Church Of St Nicholas

The Church of St Nicholas is a parish church dating to 1842, representing a largely complete rebuilding of a Norman church. A south aisle was added in 1858 and the tower rebuilt; the chancel was restored in 1969. The church was designed by B Ferrey, with a later addition by C E Giles. The building is constructed of squared and coursed blue lias stone, with stone dressings, slate roofs, and stone slates to the pyramid tower, which features a decorative wrought iron balustrade and finial.

The church is arranged as a three-stage tower, a four-bay nave, a south aisle, an organ bay, and a chancel. It is executed in a Norman style. The tower has clasping buttresses, a pyramid roof, a modillion cornice, two-light louvred bell openings, a Norman-style west door with decorative hinges, and a rose window in the left gable end of the nave. The south front features five semi-circular headed lancet windows linked by a continuous hoodmould, double lancets to the organ bay door at the east end, and a lancet to the chancel. The east end has three lancets with a rose window above, with stepped buttresses and roll moulding around the chancel. The north-front features lancets, and there is a stair turret in the south-east corner; the nave has a dentil moulding.

The interior features squared and coursed blue lias stone, with the tower rendered. A four-bay Norman-style arcade employs scalloped capitals and stencilled decoration on the extrados. There is a Norman-style chancel arch modelled on the arch of the original church. The roofing is of the 19th century, with open ribs to the chancel, hammer beam support on diagonal struts corbelled out with arch bracing, and carved corbels. Norman-style carvings are present on the choir stalls, bench fronts, and the interlaced arcading of the organ screen, which also functions as a reredos to the south aisle altar. There's a panelled dado to the chancel and a Norman-style reredos. The church contains mid-to-late 19th century stained glass, particularly in the east end windows dedicated to those who died in 1817. Memorials are present to Sir Frederick Grey Cooper (died 1840) and Clifton Wheat (died 1807), the latter of Barton House. A painted board displays the Royal Coat of Arms from the period 1801-1816. A notable Norman font features interlocking arcading and carved palmette. There are two Romanesque-style wooden armchairs with semi-circular arms carved with lions, a billeted frieze, and a painted wooden cross, likely designed by Ferrey. Two simple brass plaques by J Hardman of Birmingham date from the early 20th century.