Church Of St Lawrence

The Church of St Lawrence is a parish church largely dating to the 14th century, with significant parts from the 15th century, and restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. It is constructed of red sandstone rubble together with squared and coursed stones, with limestone dressings, 19th-century Ham stone reveals, and slate roofs. The church comprises a nave, chancel, a four-bay North aisle extended eastward by one bay to form a chapel, North and South porches, and a West tower.

The crenellated West tower has three stages, finials, diagonal buttresses, 3-light bell openings with Somerset tracery, a 2-light window to the base, and a crenellated stair turret in the north-east corner. Most windows are 3-light Perpendicular style, except within the chancel and one in the nave. The North aisle has a crenellated roof with quatrefoil pierced merlons and finials. The North porch is set back with stepped buttresses; its gable was rebuilt during roof restoration, omitting the original design. Weathered gargoyles are positioned on either side of the porch. A projection houses the rood loft stair turret. The chancel windows are 2-light on the North wall and 3-light at the East end, with 3-light Tudor arched heads and 2-light windows on the South wall, flanking a priest's door. A 4-light window is located in the outer bay of the nave's South side, alongside the South porch. Diagonal buttresses and crenellated returns with quatrefoil pierced decorated panels continue over the gable, incorporating an inserted sundial dated 1653.

The interior is rendered, concealing painted monuments. The tower is unrendered. A four-bay arcade features pillars decorated with carved capitals, including depictions of a fox and goose, angels, vine leaves, and plaited decoration. The North aisle has an open wagon roof, while the nave’s roof is boarded. Plaster was removed in 1896. A 14th-century piscina and a three-bay sedillia are present, alongside a squint in the chancel arch. Fragments of 15th-century glass remain in the chancel. A prominent feature is an early 16th-century screen, restored in 1903, consisting of two bays by five. C16 painted decoration is on the rear of the aisle screen, including an inscription in the frieze, while later painted decorations with coats of arms are on the facade of the nave screen. Early 16th-century bench ends are also present. A two-storey Jacobean pulpit, originally seven-sided but cut down, stands on a 19th-century stone plinth with five steps. The font is circular with an octagonal base. A Ham stone tablet commemorates Doctor Godwin, who died in 1628, featuring scrolls, a swan neck pediment with a skull and crossbones, and a decorated apron; a similar tablet exists for another incumbent.