Church Of St James

The Church of St James is an Anglican parish church dating back to the 13th century, with significant rebuilding in the 15th century and a 19th-century restoration. The church is constructed of coursed and squared lias stone with Ham stone dressings, covered by a slate and lead roof with coped verges and cruciform finials. It comprises a nave, chancel, south aisle, north chapel, north porch, and a west tower. The architecture is predominantly Perpendicular in style.

The three-stage embattled tower features gargoyles, a polygonal stair turret to the south-east, an embattled capping and sat-back buttresses that terminate as uncapped shafts on the third stage. The bell chamber has two-light traceried windows with stone grilles, and a single-light window to the east on the ringing chamber stage. The east window is a handsome four-light transomed design with a pointed arch door opening, surrounded by a moulded surround and a ribbed, studded door.

The north aisle has three bays with buttresses and three-light windows. A small doorway features carved heads as label stops, with similar carved heads on the window labels, topped by an embattled parapet. A small, lofty two-bay north chapel has buttresses and three and four-light windows. A lean-to porch adjoins the west side of the chapel, featuring a simple moulded outer door frame. The inner doorway is elaborately moulded with a ribbed and studded door secured by scroll iron strap hinges. Above the doorway is a niche with a later figure, and a secondary cambered-headed doorway leads into the chapel with a further ribbed and studded door. The interior of the porch has a flagstone floor and a stone bench against the west wall.

The chancel stands on a plinth with wide offsets, featuring a square-headed three-light window to the north, a corresponding window to the south, and a pointed-arch west window, which is re-traceried and dates to the 19th century. The window label incorporates grotesque heads as stops, possibly of 13th-century origin, above a 1786 datestone. A 13th-century priest’s door with a continuous moulding and a ribbed, studded door is located on the south side.

Inside, the church stands on lias flagstones and is plastered. The chancel has a plastered wagon roof with a plain timber wallplate, while the nave has a similar roof, with the area above the former rood being ribbed and panelled with carved bosses and coloured decoration. The north aisle features a plastered lean-to roof, with moulded ribs and large carved bosses, while the south chapel has an unceiled wagon roof. The tower, chancel, and south chapel are separated by panelled arches. A three-bay arcade with thick piers of four-hollows section divides the nave and north aisle. Piscinae are situated in the north aisle and nave. The north aisle contains a medieval stone altar and a small recumbent 15th-century effigy within a niche.

A good 15th-century octagonal font has a blank shield on each face. The south chapel holds a large bracket in the form of an angel, which has likely been relocated. Upper and lower entrances to the rood loft are present. There is significant Jacobean woodwork throughout, including pews, an alms box, a tower screen, a chapel screen, a reader's desk (dated 1633), chancel panelling, a credence table, and an altar table. 19th-century altar rails and a pulpit also feature. Three good 17th-century wall monuments with carved figures and colouring, notably that to the Payne family in the south chapel, are present, alongside further 18th, 19th, and 20th-century monuments. The church also holds three late 19th-century stained glass windows, and a wheeled bier dated 1903.