Listed Building: CHURCH OF ST JAMES (1136872)

AUDLEM C.P. STAFFORD STREET SJ 64 SE 8/18 Church of St James 12-1-67 GV I Church. Perpendicular incorporating late C13 and early C14 remnants with further C19 additions and alterations of 1855-6 by Lynam and Rickman. Red sandstone ashlar with a lead roof. Aisled nave, chancel and north western tower with a south-western porch. Tower: western face has angle buttresses with offsets. Two-light lower window with trefoil headed lights and a quatrefoil to the apex with a hood mould. Above this are set two quatrefoil lights and above them a C19 clockface with an iron outer ring. The stone centre bears an inscription J Hervey/J Gouldborne S. The girth of the tower diminishes above this via an offset and the two-light belfry opening has a casement moulding to the surround and two louvred lights with trefoil heads and a quatrefoil to the apex with a hood mould above. There are gargoyles to the angles and a battlemented parapet with crocketed pinacles at the corners. The north face has no windows to the lower level, two lancet windows at the level of the clockface and is similar to the western face at belfry level and above. The eastern and southern faces adjoin the nave and project only at belfry level and above where they are similar to the western and northern faces. Nave: western-end: 4-centered doorway to the inner body above which is a 5-light C19 window with plate tracery and a hood mould. Battlemented parapet to the gable above. At right is a buttress with offsets and the blank end wall of the southern aisle. South side: 6 bays divided by buttresses with offsets. The second bay from left has a superimposed C15 or C16 gabled porch with diagonal buttresses, a central doorway with double chamfered suround and hood mould. To either flank are 3-light cusped windows with flat heads and Tudor hood moulds and there is a battlemented parapet above. Within the porch is a late C13 doorway with pilarettes to either side supporting capitals, that at left carved with a mask. Roll moulding with fillet to the arch and hood mould above with figurehead label stops. The aisle windows to either side are of 4 cusped early Perpendicular lights with hood moulds and replace windows of less width which fell lower in the wall as the stonework shows. Battlemented parapet above. The clerestory has 12 windows arranged in pairs corresponding with the aisle bays. Each window has 2 cinquefoil-headed lights with a quatrefoil to the apex. Paired hood moulds above and a battlemented parapet. The northern aisle has a vestry of 1885-6 at right and 3 bays to left each of 2 cusped lights with quatrefoils above. The aisle roof was originally of higher pitch as shown by the marks in the stonework of the east face of the tower. The clerestory here is of 8 lights arranged in pairs. The eastern end of the southern aisle has a C19 window of 4 Perpendicular lights with cusped heads and a hood mould above. The north aisle has a Perpendicular window of 5 lights with a square head. This window appears to have been curtailed when the gable of the aisle roof was lowered. The chancel has to its southern side a priests door of Decorated form and early C14 date with an ogee head and hood mould. To the left and above at the right are 3-light Perpendicular windows. The chancel, which was extended in 1885-6 at right, has a blank southern wall. The northern chancel wall is blank. The eastern end has a reset early Perpendicular window of 5 cusped lights with panel tracery above set in a 4-centered arch. Interior: southern nave arcade of 6 arches having octagonal piers with splay caps and hood moulds. The pier which abuts the western wall has a capital set in the lower body of the pier indicating the original height of the springing of the arcade. The northern arcade of 4 arches is similar and has to its western end, set in the lower walling of the tower, the springing of an earlier arch which shows the nave to have been less wide. Hollow chamfered surrounds to the clerestory lights. Wooden panelled nave roof with heavily moulded beams, probably originally having more ornamental bosses. Octagonal pulpit of C17 but altered in the C19 and heavily cleaned. Wall memorial in chancel by B BROMFIELD/LIVERPOOL to Nathaniel Wettenhall of Hankelow d. 1778 in white, grey and yellow marble with an aedicular surround and coat of arms below in rococo cartouche. Listing NGR: SJ6600543656