Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST LAURENCE (1159347)

Parish church. Late C12, C13, c1334 and C15, restored by Street in 1868, also with early C20 additions and alterations. Ashlar tower, transept and vestry with coursed rubble stone elsewhere, plus moulded plinth to tower and south transept and plain plinth elsewhere. Steeply pitched plain tile roofs to nave, chancel and south transept with stone coped eastern gable to chancel on moulded stone kneelers and slate roof to south aisle. Three stage Perp west tower, nave with late C12 south aisle, south transept, 1934 north vestry, and lower C13 chancel. Large ashlar west tower has full height stepped angle buttresses to all corners and a gableted staircase turret to south with small slit windows. West elevation has pointed window to first stage with C19 panel tracery and crude hoodmould. Above there is a C20 statue in original nodding ogee headed niche with three coats of arms of Ferrers and Gresley families below. South elevation has a blocked pointed doorcase. Bell stage has pointed 2-light louvred bell openings to all sides with cusped Y-tracery, set in deep surrounds, also a chamfered sill band and metal clockfaces to the bases of the south and east openings. Above again there is a coved eaves stringcourse with gargoyles to centre of each side and embattled parapets. North nave elevation has vestry to west end which has stepped angle buttresses and slate roof with external stack to east gable plus moulded eaves band below blocking course. West gable wall has a moulded doorcase with studded oak door and north elevation has two 2-light windows below Tudor hoods with trefoil headed lights, plus decorative hopper head between. North nave wall to east has traces of C12 semi-circular arch, two 4-light flat headed 1934 windows with strange cusped diamond shaped tracery to top of each light and large C15 buttresses to either end. North chancel elevation has a lancet to west, and Disbrowe family vault to east, enclosed by railings, with two stone wall memorials to Edward Disbrowe and his wife, who died 1818 and 1798 respectively. Beyond to east is C19 organ bay with small lancet to north and beyond again the chancel has another lancet. Triple stepped lancet east window with continuous hoodmould is by Scott and has flanking clasping stepped buttresses. South chancel elevation has a C19 lancet to east, an adjoining pair to west, with Caernarvon arched doorcase and C13 lancet beyond. c1334 transept is much restored and has a continuous moulded sill band. East elevation has two 3-light pointed crude Dec tracery windows with hoodmoulds and stepped buttress between. South elevation has 4-light C19 copy with stepped clasping buttresses to either side and west elevation has similar C14 2-light window to south end. South aisle has adjoining cusped lancets to east and raised C19 gabled doorcase to west with moulded pointed door plus hoodmould, also a large lancet to west wall. Interior has three bay late C12 south arcade with double stepped arches, outer arch chamfered and inner arch plain, on columns with circular stylised leaf capitals, all slightly different. Tower has tall continuous moulded pointed arch and there is a similar arch from the south aisle into the south transept which cuts into the nave arcade. South transept has a large squint passage into the chancel with ogee headed doorcase from the chancel. All transept windows have moulded edges and hoodmoulds, and transept roof has original moulded stone cornice with arched braced C19 roof above. Nave and chancel also have C19 roofs, that to nave with collared trusses plus large cusped windbraces and that to chancel barrel vaulted with angel carvings. West end of nave has a semi-circular C12 door into the north vestry. In the chancel there is a triple stone sedilla with trefoil headed arches and an adjoining piscina to east, also on the opposite wall there are two alms cupboards with carved wooden doors. The carved oak altar, reredos, altar rails and choir stalls are all c1935 and by Rev F Fisher. Organ bay has handsome late C19 organ and across the west end of the chancel is an elaborately carved rood screen with timber fan vaulting supporting gallery above, which is signed AL and dated 1896. Gallery is reached from stone newel staircase to north side via the octagonal carved oak pulpit, another Fisher piece. Also by Fisher are the Perp style oak screen to tower, the elaborately weighted font cover, the lobby to south door, the screen from the aisle into the transept with sheep to top and possibly also the screen across the transept. The nave has plain late C19 pews, some with poppy heads to bench ends, and in the tower is an octagonal stone font. The transept has a C19 triple sedilla and piscina with moulded hoodmoulds plus stops carved with initials MS and TS, also a C14 moulded tomb niche with mutilated effigy. There are several good monuments, including four late C17 alabaster slabs to chancel floor, a brass dated 1492 restored in 1886 and two fine wall memorials, that to south wall c1680 to Thomas Bearcroft with black barley sugar columns supporting pediment which is topped by large achievement flanked by putti, also with bust within the aedicule. Monument to north wall is to William Taylor c1733, and has a classical aedicule in coloured marble. Also in the chancel is a large brass chandelier dated 1733. The nave has two wall memorials, both to Gisborne family, one c1852, the other c1892. The tower is filled by mid C19 and early C20 wall memorials to members of the Disbrowe family, mostly slate with marble plus crests to top, but one to south side to Charlotte Disbrowe of c1793 is sarcophagus shaped with scrolled top. West end of south aisle has four slate and white marble wall memorials, all early to mid C19, and a worn late C16 alabaster slab. Stained glass windows are all late C19 or early C20. Chancel has figurative early C20 east window, brightly coloured glass of c1872 to eastern lancets, c1903 glass to central window on south side, and similar to two western lancets. North nave window has glass by C Webb dated 1932 and south aisle has glass by Swaine Bourne of Birmingham, c1880. West window of tower has late C19 stained glass. Listing NGR: SK2158918230