"The church of ST. MARTIN stands within the Hall grounds, and consists of chancel 20 ft. by 14 ft., with north vestry and organ-chamber, clearstoried nave of two bays 32 ft. by 12 ft. 3 in., north aisle 7 ft. 6 in. wide, south aisle 5 ft. 6 in. wide, south porch, and west tower 7 ft. square, all these measurements being internal. The width across nave and aisles is 29 ft. 6 in.
The building underwent a very extensive restoration in 1866, and few original architectural features remain. The walls have been much rebuilt or refaced and, except in the tower, all the windows are new. The font is a relic of a 12th-century church, recovered at the restoration, but the earliest part of the present structure is the plain 13th-century south doorway, with pointed arch of a single chamfered order, with moulded imposts and hood with head-stops. Part of a wheel gable-cross with simple cheveron ornament, now preserved in the porch, may be of the same period, though apparently rather earlier. The church, however, seems to have been almost completely rebuilt at the end of the 13th or early in the 14th century, to which period the existing nave arcades belong, and the tower and clearstory are only slightly later, the building assuming its present form in the 14th century. The narrower south aisle is apparently that of the early 13th-century church, the north aisle having probably been added, or a former one widened in the later rebuilding. The upper part of the tower was rebuilt or remodelled in the 15th century. The organchamber and vestry are modern.
The building throughout is of rubble and is without buttresses in any part. The roofs of the chancel, vestry and porch are covered with stone slates, but those of the nave and aisles are leaded. There are plain parapets to the nave. Internally all the walls are plastered; the roofs are modern.
The chancel has a three-light east window and in the south wall a modern doorway and a window of two lights, all in the style of the 14th century. On the north side a modern cusped arch opens to the organchamber and vestry. No ancient ritual arrangements remain. There is a marble reredos, erected in 1866, with extensions along the wall on either side. The early 14th-century chancel arch is of two chamfered orders with hood-mould towards the nave, the inner order resting on half-octagonal responds with moulded capitals. The rood-loft doorway and the top steps of the staircase remain on the north side at the east end of the nave wall.
The nave arcades are apparently of equal date, but vary somewhat in detail. The arches on each side are of two chamfered orders, with hood-mould towards the nave, springing from an octagonal pillar and halfoctagonal responds with moulded capitals and bases. The stops of the hood-moulds vary in character, one on the south side being a combination of tooth and ballflower ornament. In the middle of the blank east wall of the south aisle is an image bracket, and an arched opening in the corresponding position in the north aisle is apparently an old window with mullions and tracery removed. The aisles have pointed three-light windows north and south, and a two-light window at the west end, all in the style of the 14th century. There are three two-light clearstory windows on each side in the same style, the hood-moulds alone being old. The roof is of low pitch, with large gargoyles. The porch is modern, with timber gable and square-headed doorway with masonry jambs.
The tower is of three stages marked by strings, with moulded plinth and battlemented parapet. There is no vice. The 14th-century west window is of two trefoiled lights with quatrefoil in the head, the hoodmould having a face at the apex, but no end stops, and there is a modern doorway on the south side. Except for an oblong opening on the west side, the middle stage is blank. The tall pointed 15th-century bellchamber windows have transoms and are of two trefoiled lights with hood-moulds. Internally the tower opens into the nave by a narrow pointed arch of two chamfered orders, the inner order springing from moulded corbels, the outer continuous.
The font now used was found buried in the churchyard in 1866. It is of 12th-century date, in the form of a capital, square at the top and circular below, the angles and each face of the upper part somewhat rudely carved with scrolled undulating and other ornament, and animals of archaic character on two of the sides. The bowl rests on modern supports. A discarded 18th-century baluster font is now in the churchyard.
The marble pulpit, in form like a north ambo, dates from 1856. The fittings are all modern.
Under the tower is a much-defaced 13th-century coffin lid, and in the vestry a Jacobean altar table. There are also a Jacobean chair and a chest, and in the south aisle is a War Memorial tablet of oak (1914–18).
On the east jamb of the south doorway is a scratch dial.
There are four bells, the first and second by Taylor and Co. of Loughborough, 1889; the third dated 1716, and the tenor undated, but cast early in the 18th century.
The plate consists of a cup and cover paten of 1632–3 with maker's mark D.T., a flagon of 1768–9 and an almsdish of 1693–4.
The registers before 1812 are as follows: (i) all entries 1580–1710; (ii) baptisms 1710–1813; (iii) marriages 1718–48, burials 1711—1813; (iv) marriages, 1757–1813.
There is the base of a churchyard cross south of the porch, and in the west wall of the churchyard are a number of headstones to members of the family of Barker and others, including the Rev. William Whiston, the translator of Josephus, who died 22 August 1752.
The archdeacons' visitations of the 17th century show the condition of the church to have been bad. In 1605 there was no decent pulpit, the church was unpaved 'and the rain cometh in most intollerablie,' there was no 'pewter stoope pot for the communion,' there was 'a chapel on the south side of the church which is very much in decay and annoyeth the chauncell very much and the repair thereof belongeth to Mr Hunt,' the churchyard fence was in decay so that hogs 'do root up the churchyard.' In 1619 'the stoope pot' for the communion was like an alehouse quart, the register book was not subscribed according to the Canons, the aisle northward was wholly down in the roof. In 1640 the chapel on the south side of the church had become utterly ruinous and the cross in the churchyard was also ruinous and there was no paten. In 1681 the churchwardens were ordered to set up the Ten Commandments, the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, and buy a new Erasmus' Paraphrase, a Book of Canons, Bishop Jewell, a Book of Homilies, and a Table of Marriages."
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