Church of St Chad

Church of St Chad

A late Perpendicular style parish church comprising an aisled nave with west tower, south porch and lower, narrower chancel, of ashlar under shallow-pitched graded stone-tile roofs. Medieval and 18th-century fabric is generally grey sandstone, with red sandstone used in the 1889-92 restoration. The four-bay south aisle is buttressed, with diagonal buttresses to the angles. It is embattled, retaining the bases of intended or former pinnacles, with well-preserved grotesques at eaves level. Three lead rainwater heads have survived. Two bear the initials 'EB' and 'TS'. The third has 'IH' and another monogram obscured by vegetation.

The three-stage tower is stepped. To the northeast and southeast it has angle buttresses, and to the northwest and southwest diagonal buttresses in lower and middle stages. The west doorway has ribbed double doors under a four-centred head with quatrefoils in the spandrels and square hood mould. Above is a four-light west window, which has a hood mould continuous with a string course at impost level. On the north side is a single-storey blockwork addition. In the middle stage north, south and west faces have pairs of quatrefoil lights under a hood mould. The east face has a similar but single light. The south side also has a sundial with gnomon, and south and east faces have a round clock face on a lozenge board, by Joyce of Whitchurch, 1892. The bell stage has paired two-light bell openings with transoms, linked hood moulds and louvres. Gargoyles are beneath the embattled parapet.

The left-hand (west) bay of the south aisle has the 19th-century porch, which has red sandstone dressings and crenellations. Its entrance has a segmental pointed arch, with rosettes and foliage in the spandrels, under a square hood mould. Above is a crest of the Hanmer family and an empty statue niche under a cusped ogee head with crockets and finial. Side walls have two-light square-headed windows. The aisle has four-light transomed south and west windows under hood moulds with head stops. Against bay three in the south wall is an early chest tomb, which has a front panel with badly weathered shields and inverted torches. The aisle east window is in a similar opening to the south windows but has late 19th-century five-light Perpendicular tracery in red sandstone.

The chancel is also embattled and has angle pilasters. It has four-light round-headed north and south windows with impost and key blocks to the architraves, but 18th-century Gothic tracery. The four-light east window is similar in style, but is pointed and has an architrave with panelled pilasters and moulded arch, and apron of low-relief quatrefoils and lozenges. A small tablet in the central merlon bears the date 1720.

The north aisle has a low plain parapet, incorporating pinnacle bases. The east window has five-light 19th-century tracery in a 15th-century opening. On its right side is a weathered memorial tablet. The north wall has three four-light windows similar to the south, but with plainer hoods. The bay at the west end has a four-centred doorway with sunk spandrels and square hood mould, above which is a four-light square-headed window with pointed lights and hood mould. A narrow stair light is at the right end, and a similar light is in the west wall. The four-light aisle west window has 19th-century tracery in a 15th-century opening.

The interior is high and spacious. Late 19th-century Perpendicular style nave arcades have piers set diagonally, with attached shafts, moulded capitals and four-centre arches. The nave has a roof of closely-spaced arched braces. Aisles have cambered tie-beam roofs of 16th-century type, which incorporate quatrefoil panels and bosses, most of which have been left blank, and have beams on corbelled wall posts. The tower arch is hollow-chamfered, with moulded capitals. Behind it is an earlier tower arch, segmental-pointed and dying into the imposts. Beneath the tower are vault springers and a wood ceiling. In the northwest corner of the north aisle is a splayed doorway with sunk spandrels to a ribbed door, opening to a short stair to the roof. The chancel arch has triple clustered shafts to a pointed arch. The chancel has a three-bay roof with tie beams on brackets, supporting arched braces to a boarded ceiling.

Nave and aisles have elaborate wooden screens in late medieval style. The early 20th-century screen spanning the tower arch has Tudor-headed double doors and flanking outer bays, each with linenfold panels below open arches with delicate tracery patterns. The coving has two angels bearing IHS monograms, and memorial inscription to George Kenyon (1840-1908), and is crowned by brattishing and an achievement. In the east bay of each aisle is a screen of 1892 (date on plaque) comprising panelled dado, delicate open tracery, foliage cornice and brattishing. The south screen encloses a chapel; the north screen encloses the organ. In the south chapel is a simple round-headed recess in the south wall, probably for a piscina although there is now no drain. The chancel has Arts-and-Crafts influenced wooden altar rails of 1936, incorporating relief foliage to the uprights and inscription band in raised letters.

The late 19th-century Perpendicular style freestone font is on a stepped plinth. It is octagonal and has alternate Tudor roses and IHS monograms around the bowl. Simple pews have linenfold panelling to the fronts. The ornate Perpendicular style wooden pulpit has blind arches and shields, and a foliage cornice. Choir stalls also have linenfold panelling to the fronts, between uprights with relief foliage.

At the base of the tower is a monument to Lloyd Lord Kenyon (1732-1802), the first Lord Kenyon, by J. Bacon the Younger of London, dated 1806. It originally stood in the chancel. It has an inscription panel flanked by figures of classically robed women (the right-hand damaged) representing Faith and Justice, below a full-length portrait of a seated figure in the robes of Lord Chief Justice, in an arched recess, with drapes. Below is an added inscription panel commemorating his son the Hon Lloyd Kenyon (died 1800). There are several simple commemorative brass plaques in the nave and aisles. On the right side of the chancel arch a brass with cusped arch and finial commemorates Rev John Hanmer (died 1850). On the left side of the chancel arch a simple brass by Matthews of London commemorates Louisa Lee (died 1883) and Canon Matthew Lee (died 1890). In the north aisle is a round-headed plaque to Lewis Lewis (died 1764). To the left of the tower arch is a plaque to Roger de Grey Kenyon (died 1906) framed by foliage, by Barkentin & Krall of London.

Several windows have stained glass. The east window, by Shrigley and Hunt of Lancaster and London, is dated 1936. It is still medieval in style and depicts the Evangelists beside the Sea of Galilee, below which are individual scenes from each of their lives. In the south aisle is a depiction of the Resurrected Christ with St Luke, post-1967 and also by Shrigley and Hunt. Other windows are by C.E. Kempe. The south aisle east window of 1900 depicts the Crucifixion with SS Mary and John, with SS Chad and David in the outer lights. Next to it, the end window in the south aisle, also of 1900, depicts King David, SS Asaph and Patrick, and John the Evangelist. In the north aisle, the window above the doorway, dated 1898, depicts God foretelling to Abraham that he will have a son by his wife Sarah, an unusual subject for a late 19th-century glass painter.