Church Of St Edward

Church of St Edward, Hawling

This is a parish church of Early 13th-century date, with probable 15th and 16th-century work, alterations circa 1764, and late 19th-century restoration. The building comprises a nave, chancel, western tower, and south porch.

The exterior is constructed of stone approaching ashlar on the tower and north nave, while the south nave and porch are a mixture of rubble and squared stone. The chancel is coursed squared stone in thin courses, with a stone slate roof throughout.

The south facade features a two-stage tower with very small square-set buttresses to the west, reaching to nave eaves level. Between these sits a pedestal and hood for a statue. Above, clasping pilasters run up each corner to the top, with a string course between. A trefoil-headed lancet with stone louvres and crocketed hoodmould adorns the tower, with an off-centre gargoyle to the right on a moulded string course. The tower is finished with a battlemented parapet and corner pilasters. The nave has a short length of string course at its west end, followed by a lancet with trefoiled ogee head and pierced spandrels, beneath a flat head and hoodmould. To the right sits the porch, with a boarded door featuring double chamfer to the opening, four-centre head, sunk spandrels, and hoodmould. Above the porch is a simple sundial without gnomon. A parapet gable with cross-gablet apex carrying a cross tops the porch. To the right of the porch, at the nave plinth, sits a four-light mullioned window with king mullion, hollow chamfers, flat head, and a relieving arch over. At the east end, a gable projects slightly as a pilaster. Plain projecting stone eaves and parapet gables run along the south side, with the eastern gable finished as a porch. The chancel is plain, with eaves and parapet gable matching the nave.

The east facade displays a plinth and a Venetian window in ashlar, with Roman Doric pilasters and plain glass in leaded lights.

The north elevation shows the chancel as the south side but with a plinth. The nave has a plinth, a wide pilaster buttress at the east end, and two two-light 18th-century windows with plain stone surrounds. Each light has a semi-circular head with plain impost blocks and keystones. To the right, the wall thickens slightly as a pilaster, marked by a vertical joint, with a string course running in the right half only. An octagonal chimney with moulded cap rises from the eaves in the centre. The tower matches the south elevation. The west elevation shows the tower as on the south, but with an arched window with hoodmould in the lower part, containing a semi-circular headed opening with 18th-century leaded lights. Above is a lancet with ogee hoodmould and wooden louvres, with small carving set just below, probably a coat of arms.

Interior

The interior is plastered throughout except for the nave east wall, which features a wide arch with no capitals. Stone benches line each side of the porch. The boarded door has nook shafts with keel moulding, a trumpet capital on the left and leaf carving on the right, with roll moulding outside. Below runs a four-centred arch beneath a flat lintel with hollow chamfer. Walkways are paved in Minton tiles.

The three-bay nave roof features collar trusses with curved braces, king posts, and angle struts, with one pair of purlins. The chancel roof is separate, with octagonal pillars to the inside of the Venetian window and a three-bay roof of arch-braced collar trusses. A boarded barrel vault covers the tower base.

An octagonal wooden pulpit with panelled sides and moulded ledge has turned balusters to the handrail of its steps. Simple wooden pew ends are fitted throughout. An octagonal wine-glass stone font with trefoils to the bowl sits in the nave.

The chancel floor contains three memorial slabs. Five mid-17th-century brass plaques to the Stratford family are mounted in the nave, with two late 17th-century plaques in the chancel. Three early 19th-century marble wall monuments are also present.

Historical Development

The chancel was rebuilt circa 1764, as was the north wall of the nave. Restoration after 1873 included a new roof to the entire church, a new chancel arch, and floor tiling. The church forms a group with the Manor House and Old Rectory.