St James' Church

St James' Church is a Grade I listed building of irregular plan, dominated by two substantial masses: the tower and the north aisle, linked by the stepping projection of the north transept and chapel. The structure is constructed principally of local limestone rubble masonry with some local sandstone, particularly in the tower. The roofs are slate with gable parapets and finial crosses, and a bellcote sits at the east end of the north aisle.

The tower is a slender structure of local type, comprising four storeys with a crenellated parapet set on corbels. Unusually for this type, it lacks the typical stair turret. The north-facing side (towards the village) has three large belfry lights with stone louvres, while single lights face east and west with none towards the south. A lancet window appears at ground storey facing north. A blocked west door to the nave has an equilateral arch formed from two large curved stones, while the blocked north aisle door is also an equilateral arch but constructed of voussoirs. The notably low height of these archways indicates that external ground level has risen considerably, by approximately 1 to 2 metres.

The nave, measuring approximately 12.5 metres by 5.5 metres wide, has a high pointed vault. Despite its pointed form, its Norman character is evident from a surviving high-level round-headed window on the south side, now partially blocked by an arch of the subsequently formed south arcade. The original chancel arch was low and narrow; the present arch, though larger, imitates the squat, low-springing form of the nave arcades. Viewed from the nave, several Rood-Loft corbels and a high-level ladder hook are visible above.

The chancel, measuring 5.5 metres by 5 metres, was built around 1250 on older foundations. Its axis is markedly inclined to the right relative to the nave, a feature comparable to Castlemartin Church. A 14th-century de Barri effigy, repositioned on the north side, occupies the chancel. A door leads to an adjacent vestry, and an arch provides access to the tower. A blocked Priest's door is evident in the south wall. 19th-century sedilia are present, and the east window comprises three lancets.

The north and south transepts were added around 1250. The south transept now contains the organ. The north transept features a high-level window in the gable, now converted to two lights. The tower was added in the angle between the north transept and the chancel. It is small in plan, measuring 4.6 metres square internally, and may not originally have been designed to reach its present height. Access is via a loft-level doorway in the north transept.

The north aisle measures 18.5 metres by 4.5 metres. The external doorway in the north wall is blocked. An internal door in the north wall leads to stairs within the wall thickness, providing access to the resited Rood-Loft and indirectly to the tower. The carved label mould terminal of this doorway is of 13th-century style. Traces of red and blue paint survive on the Rood-Loft timbers.

The chantry chapel, an extension of the north transept, originally housed the de Barri effigy, believed to be John de Barri, died 1324. This chapel is unusually roofed with vaulting set on closely spaced thick transverse ribs. In 1960 this section was converted into a Memorial Chapel with a new timber screen.

The south aisle, measuring 16 metres by 2 metres, is also vaulted but beneath a lean-to roof. A wide squint between the south transept and the nave allows the altar to be seen from the south entrance door. A water-stoup recess is positioned beside the porch door. The south porch has a high vault with surviving mediaeval paintings in floral patterns within panels.

The church contains two fonts: one small and octagonal on a modern base, and another of Norman type currently in use, which has been re-tooled overall in modern times. At the rear of the nave are two blocks of pews, probably predating the re-pewing of around 1865. The north aisle contains a Celtic-cross war memorial.