Church Of St Oswald

The Church of St Oswald is a parish church that dates back to the 12th century, with extensions from the 13th and 15th centuries and alterations made in the 17th century. It is constructed from squared blocks of calciferous sandstone and features a graduated greenslate roof with coped gables and cross finials. The church has a three-bay nave that includes a south aisle and porch, as well as a twin open east bellcote. The chancel is also three bays and has a north vestry.

The north wall of the nave displays lower courses from the 12th century and a blocked doorway, along with narrow round-headed windows from the 13th century. There are restored two-light windows, one of which has a head made from a medieval grave slab. The south aisle wall and porch from the 13th century feature a round-headed arch and doorway, with both single and two-light ogee-headed windows. The 15th-century chancel includes two-light ogee-headed windows beneath hoodmoulds, and there are medieval carved beast gargoyles at the eaves. The east window is a three-light Tudor style.

Inside, the nave contains a Norman font set on a 20th-century shaft and a 19th-century stained glass window in the west. Corbels indicate the original lower roof, and a built-in medieval cross slab is located in the north wall. The aisle features four bays with round arches on round piers, a south tomb recess, and an aumbry recess. A single-light window has a sill made from a fragment of a medieval cross slab, which is also used as flagging. The original chancel arch has been replaced by a plaster pointed arch, while the original corbelling remains intact, complete with uninscribed shields. The aumbry is situated in the south wall, and the north door, now leading to the vestry, has a chamfered surround beneath a hoodmould. The lintel for the east window is a reused medieval cross slab belonging to a member of the Branthwaite family of Branthwaite Hall, and statue corbels flank the east window.