Church Of St Andrew

The Church of St Andrew is a church with origins in the 12th century, and significant additions and alterations in the 13th, 15th, and a restoration in 1908 following a fire. It’s constructed of coursed squared stone, with ashlar detailing and lead roofs. The church comprises a west tower, a nave with a north aisle and a south porch, and a chancel with a north aisle.

The west tower, dating to the 15th century, has three stages and a plinth featuring a carved frieze. It includes full-height, offset diagonal buttresses and a buttressed stair tower rising to the second stage. The west face has a large, Perpendicular traceried three-light pointed arch window with a hoodmould on the first stage, and a small one-light ogee-headed opening to the south on the second. Above sit basket-arched belfry windows with three chamfered cusped lights and a hoodmould, topped by an embattled parapet with corner pinnacles.

The nave, dated to the 13th century, features three bays with a plinth and an offset angle buttress to the east. A gabled porch in the west bay, also from the 13th century, has diagonal offset buttresses. The doorway has a chamfered pointed arch with a hoodmould, and above is a sundial. The inner door is within a 12th-century surround, incorporating two orders of columns with scalloped capitals and three orders of arches with zigzag decoration. Other bays have two-light four-centred arched Perpendicular traceried windows with hoodmoulds. A plain parapet with stone coping tops the nave, and there is a gable cross. The north aisle is similar in style.

The chancel, with four bays, includes a plinth, a diagonal offset buttress to the east, and an offset angle buttress between the central bays. Windows are similar to those in the nave but slightly larger. A board priest’s door sits to the left of the central buttress, within a 13th-century chamfered pointed arch surround with a hoodmould. It also has a plain parapet, stone coping, and a gable cross. The east window is a large five-light Perpendicular four-centred arched traceried window with a hoodmould. To the north aisle are two rectangular, deeply chamfered windows with hoodmoulds, one above the other.

Inside, the arcade consists of seven bays with 13th-century circular piers and double-chamfered pointed arches. The chancel arch is similar but the south jamb dates to the 12th century. The chancel contains a 13th-century sedilia with three seats, featuring ogee arches and buttresses, and a piscina of the same date. The nave and chancel have hammer beam roofs dating to 1908, along with good oak seats and fittings from the same period. The east end of the north aisle forms a chapel with furniture and panelling by Thomson (Mouseman). There are two blocked-up 13th-century lancet windows on the east wall. In the vestry, fragments of 15th-century stained glass are preserved, including parts of figures.