Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST GILES (1204475)

Parish church. C11, C12, C13, chancel erected c1342 when Bishop Norbury of Lichfield held prebend of Sandiacre, and C15. Church restored in 1855 and again in 1866. Coursed rubble with quoins to nave and lower part of tower with coursed squared stone to clerestory, ashlar elsewhere. Steeply pitched slate roofs; with moulded stone coped gables, topped by ridge crosses, to chancel. Chamfered plinth to nave and tower, and deep moulded plinth to chancel. Chancel also has continuous moulded sill bands and hoodmoulds, a deep frieze of blind quatrefoils with band of fleurons below, at eaves level and low parapets with moulded copings. Nave, chancel, west tower and south porch. Tower has a very tall first stage with clasping buttresses to western corners reaching about half way up, and a narrower short second stage above. First stage has central chamfered C13 lancets to each side with short buttresses below. Above there are double lancet, louvred bell openings to each side set in chamfered pointed surrounds. Above again is a C13 broached stone spire with two sets of cusped ogee headed lucarnes to four sides. North nave elevation has a central C12 semi-circular headed window, with roll moulded arch and nook shafts plus outer billet moulding, which has been lengthened considerably at some stage. C15 clerestory above has three irregularly placed 2-light flat headed windows with cusped lobed lights in deeply recessed surrounds. Magnificent chancel to east is almost the size of the nave and has three tall pointed 3-light windows with flowing tracery to north side, each with finely carved head labelstops and delicately moulded surrounds. Between the windows and to the east end are stepped gableted buttresses, topped with elaborately crocketed pinnacles, also with cusped blind panelling to the upper parts. Above in the frieze there are two sadly mutilated gargoyles. East end has similar buttresses to either side of a 6-light window with central major mullion, a combination of intersecting and flowing tracery and delicately carved labelstops to hoodmould. Above, each corner of the chancel has a crocketed pinnacle similar to those on the buttresses. South elevation of chancel is similar to that to north except window tracery is more stylised and there is a small contemporary pointed doorcase below the western window. This has thin nookshafts with carved capitals and carved heads to hoodmould. South nave elevation has a pointed 4-light C13 intersecting tracery window with elongated quatrefoils to top and carved labelstops to hoodmould, to east and a similar C12 window to that on north to centre. Beyond to west is the 1855 neo-Norman porch with semi-circular headed doorcase, of similar design to windows, ie: with inner roll mould, nook shafts and outer billet mould. Sides of the porch have small roll moulded windows and plain corbel table. Above is the C15 clerestory with three similar windows to those on north side. Inner doorcase is late C12 and has a double roll moulded arch with three nook shafts to sides with a mixture of scalloped and volute capitals. Interior has no arcades but a fine late C12 chancel arch with moulded hood, and double roll moulded arch on nook shafts with scalloped and volute capitals, also with elaborately carved impost band. Southern capital has strange figure of a man carved on it with volutes used as his eyes. Above the arch is a single triangular headed opening. West end of nave has a low double chamfered tower arch over which has been erected a c1980 organ gallery. Both C12 nave windows have internal roll moulded arches and nook shafts with scalloped capitals. Chancel windows are moulded internally with continuous sill bands and hoodmoulds with carved head stops. The southern door is also similarly decorated. Roofs are all C19, that to nave very plain but chancel roof is a pointed, timber barrel vault with frieze of pierced quatrefoils to base. The Cll roof corbels still visible in the nave below the clerestory. To south side of chancel is a triple sedilla with attached piscina of similar date to rest of chancel. The three seats and the bowl each have a steeply pitched crocketed gabled over, with crocketed pinnacles between the ogee rib vaults below. The front of each gable has blind tracery, and each is topped by an ornate foliage finial. Choir stalls, pulpit and nave stalls all of oak and early C20. Font is C14 and has moulded octagonal base and waisted stem with octagonal bowl over carved with foliage designs and with crenellations to top. Font cover is C20. To north side of chancel is an alms cupboard with sculptured brass door. Reredos is c1947 of painted oak with carved figures. In the chancel there are also several memorials including one C13 gravestone with a raised cross on and four stone slabs to members of the Charlton family of c1631, 1644, 1687 and 1681, the latter with a brass plaque with incised achievement on. There is also slate war memorial and two slate and white marble wall memorials, one of c1817 to Benjamin Harrington and one of c1853 to the Foxcroft family. Below the chancel arch is an alabaster slab memorial laid by Wilughby Manley to all his children. To north side of pulpit is a small brass plaque in a scroll topped niche, to Joseph Chadbourne who died 1722, and above is another slate and marble early C19 wall memorial. To west end of nave is an enamelled brass plaque commemorating the donation of the bells in 1881. East window of chancel has stained glass of c1885 and west tower window has glass of similar date. Both C12 windows in nave also have stained glass that to south of c1936 and that to north of 1956 by M Farrar Bell. Listing NGR: SK4800437266