St James' Church, Christleton

The church is built in ashlar red and white sandstone with a green slate roof. Its plan consists of a nave and chancel in one range with a clerestory, north and south aisles, a south porch, side chapels to the chancel, and a west tower. The tower is in two stages with diagonal buttresses and a stair turret at the southeast angle. It has a three-light west window. The bell openings have two lights and are louvred. The parapets are embattled and have gargoyles. On top of the tower is a shingled pyramidal cap.[1]

The interior is decorated with red and white sandstone with a chequerboard pattern added in the upper portion.[1] There is no chancel arch, but between the nave and the chancel is a tympanum marking the division.[3] In the chancel is a large alabaster reredos having panels filled with mosaic.[1] The chancel is floored with Minton tiles.[3] The west window dated 1877 is by Gibbs and much of the other stained glass is by the firm of Kempe, and is dated between 1884 and 1904.[1] In the north aisle is a window dating from about 1986 by Cliff Boddy, and there is a window celebrating the 2000 millennium in the south transept by Bill Davies.[3] A large painted panel of the royal arms dated 1665 is by Randle Holme III.[1] The font is made from Sicilian marble on a Derbyshire limestone base. The churchwardens' benches have canopies. The altar table is Jacobean. Also in the church is a carving of a pelican feeding her young with her own blood, and an old village constable's staff.[4] The two-manual organ was built by George Holdich, and rebuilt around 1990 by Rushworth and Dreaper.[5] There is a ring of eight bells cast in 1928 by John Taylor and Company.[6]