Church Of St Paul

The Church of St Paul is a parish church, originally dating to the late 12th century. A north chapel and chancel were added in the mid 14th century, and a west tower in 1442. The church underwent substantial restoration internally in 1856 by Butterfield, and externally in 1868-69. It is constructed of knapped flint with stone dressings, featuring a tiled roof to the north chapel and lead roofs elsewhere.

The church comprises a west tower, nave, aisles, chancel, and a north chapel now used as a vestry. The exterior is characterized by 19th-century offset buttresses and re-fenestration in 1868, except for the north chapel. The windows are in a Decorated style with traceried details, segmental heads, hoodmoulds, and carved head stops.

The west tower is three-storied, with a battlemented parapet, moulded plinth and strings, diagonal buttresses, and a pinnacled octagonal stair turret at the southeast corner. The bell chamber has two-light openings, with a single light on the west side to the second stage, a large three-light window, and a moulded doorway. The nave has a battlemented clerestory with 19th-century carved head gargoyles and four bays of two-light windows. The aisles feature 19th-century ornamental stone brackets to the moulded eaves and three bays of three-light windows. The south aisle has a similar east window and a two-light west window. The north chapel contains 14th-century traceried windows, two to the north of two-lights, restored in the 20th century with plastic stone, and a three-light east window partially restored with cement. A small 19th-century chimney is also present. The battlemented chancel has two bays of two-light windows to the south and a three-light east window.

Inside, the church has a moulded tower arch, a late 12th-century four-bay nave arcade with two-centred arches on cylindrical piers, a 19th-century chancel arch on corbel columns, and a moulded arch to the north chapel. There are two piscine in the chancel, one cusped with a shelf, and another in the north chapel. Fittings include two chests, one 13th-century and the other 17th-century. A rood screen was created by Sir N. Comper in 1899, with a later screen to the north chapel by his studio. Other fittings and glass are from the mid 19th century. Monumental features include a large wall tablet to Philip Lord Wharton (1695), featuring Ionic pilasters, flanking scrolls, an open segmental pediment with a coat-of-arms, two 18th-century wall tablets, and six brasses dating from the 15th to 17th centuries, one commemorating the infant Arthur Wharton, who died in 1614. Stop-chamfered spine beams with run-out stops are present.