East Williamston Parish Church

The Church of St. James in East Williamston is a parish church, likely dating to the 13th century, with later alterations. It comprises a nave and chancel which are not differentiated. A unique feature is the small tower at the west end, accompanied by a small north porch. The church is constructed of local sandstone rubble, exposed only on the north face and the top of the tower; the remaining walls are rendered. A slight batter is visible at the base of the north and west walls. The roof is covered in thin slates with a tile ridge.

The stone porch has a small pointed brickwork arch. The interior is painted white. The entrance door is constructed of ledged, framed, braced, and battened timber. The windows are plain, fixed timber lights with pointed or cambered brickwork heads and slate sills.

The west wall of the tower rests upon an external, broad buttress with two corbelled projections. The east wall is stepped out from the west wall. An access door is located on the north face, reached by steps at the gable top. Double belfry lights are present on the east side, with single lights on the south and west; a gap above the north door serves as a belfry vent. The tower is topped with a military parapet with crenellations supported by a corbel table.

The nave and chancel have the same width. The chancel roof is divided into two bays, supported by a collar-beam truss. The floor is laid with red and black quarry tiles, with one step leading to the sanctuary. A carved oak reredos and donated altar rails from 1939 are present. The east window is pointed within a square opening; the south window is narrow, also pointed within a square opening. Three corbels from the earlier roof structure remain in the chancel on each side. The chancel arch is pointed and slightly chamfered. All windows contain plain glass.

The nave has opposed doorways on the north and south sides; the southern doorway was blocked prior to rendering of the external face. The roof is structured in five bays with collar beam trusses. An old corbel remains above the north doorway. There is a square-headed window in the north wall, illuminating the lectern, and one in the south wall, illuminating the pulpit. The remaining two south-wall windows are square-headed internally but pointed externally.

A curtained vestry is situated at the west end of the nave. A bellrope recess, measuring 0.7m wide by 0.4m deep, and a small, blocked slit window are found in the west wall. At a high level, double corbels are visible for the north and south walls of the bellcote tower, with further corbelled courses supporting the east wall. Two bellrope holes are situated in the floor of the tower.

A pulpit was donated in 1922 and is located on the right; an eagle-lectern is positioned on the left. The font, at the west end of the central aisle, has a curious repair by a blacksmith consisting of an iron band with two tightening wedges. The bowl is roughly octagonal, with shallow pointed-arch decoration on each face and sits on a modern, tapering base, possibly dating to the 13th century.