Church Of St Lawrence

The Church of St. Lawrence is a redundant Anglican church located in Didmarton. It has a medieval core that likely dates back to the 13th century but underwent significant rebuilding in the 18th century. The church has been mostly disused since the construction of the new village Church of St. Michael and All Angels in 1872 and is now managed by the Redundant Churches Fund.

The building is constructed of rubble stone, featuring an ashlar west wall on a moulded plinth, and has a stone slate roof with coped gables and saddle stones. It has an L-shape, with the north transept almost aligned with the east wall of the chancel, and includes a small south porch. The north transept features a geometrical three-light window that is partly blocked at the base, a circular clock face above, and a small restored bellcote on the ridge topped with a pyramidal roof. This section also has a moulded cornice, cusped eaves, and a weathercock. The large single lights, all from the 18th century, have arched tops to the east and west, rounded heads to the north, and chamfered square-headed openings on the south side.

The south porch has a plain chamfered outer arch and an inner semi-circular headed roll-moulded arch. The door consists of six fielded panels with two fielded quadrant panels above, and there are stone side seats. The interior retains its 18th-century form, although the galleries that were once in the transept and at the west end, as well as the pews on the north side, have been removed. Box pews remain on the south side, along with a triple-decker pulpit that includes minister's and clerk's desks, all set within a moulded wooden arch framed across and within the two window reveals.

The small sanctuary features original rails, and a large painted Decalogue board now leans against the west wall. Small box pews flanking the sanctuary may have originally been intended for children. Hat pegs on the upper level indicate the former presence of galleries. The oak pulpit is half-octagonal with a tester and an inlaid panel, still retaining original eyelets around the lower part for hangings. The font has a Norman stem and a 14th-century octagonal bowl, topped with an 18th-century wooden cover. The church also contains several fine wall tablets from the 18th and 19th centuries, along with several 17th-century ledger slabs, including some dedicated to the Codrington family, who were builders of the Manor House.