Church of St Lawrence

Church of St Lawrence

Parish church of 13th, 15th, and partly 17th-century date, substantially rebuilt in the 19th century. The church comprises a west tower, clerestoried nave with north and south aisles, chancel, north vestry, and south porch.

The exterior is constructed of coursed squared and coursed rubble gritstone, with limestone rubble to the chancel and gritstone dressings throughout. A plinth runs around the building. The roof is of leaded tiles, except to the chancel which has 20th-century concrete tiles. Stone-coped gables rise above, with ridge crosses positioned to the east of the chancel and nave. Plain parapets with moulded copings run along the nave aisles, whilst embattled 15th-century parapets crown the clerestory.

The two-stage west tower features stepped diagonal buttresses to its western corners. A 19th-century two-light cusped pointed window of west-facing aspect has scotia moulding; above is a copy of the bell openings. A datestone inscribed 'CW TB WC TC PT7CH 1619 15 MAR' sits above. Two stone plaques are attached to the south side of the tower, one erected in 1741 by Thomas Sheldon. A clock face sits above these. Louvred cusped two-light pointed bell openings with scotia-moulded aedicules pierce all sides above the stringcourse; a moulded stringcourse with central and corner gargoyles runs across, beneath embattled parapets with crocketed corner pinnacles, mostly 19th-century work.

The 19th-century north nave aisle contains two single lancets to its west wall and five pointed three-light windows with various reticulated tracery designs to the north wall, united by a continuous cill band. At the east, a pointed north vestry door is set above by three 15th-century two-light flat-headed windows with cusped ogee-headed lights and pierced spandrels in the clerestory. 19th-century triple cusped lancets with transom sit to the east of the north vestry. An east window comprises three stepped lancets. The south chancel wall contains three lancets joined by a cill band, with two larger lancets to the west. Between the eastern two sits a pointed chamfered doorcase with moulded hood and imposts. Above is a fine square stone sundial dated 1775, inscribed to the top 'INDUCE ANIMUM SAPIENTEM' and inscribed in semi-circle round the base of the gnomon 'Willi Lee and Thomas Froggatt. Churchwardens. Anno X 1775'. Attached to the side of the door near ground level are a pair of 13th-century gravestones incised with crosses.

The nave aisle holds a three-light reticulated window of the 1880s with hood to the east wall and two similar windows to the south wall. Beyond to the west, the south porch contains a pointed doorcase, its inner order supported by hook shafts, with diagonal buttresses either side. A cusped lancet sits to the nave aisle beyond, to the west. In the clerestory above are three 19th-century imitations of the north clerestory windows.

The north and south aisles have three-bay arcades with moulded capitals and double-chamfered arches; the southern piers are octagonal, whilst the northern arcade includes one column and one quatrefoil pier. The tower arch is triple-chamfered with inner moulding supported by half-column pilasters. A double-chamfered pointed chancel arch has soffit on corbels. The nave roof dates to the 15th century and was restored in the 20th century; other roofs are 19th-century. The chancel has a barrel vault and two-bay northern arcade with central quatrefoil pier and moulded capital with double-chamfered arches; a 19th-century trefoil-headed painted wooden arcade stands behind the altar.

Various 19th-century stained glass windows are present, along with one window of 1911 by Geoffrey Webb. A 18th-century pulpit with 19th-century ironwork railing, probably by Street, stands within. 16th-century murals decorate the clerestory walls. A stone font, probably of 12th-century date, features semi-circular arcading in low relief. A charity plaque of 1760 and various 18th-century stone wall memorials are displayed. A re-used 17th-century panelled screen with balustraded top is set in the tower arch.

The north aisle and chancel were restored by Street in 1868–69, whilst the south aisle and porch were rebuilt by J.D. Webster in 1882–83.