Church Of The Holy Cross

Church of the Holy Cross

A parish church whose core probably dates to the 11th century, with significant rebuilding in the 13th century and extensions in 1618 and 1831. The church underwent major restoration in 1855 to 1856 under Sir George Gilbert Scott. It is built of coursed and squared rubble with ashlar quoins and dressings, and has clay tile roofs with bands of shaped tiles and coped verges.

The church comprises a west tower, a three-bay nave, chancel, north aisle, and north-east and south-east chapels.

The west tower dates to the 13th century and features a lancet window to the ground floor on the south side, a restored west window of two trefoil-headed lights, and two trefoiled belfry openings to each side, all beneath a saddleback roof. The south side of the nave has one tall 13th-century lancet to the left and a restored 14th-century window of three trefoil-headed lights beneath a square head to the right; this encroaches on a blocked, probably Anglo-Saxon, round-headed doorway. A 19th-century gabled porch projects from the left. The chancel's east window is from the 1855 to 1856 restoration and has three cusped, graded lancets framed by nook shafts with naturalistic foliage to the capitals and a continuous hood mould terminating in busts of a king and queen. The north aisle contains late 13th-century style windows of two cusped lights with pointed trefoil above, a door, and a west window whose tracery incorporates a six-lobed star. The north-east chapel, built in 1831, has an octagonal plan and is the largest feature of the church, standing almost free-standing. Its windows feature four-centred arches with cusped, intersecting tracery and hood moulds; each of the four northernmost faces has a trefoiled head loop. Buttresses at the angles terminate in small gables decorated with busts. The south-east chapel, known as St Bertram's Chapel, bears a date over the south door, "RM/RP1/NH/1618", presumably referring to restoration of the former Charity Chapel. Its windows have square heads with ogee and sunken spandrels, and the doorway is a Tudor arch with hood mould terminating in busts.

Interior features include a north arcade by Scott consisting of cylindrical columns with moulded bases and capitals supporting pointed arches with roll moulding and roll and fillet moulding; naturalistic foliage appears at the springing points. The chancel arch, also by Scott, is pointed with three orders of moulding—roll, kell, and roll and fillet—and has engaged columns with naturalistic foliage to the capitals and a hood mould terminating in busts of a queen and bishop. The tower arch is pointed and chamfered, springing from corbels. The nave roof is of crown post construction with scissor bracing, bolted rather than jointed. The chancel contains a reredos by Scott, a small aumbry on the north side, and a wagon roof. The David Pike Watts Memorial Chapel features moulded vaulting ribs springing from corbels carved with angels, bosses along the ridge rib with armorial bearings surrounded by naturalistic foliage, and a frieze around the foot of the walls consisting of lozenge shapes containing quatrefoils.

The fittings include a Romanesque font, probably 12th century, with a circular bowl decorated with carved figures on the sides. A rood screen and screen on the south side of the chancel were designed by Scott and made by Skidmore of Coventry; they are of wrought iron with arrangements of flowers and foliage, arches, and quatrefoils in the squares.

Monuments include the Meverell Monument, an alabaster chest tomb with two reclining figures and coats of arms, inscribed with the names and dates of Robert Meverell and his wife Elizabeth, who died in 1626. Above is a wall monument depicting Meverell's daughter and her three young children kneeling within an aedicule of Corinthian columns supporting a semi-circular arch, surmounted by a pedestal with an upraised hand brandishing a sword and shields to either side. The Shrine of St Bertelin, probably 14th century, features open quatrefoils to the sides and ends of a chest. The David Pike Watts Memorial, sculpted by Sir Francis Chantrey, depicts a male figure sitting up to receive a kneeling female figure and three children, with a panelled chest tomb below featuring armorial bearings. It is described as a large and impressive piece of sculpture.