Church of St Paulinus

The Church of St Paulinus is predominantly a late medieval Perpendicular building. It features a west tower, a nave, an unusually long and wide south aisle extending further east than the nave, a narrower and lower chancel, and a northeast lean-to boiler house. The church is constructed of red sandstone rubble, with mostly matching ashlar facing; the stonework varies, with very narrow stones used in parts of the nave and larger, more regularly coursed stones with finer joints in the tower, particularly its lower storey. The roof is covered in Welsh slate with yellow ridge tiles and apex crosses.

The west tower has three storeys and a stepped, battered plinth with four moulded string courses. The ringing chamber has louvred openings of two trefoil-headed lights in an arched, moulded surround on each side. Above is an embattled parapet with water chutes projecting from the string course, and narrow rectangular lights provide access to the staircase and tower chambers. The south aisle has battered lower courses and overhanging eaves. A moulded, Tudor-arched doorway is located to the southwest, alongside two recessed, square-headed windows of two lights, with hollow-chamfered mullions and cusped heads. A moulded, Tudor-arched priest’s doorway with spandrels is situated to the southeast, with larger, three-light windows with moulded surrounds and Perpendicular tracery to the east and west. A mass dial is positioned beneath the middle aisle window. The chancel has a similar east window, a 19th-century replacement, with face stops. Smaller, cusped lancets are located to the north and south. The north nave windows consist of a pair of double lights with unusually tall cusped heads to the east, and a less pronounced design with chamfered mullions and surrounds to the west.

Inside, the south aisle features a large arcade of three two-order arches, supported by octagonal piers. It has a medieval wagon roof with reeded ribs, and houses an important 18th-century organ with carved putti at its east end. The nave has a 19th-century pointed chancel arch with massive face stops to the responds, and a 19th-century roof. A high and wide, chamfered, pointed archway leads to the west tower, and a high, Tudor-arched doorway provides access to the tower. The floor is mostly flagged. A font is octagonal with a carved underside on a circular plinth. A pew dated 1677 is located towards the rear, and a decoratively carved chest, probably from the 17th century, is also present. Fragments of early Christian stones and a tombstone with a Latin inscription are incorporated within the building. The chancel and sanctuary display Victorian detailing, with encaustic tiles of varied patterns and colours covering the floor, rising six steps. A 19th-century piscina is installed, alongside a medieval wagon roof with heavily reeded ribs. The church holds a complete ring of six bells from the Evans foundry, with some later alterations, and a bell frame dated 1721.