Church of St Bridget

Church of St Bridget

This is a limestone church of mixed architectural periods, predominantly Decorated in style with a Perpendicular tower. The building comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, north porch, and north vestry, constructed of limestone with dressings of Sutton stone and grey sandstone, under a slate roof.

The three-stage Perpendicular tower is built of coursed masonry with stepped angle buttresses and a plinth with string course. A further string course marks the upper stage. The tower is crowned with corbelled battlements and finials rising from the angles, with gargoyles below. The west doorway is pointed arched and contains a planked door with strap hinges, set within a square-headed sandstone surround with four orders of mouldings, recessed sexfoils and daggers; the base may be original but most dates to the 19th century. Above the entrance is a 19th-century three-light pointed arched window under a relieving arch. The top stage of the tower features louvre openings to all four sides, with two cinquefoiled lancets under a hoodmould. On the north side at ground level is a recessed stone tablet with a stone bracket to its right, probably associated with memorials, and a diagonal buttress to the left. The south side has a small square-headed window in a heavy surround below the louvre and offset to the left. In the centre is a 19th-century opening with segmental arch and voussoirs containing a 20th-century metal window. To its right is a square-plan stair turret with a single pitch roof and two arrow loops to the front face. A clock is mounted on the wall immediately below the east louvre.

The nave has been substantially remodelled in the 19th century and features quoins and raised coped gables under a 20th-century slate roof. All windows were replaced in the 19th century in Decorated style, with pointed arches and hoodmoulds under relieving arches containing cusped lancets. The north side has a porch to the right of centre, flanked by three-light windows, with a two-light window to the left end. The 19th-century gabled porch is constructed of snecked grey stone with a large doorway of pointed arched head containing several orders of mouldings and planked double doors. Each side of the porch has a tall cusped lancet in a heavy surround. The south side of the nave has three pointed arched windows, each containing two cinquefoiled lancets with an irregular foiled light above.

The chancel is lower and narrower than the nave, constructed of masonry rubble under a slate roof. The north side has a square-headed four-light mullioned window under a relieving arch. To its right is a 19th-century lean-to vestry of snecked stone with a central planked door under a square head with chamfered reveals, approached by stone steps. The east end of the vestry has a two-light window. The south side of the chancel has three decorated windows, each a tall lancet with an ogee head in a heavy surround with quarry glazing. The east end has a small 19th-century two-light pointed arched window under a relieving arch. Four memorials are mounted on the east wall: that to the left of the window is dedicated to Elizabeth and William South (died 1792 and 1800 respectively) and has an urn above the inscription with drapery swags below; to the right is a small tablet and two large memorials, one of which is to Evan Philip and his family, most of whom died in the 18th century.

Interior

The nave has a keeled arch-braced roof. The Perpendicular tower arch is pointed with two orders of continuous hollow mouldings. The round Norman chancel arch rests on square imposts and is flanked by squints with chamfered shallow-pointed heads. The south squint contains a small 16th-century statue of a female martyr, identified as St Bridget or St Barbara. Two steps lead up to the chancel, which has a six-bay panelled collar truss roof of the 16th to 17th centuries. Much of the church furniture is 19th century, including the pulpit, pews and floor coverings. A Perpendicular octagonal font stands beside a fragment of an upturned canopied niche. A Norman tub font with inscribed cross is located in the chancel and is no longer in use.

The chancel contains an exceptional group of memorials and effigies. On the south side is a stone coffin in which John le Botiler (circa 1285) was interred. Within the recess of the Tudor window on the north side is a pair of life-sized effigies of John Butler (died 1540) and his wife, resting on a stone tomb chest. The chest has an ornate façade depicting four weepers—the two sons and two daughters of the couple—along with foliated crockets, pinnacles and finials. This is surmounted by a decorative stone window frame with columns to the sides and a hollow moulding bearing crockets in various designs including leaves, birds and winged cherub heads, with a large coat of arms rising above. The window itself has sunk chamfered diamond mullions, blue marginal glazing and quarry lights, with early fragments of decorated stone fixed to the window reveals.

To the west of the effigies is a fine late 17th-century wall memorial to John and Jane Wyndham, in the form of a pair of busts in a bow-backed recess flanked by Corinthian columns with drapery, which support a circular entablature. Above it is a heraldic achievement within a swan-necked pediment. On the south side of the chancel is a neo-classical monument to Thomas Wyndham of Dunraven Castle (died 1814) by Sebastian Gahagan, depicting a reclining figure on a couch with two angels.

The stained glass in the east window is dedicated to Enid Verity (1897–1921) and Isaiah Verity (1834–1912). There are three stained glass windows in the nave, all dating to the 19th to 20th centuries.