Church Of St Andrew

Church of St Andrew

An Anglican parish church of 13th-century and later date, with minimal 19th and 20th-century restoration, constructed in stone ashlar with a stone slate roof. The church follows a cruciform plan with a south porch, north-east chapel, and west bell turret.

The chancel is visible on the east and south sides, with a chamfered plinth and angled corner buttresses. Its east wall displays a 3-light 14th-century style traceried window without label. The south face has two matching 2-light windows with a simple pointed-arched doorway between them.

The north-east chapel extends for two bays and is as long as the chancel. It features a double plinth, angled corner and bay buttresses, an eaves course, and a battlemented parapet that extends over the north transept. The chapel contains 3-light 15th-century traceried windows set in hollow-chamfer recesses with square-stop labels, and its roof behind the parapets is lead-covered.

The north transept is of earlier date, without plinth or buttresses. Both its west and north walls contain 3-light early reticulated traceried windows with labels. A cambered-arched doorway in rectangular recess under hoodmould appears in the north wall east of the window.

The south transept has paired corner buttresses, one inscribed with a scratch dial. Its south window is 3-light with Geometric tracery and label; the east window is 2-light to match. A plain cambered-arched doorway in rectangular recess under hoodmould is set in the east wall. The west wall contains a 3-light window with Y-tracery but no label.

The nave has angled corner buttresses. Its south wall contains a 2-light flat arch cusped window without label, possibly late 13th-century, with a matching window in the north wall. The west window is 3-light 15th-century traceried with square-stop label.

The bell-cote, much copied, was added circa 1553–56 and stands above the west window. It is square on plan with a moulded corbel base on all sides and a cuboid unit above containing 2 plain pointed arches on each face. A pyramidal stone slate roof with cross finial and corner finials crowns the structure, which contains 2 bells.

The shallow south porch is gabled with a segmental outer arch, possibly added by E. Apsey in 1768, with incised lettering on the jamb. The inner doorway features a trefoil arch dating to circa 1300 and a 19th-century door.

The interior is full of interest. The chancel has a 19th-century panelled ceiling and unplastered walls with slight rere-arches to each window. An ogee-arched piscina is located in the south-east corner. A 15th-century 4-centred arch opens into the north-east chapel. Rather than a nave arch, a stone screen of the early 15th-century spans the opening, featuring a wide centre arch and 4 small arches on each side in the Dorset pattern with carved spandrels on each side. The screen has a cornice with bosses to the west and hinge pins for central doors, along with stone seats on both sides.

The chapel is plastered and contains a 15th-century moulded rib and panel ceiling with bosses. Its east wall displays 2 canopied statue niches and a 15th-century piscina in the south-east corner. A low, almost triangular arch opens into the north transept, which has a similar but earlier detailed roof. A cusped triangular arched opening also connects to the chapel. The north transept contains a cinquefoil cusped piscina and a small fireplace.

The south transept is unplastered with a 19th-century roof. It features simple rere-arches to side windows and a rere-arch with side shafts to the south window.

The nave has a 19th-century roof with unplastered walls and segmental rere-arches to side windows.

Many interior fittings are 19th-century, but the altar rail retains turned 17th-century wood balusters. An early 17th-century octagonal panelled timber pulpit stands in the nave. The north transept font is early 14th-century, octagonal with corner shafts and cinquefoil cusped panels of early detail. A lectern, probably 18th-century, has barley-sugar twist balusters to its lower half and 4 to the upper half, carrying a bookrest. A 17th-century chest is located in the south transept.

A fine canopied tomb between the chancel and chapel features 4 columns and an open tomb-chest with scattered bones. It commemorates John Sydenhan, who died in 1626. The chapel contains effigies of a knight dating to circa 1275 and a lady of unusually large scale, dated circa 1440, set in the north transept. A lady dating to circa 1325 with a trefoil-cusped canopy and a priest who died 1348–49 with a septfoil cusped canopy are also present; the priest's canopy contains scenes of the Annunciation and the Adoration of the Magi in the spandrels. Many wall plaques and brasses are distributed throughout. Four brass chandeliers, probably 18th-century Dutch, hang in the church. Fragments of medieval glass survive in several windows, notably the west nave and chapel windows.