St James' Church, Audlem

St James’ Church stands on a low mound in the centre of Audlem, a village in south Cheshire. The building began in the late 13th century and was enlarged in the 19th. It is made of red sandstone ashlar with a lead roof and has a six-bay nave, a tower at the northwest corner, north and south aisles, a chancel and a south porch. The church is worth the journey for its Grade I listing and its fine details. Lynam and Rickman carried out additions and alterations in 1855–56. The tower holds a circular clock and louvred belfry windows topped by pinnacles. Inside, a two-tier chandelier from 1755 hangs below a camber-beamed nave roof. Abel Rudhall cast the six bells in 1736, and the organ was made by John Squire in London. Visitors find a Jacobean holy table and pulpit, a 13th-century chest and stained glass by William Wailes and Kempe. Two windows commemorate Edward Barker’s wife and were installed in 1859. Four memorial boards are thought to be the work of the Randle Holme family. The registers start in 1557, and the organ now sits at the west end of the north aisle.