Church Of St Lawrence

Church of St Lawrence

An Anglican parish church of multiple periods. The original church dates to the 12th century, with the nave substantially extended westward and the aisles rebuilt on a larger scale in the 13th and 14th centuries. The west tower was added in the 14th century, the chancel and clerestory to the nave in the 15th century, and the south porch in the 17th century. The building underwent restoration in 1868 by Frederick Preedy.

The exterior comprises a nave and chancel with north and south aisles, the south aisle incorporating a south porch towards its west end, with a west tower and chancel completing the plan. The nave and chancel are constructed in ashlar with side and angle buttresses respectively, whilst the south aisle is coursed limestone rubble with angle buttresses. All are covered with a tile roof featuring slightly stepped coping and upright cross finials. The south porch is ashlar with a flat roof. The west tower is squared limestone with angle buttresses and a ribbed, broached spire with 4 pinnacles on the broaches.

The south porch is a two-storey structure. The south wall contains three windows: two-light, flat chamfered king mullioned windows with trefoil heads. The west wall has two and three-light stone mullioned casements and a single round-headed window. All porch windows are fitted with metal casements and leaded panes, some retaining original glass, with a continuous band running over the ground and first floor windows. Two identical doorways are present in the south wall, one blocked, featuring round heads, keystones, imposts and carved spandrels, with flat moulded hoods above.

The south aisle contains two two-light windows in the south wall and one five-light window at the east end, all with original decorated tracery. The chancel has two three-light 19th-century windows with perpendicular style tracery in the north and south walls. The south wall windows flank a studded plank door in a four-centred arched surround with decorative stops. The five-light east window retains original decorated tracery. The north aisle has three three-light windows with decorated tracery in its north wall. The two-stage west tower has a 19th-century paired arched doorway in its west wall, two-light belfry windows and lucarnes, all with limestone slate louvres.

The interior retains a nave with 15th-century clerestory and oak panelled ceiling. An organ gallery dating to around 1931 stands at the west end. The nave comprises two bays of late 12th-century work with stiff leaf capitals and an additional western bay dating to circa 1300. The aisles beyond have 19th-century timbered roofs with arched braces rising to a collar with king post, linked with decorative iron straps. A step leads up to the chancel through a 19th-century pointed arch.

The furnishings include a 15th-century bound parish chest below the organ gallery. Nineteenth-century pews incorporate linenfold panelling from earlier pews. A carved Jacobean pulpit stands in the north-east corner.

The north aisle contains a font at its west end with a 15th-century pedestal and octagonal bowl dating to circa 1661. An 18th-century stone decorated wall tablet honours Thomas Woodward, commissioned by his grandson Edward Woodward of Campden, with another late 18th-century decorated tablet nearby. Four hatchments adorn the north wall of the north aisle, alongside three 18th-century decorated stone tablets, one large example embellished with ten paired heraldic shields by Edward Woodward. Two 19th-century marble tablets commemorate members of the Graves family. An 18th-century memorial urn in the east wall of the north aisle commemorates Utrecia Smith. The urn is referenced by the poet Shenstone in "Ophelia's Urn." Another urn commemorates Danvers Graves. A 12th-century stone crucifix is positioned below a window.

The south aisle displays a 19th-century memorial tablet, a 19th-century marble monument and tablet on the east wall, and three 19th-century wood plaques on the south wall recording charities.

The chancel north wall contains an 18th-century stone monument with barley twist columns and a 17th-century stone tablet inset in the wall to John Bonner. Three oval stone monuments, one above the other on the far right, commemorate three Edwards of the Fisher family.

The chancel south wall, from left to right, displays a 17th-century stone tablet to the Reverend Henry Hurst, one 18th-century and one 19th-century decorated wall tablet, and two 19th-century marble tablets.