Church Of St Oswald Tower

The Church of St. Oswald Tower is a Grade II* listed structure located in Highnam Lassington. This tower, which was part of a former parish church now owned by the Redundant Churches Fund, dates back to the late 11th century, with the top section added in the 14th century. The east wall was partly renewed in 1976.

Constructed from squared, coursed lias rubble, the tower features quoins that approach an ashlar finish and is topped with a stone slate roof. It is a square tower divided into three stages, each narrowing slightly as it rises, and has a battered, rough plinth.

On the south face, the lowest stage is plain, while the second stage has a semi-circular headed lancet window with a single block head that slightly projects above, possibly originally carved. The third stage features a wider lancet window with a single-stone head, an ogee shape, and a trefoil below, along with stone louvres. The tower is capped with a pyramid roof and an iron cross at the apex.

The west face has a narrow, semi-circular headed lancet in the lowest stage, a plain second stage, and a third stage that mirrors the south face. The north face has an opening only in the top stage, similar to the south side. The east face was partly renewed in 1975-6, featuring a new semi-circular headed doorway at the base, which includes a late 19th-century boarded door with decorative ironmongery.

There is no offset to the first stage, only to the second, and the opening to the top stage matches the other faces. The church was re-dedicated on Palm Sunday in 1095, while the nave and chancel underwent significant restoration in 1875 by Medland and Son, before being demolished in 1975.