Church of Saint Margaret

The Church of Saint Margaret is a building with origins in the 12th century, significantly altered in the 14th/15th centuries with the addition of a tower and south porch, and largely rebuilt in phases during the 19th century. It is constructed of ham stone ashlar with stone dressings, and has Welsh slate roofs to the main body of the building and stone slates to the south porch.

The church follows a cruciform plan, incorporating a west tower and a south porch. The chancel, in a 14th-century style, comprises two bays and was probably rebuilt between 1866 and 1867. It features offset corner buttresses, a plinth, a cill course, a three-light traceried east window and two-light traceried side windows. The north and south transepts were added in 1836; the north transept is plain with a simple plinth and east wall, while the south transept’s east wall lacks buttresses and features two-light traceried windows in a 14th-century style. The three-bay nave, including the crossing, was reshaped between 1866 and 1867, with the removal of galleries. The north wall has buttresses to the bays, and the south wall features a south porch situated in the middle, along with C15 and C16 style traceried windows.

The south porch dates to the early 14th century and features a plinth, stepped coping to the gable, and an unusual hollowed sundial that requires no gnomon. It contains a transitional style arched opening within a chamfered recess, and houses bench seats. Under the west side is a cusped canopy featuring a recumbent effigy, believed to be a 14th-century priest, which was restored in 1928 by W.D. Caröe. The doorway is of the 12th century, with a chevroned order framing the jambs and arch, and a zig-zag ornament to the lintel, fish scale decoration to the tympanum, surmounted by a lozenge-style arch. The door is likely from the 17th century.

The two-stage tower is fundamentally of the 14th century. It has a plinth, offset angled buttresses to a height of the first stage, and a rectangular stair turret at the east end of the north side, extending halfway up the second stage. Crenellations are present on the stair turret and the main tower, the latter having corner pinnacles, lead spouts to the west corners, and gargoyles to the east corners. A moulded four-centre arched doorway is recessed under a square label featuring figure stops—the left of which appears to be a bishop—on the west wall. Immediately above is a three-light traceried window of the mid-15th century under a square label. The second stage has small plain cusped lancets cut into single rectangular stones, with recessed spardrils under square labels, one to each face.

The interior is largely of the 19th century and includes ribbed panelled barrel vault ceilings and wide chancel and transept arches in a 14th-century style. The tower arch is of the 15th century, with two continuous panels. A pulpit, potentially from the 18th century, is octagonal with fielded panels. There is a hatchment from 1660 and a 12th-century font with unusual scroll band decoration to the bowl, on a slightly later base. Some likely 18th-century panelling is incorporated into the pews in the south transept. Notes from 1928 suggest work was carried out by W.D. Caröe or a collaborator.