Church Of St Lawrence

The Church of St Lawrence is a Grade I listed building located on the site of a medieval church. The medieval west tower has been remodelled and heightened. The nave was rebuilt between 1751 and 1763 for Sir Francis Dashwood, who was the patron of the living. The upper part of the tower was completed no later than 1757, as it appears in a dated engraving from that year. The tower is topped with a wooden finial featuring a large gilded ball, which may have been inspired by the Dogana in Venice.

Inside, the nave is designed as a large room lined with engaged Corinthian columns beneath a continuous entablature, which is further enhanced by an elaborate plaster cornice and frieze. There are stucco relief motifs in a band between the capitals, with stucco swags below. The ceiling is painted and coffered. The low chancel has a ceiling painted in 1765 by Giovanni Borgnis, while its structure and some details date back to the 13th century. The church contains several fine original fittings and monuments from the 17th to the 19th centuries, including two by the sculptor Nollekens. There is also a wall painting featuring the royal achievement of arms above the chancel arch and a patterned stone floor. The 18th-century remodelling of the church is said to be influenced by prints of the ancient Temple of the Sun in Palmyra.

The Church of St Lawrence and the Mausoleum form a group.