Church Of St Philip And St James

The Church of St. Philip and St. James is a church dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries. A north aisle was likely added in the 17th century and extensively restored in 1847 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. The church is constructed of coursed rubble Doulting stone, with dressed stone upper sections probably dating to the 19th century, and has stone slate roofs with coped gables, finials, and crosses. The church incorporates a west tower, a south porch, north and south aisles and chapels, and a chancel. The architectural style is generally Perpendicular, characterized as unorthodox and eccentric.

The west tower has three stages, an embattled parapet, and pinnacles. A stair turret is located on the south-east corner. A quasi-porch, said to be from the dismantled Hinton Priory, is situated across the buttresses on the west face, featuring a 4-centered moulded pointed arch with niches on either side and a doorway. A 3-light west window with cusped heads sits beneath a pointed arch with stopped dripmoulds. Above this are rows of niches with cusped heads, followed by three small, blocked windows and a pointed, moulded arch with stopped dripmould. Similar arrangements exist on the north and south sides of the tower. The south porch, dating to the 14th century, has a 2-centered depressed single chamfered arch with carved stone heads, access to a spiral stair, and a waggon roof with carved bases.

The nave, north and south aisles have three bays, corner buttresses, and Perpendicular 3-light windows with stopped dripmoulds. Inside, the south arcade features square piers with demi-shafts and fillets, and arches with convex-quadrant mouldings. The third bay is wider. The north arcade's bays 1 and 3 have panelled piers and arches, while bay 2 is from the 17th century and built from reused components, possibly from Hinton Priory. A Perpendicular tower arch leads to a tierceron vaulted ceiling. Arches also lead to the chancel and chancel chapels. The nave has a 19th-century hammer beam trussed roof with carved figures of angels, while wagon roofs with ornamental bosses cover the north and south aisles. Stained glass is from the 19th century. North and south chancel windows were created by T. K. Wallis, and the east window by Christopher Webb. Above the south door is a 17th-century wood hatchment initialed CR and dated 1660. The octagonal font has Perpendicular quatrefoils and shields. 19th-century wrought iron gates from 1890 screen the chancel, along with screens to the north and south aisles and the tower arch, erected in 1886. Additional features include stone clergy stalls, marble revedos, and an altar. A chest tomb from around 1460 is located against the south wall of the south aisle and includes quatrefoils and an effigy of a merchant. At the west end of the nave are tablets listing names and dates of monumental slabs moved during 19th-century reconstruction, a bequest by Rachel Coles in 1770, and memorials for Elton and Fripp (1808), the Fair Maids of Foscott, and a visit by Samuel Pepys in 1668, alongside details of 18th-century Rundell family members.