History

The church of ST. LAWRENCE consists of a chancel (21 1/4 ft. by 15 1/4 ft.), with north chapel (21 1/4 ft. by 7 3/4 ft.), nave (39 ft. by 14 3/4 ft.), north aisle (4 3/4 ft. wide), south aisle (41 1/4 ft. by 8 1/4 ft.), west tower (8 ft. by 7 1/2 ft.) and south porch. The walls are partly of ashlar and partly coursed rubble with stone dressings, and the roofs are covered with lead and slates.

The church is not mentioned in the Domesday survey (1086), but there was evidently a stone church on the site in the 12th century, some of the stones of which are built into the existing walls. The nave was probably rebuilt towards the end of the 13th Century, when a north aisle was added, but, notwithstanding the presence of a 13th-century piscina, it is doubtful whether the chancel was rebuilt at this time. Early in the next century a south aisle was added, and about 1345 the chancel was rebuilt and widened to the south, the tower and porch were added and the North aisle rebuilt. The clearstory was built in the 15th century, and the north chapel early in the 16th Century. The tower and spire were repaired in 1853. The church was largely rebuilt in 1870 and the chancel much restored in 1874. Some repairs were done to the tower and the west end of the south aisle in 1907. The chancel, c. 1340, has a three-light east window with tracery in a two-centred head, the lower part largely original, but the upper part, together with the gable over it, entirely modern. There is also small rectangular recess in the east wall, near the south end. The north wall has 16th-century arcade of two two-centred arches of two orders, one chamfered and one hollow-chamfered, carried on a central column formed by the continuation downwards of the outer orders of the arches between two attached shafts, and similar responds, all the shafts having moulded capitals and mutilated bases. The south wall has two original windows much restored and with modern heads, and the sill of the Eastern one carried down to form a sedile; and a 13th-century piscina having a trefoiled head with soffit cusping, projecting, bowl, octofoiled basin, and a wooden shelf.

The chancel arch, originally of c. 1345 but nearly all modern, is two-centred, of two chamfered orders, the lower order carried on semi-octagonal attached shafts with moulded capitals and chamfered bases. There is a squint on each side, with square heads on the east and trefoiled heads on the west. The roof is modern and of steep pitch, rising much above that on the nave.

The early 16th-century north chapel has no east window, but in the north wall there are two 15th Century two-light windows with vertical tracery in four-centred heads. The west wall has a modern two-centred arch to the aisle, of two chamfered orders resting on made-up corbels.

The late 13th-century nave has an arcade of four bays on each side, both having two-centred arches of two chamfered orders. That on the north, of late 13th-century date, has one octagonal between two circular columns, and the eastern respond is a semi-octagonal and the western respond a semicircular attached column all with moulded capitals and bases. That on the south, c. 134o. has columns composed of four grouped semicircular shafts with moulded capitals and bases; the lower orders of the arches, at the east and west ends, are carried on semi-octagonal corbels terminating in modern carving. The 15th-century clearstory has four square-headed two-light windows with simple tracery, on each side. The contemporary roof has moulded cambered tie-beams with jack-legs and braces, and carved bosses. The mark of the earlier high-pitched roof may be seen on the east wall of the tower.

The north aisle, c. 1345, has in the north wall two original two-light windows each with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head; a mid 14th-century two-light window with modern flowing tracery in a square head; a reset 13th-century doorway with a two-centred head of one chamfered order on plain jambs with moulded imposts; and a small niche with a two-centred head. There is a straight joint between the west wall and the north-west corner of the nave.

The early 14th-century south aisle has, in the east wall, a much-restored mid 14th-century two-light window with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head; and a 14th-century chamfered bracket resting on a notch-head. The south wall has three windows similar to that in the cast wall; a reset 13th-century doorway with a two-centred head of one chamfered order on plain jambs with moulded imposts. The west wall has a two-light window similar to the others.

The west tower, c. 134o, has a two-centred tower arch of two continuous moulded orders. There is no west door, but a west window of two lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head. In the stage above in the west wall is a spherical-triangular window with flowing tracery and a continuous label. The belfry windows are transomed two-lights with quatrefoils in two-centred heads. The tower has diagonal buttresses at the north-west and south-west corners, which rise to the tops of the belfry windows, and is finished with a band of quatrefoils in circles, above which is a moulded cornice enriched with carved grotesque faces. From this cornice rises a stone spire, square at the bottom but quickly reduced, by means of splayed broaches, to an octagon. It has three tiers of spire lights, all on the cardinal faces, the lowest tier being transomed two-lights, the next simple two-lights, and the upper tier single-lights. The stairs are in a rectangular turret at the south-west corner.

The south porch, c. 1345, has an almost entirely modern two-centred outer archway of two chamfered orders resting on semicircular attached shafts having moulded and carved capitals and moulded bases. The side walls have each a much-restored single-light window with a two-centred head.

The 16th-century font has a plain octagonal bowl with a chamfered lower edge, resting on an octagonal stem with a chamfered base.