed recesses. A single round-headed window in the west face incorporates part of a reused grave slab decorated with an incised cross as its lintel. A two-light pointed window at ground floor level has cinquefoil-headed lights with a hood and foliate stops. A 19th-century octagonal stair turret occupies the south-east corner, featuring a narrow panelled door within a basket-headed surround with decorative mouldings, small round-headed stair-lights, and a pointed stone roof with animal and human head corbels at the eaves. The principal west entrance consists of a 19th-century plank door with decorative hinges within a wooden basket-headed surround, set within a high 12th-century round-headed arch with 12th-century engaged columns with scalloped capitals and flat-chamfered imposts. This archway is recessed within a 19th-century stone-built porch entered via a round-headed archway with chevron decoration rising from composite engaged columns. Stepped coping at gable ends retains the remains of upright cross finials.

Interior

The interior displays neo-Norman work throughout. Three-bay nave arcades feature composite piers with scalloped capitals and round-headed arches with hoods and 19th-century head stops. The 19th-century neo-Norman chancel arch comprises two orders with engaged columns and a hood with large pellet decoration. Mutilated remains of a tall 12th-century arch with engaged columns survive from the nave to aisle.

The three-bay nave is roofed with 19th-century hammer beam roof trusses rising from 19th-century corbels with pendants. The soffits of trusses and wallplate feature nailhead decoration. Scissor-braced trusses to the aisles also display nailhead decoration. The two-bay chancel has braced collar beam trusses with corbels in the form of kings' and queens' heads, with nailhead decoration to collar beam and purlins. Both nave and chancel have flagged floors.

Furnishings and Monuments

A 14th-century trefoil-headed piscina is set in the south wall of the chancel. Five early carved stone heads, probably originally corbels, are positioned in the south aisle—two set in the east wall and three now freestanding in window sills. An octagonal 15th-century limestone font stands at the base of the tower. The church retains 19th-century pews and choir stalls, two fine 18th-century carved oak chairs, and 19th-century wrought iron and brass communion rails.

Monuments include three white on grey marble monuments at the tower base—two of 19th-century date and one to Mary Surman (died 1772) and William Surman (died 1791). A classical style monument to William Long (died 1786) with crest and urns at top is located on the west wall of the north aisle. A white marble monument to William Long (died 1815) with a triangular pediment is positioned to the right. A monument to John Sturmy (died 1769) with a segmental-headed pediment and winged cherub's head stands on the north wall. A limestone monument to John Stratford (died 1776) with festoons flanking the inscription and an urn at top highlighted in gold and black is displayed on the east wall. A white on black marble monument to Sarah Elliot (died 1838), by Lewis of Cheltenham, appears in the chancel. Two white on grey marble monuments to members of the Rickett and Cornwallis families occupy the west wall of the south aisle, one by Lewis of Cheltenham. A ledger to Thomas Packer Surman (died 1765) and Mary Surman (died 1780) is set into the floor of the south aisle.

19th-century stained glass includes an east window by T. Willement dating to 1843.

The hexagonal tower is the principal architectural feature of interest. It is one of only two six-sided towers known in the country, the other being at Ozleworth near Dursley in Gloucestershire.