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St. James' Church: a brief history
The presence of the Anglo-Saxon cross shaft suggests that there was a church here in Saxon times, although there is no record of it. The present church dates from Norman times, and shows elements of Norman, Early English and Decorated architecture.
The nave, tower arch and a small window constitute what remains of the Norman church; it may have had a semi-circular apse, replaced by the present chancel in the 13th century. The Decorated curvilinear windows in the nave and the chancel were inserted about 1330, but little is known of changes in the fabric of the building during the centuries which followed.
By the late 19th century the church had fallen into disrepair; the upper part of the 18th century tower had had to be demolished, and the church was considered unsafe as a place of public worship.
In the restoration of 1872-3, the church was completely gutted; the interior was entirely renewed, and new roofs were constructed to the nave and chancel. The present castellated Tower was built in 1902, on the foundations of the original Norman tower, incorporating the Norman arch, as a memorial to the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris, a former Rector and benefactor of this Parish.
A fuller description of the church can be found in the leaflet on sale in the church.
The nave, tower arch and a small window constitute what remains of the Norman church; it may have had a semi-circular apse, replaced by the present chancel in the 13th century. The Decorated curvilinear windows in the nave and the chancel were inserted about 1330, but little is known of changes in the fabric of the building during the centuries which followed.
By the late 19th century the church had fallen into disrepair; the upper part of the 18th century tower had had to be demolished, and the church was considered unsafe as a place of public worship.
In the restoration of 1872-3, the church was completely gutted; the interior was entirely renewed, and new roofs were constructed to the nave and chancel. The present castellated Tower was built in 1902, on the foundations of the original Norman tower, incorporating the Norman arch, as a memorial to the Reverend Francis Orpen Morris, a former Rector and benefactor of this Parish.
A fuller description of the church can be found in the leaflet on sale in the church.
