St James

Our gorgeous 12th century church is in a lovely rural setting overlooking the fields, where you can enjoy some of the relaxing peace which people have lingered to immerse themselves in for centuries. Our church was established in 1153AD and has been extensively extended over the years, most notably by the addition of a tower and Lady Chapel in the 15th century and some extraordinary Victorian internal features.

Until the reign of Richard II, the church was known as the ‘Church of All Saints’ and served by nuns from Hampole Priory.

Over the years we have connections with Archbishops, Lords and Archdeacons, and there are some spectacular memorials to some of our benefactor families, most notably the Fountayne family and its descendants.

Much expensive work was carried out in the early 20th century. In particular, there is a truly spectacular oak rood screen and reredos which are the work of perhaps the greatest church architect of the early 20th century, Sir John Ninian Comper and show amazing detail and carving even today. Comper also designed several altar frontals for St James and a wonderful stained glass window above our 12th century ‘wine goblet’ font.

Most of all, St James is noted for its beautiful stained glass windows. Every window shows some kind of decoration, from mediaeval to Victorian work by Kempe (who also did work for most of England’s Cathedrals). The light changes depending on the time of day you come, so it’s worthwhile making more than one visit.

We regularly have the Parish Registers on show, which show records back to 1538.