Tamworth church, dedicated to St. Edith, is a noble structure of the decorated and later styles. It consists of a tower, nave, with north and south aisles, short transepts, chancel, and chantry chapel, together with a north porch. The tower is placed at the west end of the church: it is massive, but low when compared with the length of the church. At the corners are four square turrets, surmounted by octagonal spires, and supported by a buttress at the two angles, placed at right angles to each other and to the tower. Each buttress is worked into four stages, and terminates at the base of the spire. These spires have been repeatedly damaged by storms in 1795, 1833, 1839, 1843, injury was done them. The staircase in the south-west angle, which gives access to the summit of the tower, is of peculiar construction. It consists of two spiral flights of steps winding round the same centre, so that the floor of one forms the 100f of the other. Two persons may therefore ascend or descend at the same time without coming into contact. One of these flights, it must be added, opens into the interior of the church: the other is entered from the churchyard. The summit of the tower is occupied by a high octagonal basement, so large as to leave only a narrow path round it. The nave of the church is spacious and lofty. It is separated from the aisle on each side by four large equilateral pointed arches, which are supported by piers formed of four semi-cylindrical shafts united up the face of each a square-edged fillet runs vertically, with corresponding plain moulded capitals and bases. In the clerestory there are six large, well-proportioned windows on each side, their heads exhibiting the Tudor arch. Between each window in the interior is a large shallow niche, with an ogee canopy, ornamented with crockets and a finial. Externally there is betwixt each window a buttress, resting on the string course below, and terminating at the base of the parapet. The parapets are plain, horizontal, and of a modern construction. The roof of the nave is now nearly flat, but appears to have been originally of a higher pitch.

The north aisle is separated from the transept by a large equilateral arch, similar to those in the nave. This, however, has been blocked up, and a modern square doorway leads into the transept. The exterior buttresses of this aisle, west of the

porch, were re-built in 1840. The roof is similar to, but flatter than, that of the nave.

The north porch has been transmuted into a family burying-place, and has received the lamentable application of stucco and whitewash.

The south aisle is very similar to the northern one: it is, however, a little longer. It is separated from the south transept by two small arches, which have been built up. A south porch once gave entrance into it; but in 1784 this was bricked up and the porch destroyed. Under this aisle is a curious crypt, once probably used as a chapel, as there are the remnants of an altar at the east end, but now crowded with human bones. It is entered through a trap-door in the floor, leading to a narrow passage, and is lighted by a small square window. It extends to the east end of the south aisle, and is divided into four compartments by octagonal piers half sunk in the wall, with corresponding plain capitals and bases. These each support segmental groining ribs. The bones are stacked in regular order at the east end, and occupy more than half the vault.

The part of the church between the transepts is very massive, it being probable that there was originally a tower here. There is on either side a large semicircular arch, thirteen feet in span, ornamented with indented and lozenge-shaped mouldings. The north transept is a little broader than the chantry chapel, but hardly extends out so far as the aisle. The south transept is not so broad as the aisle to which it joins; but it is lengthened eastwards, and hence is usually called the south chancel. In the south-east corner, elevated by a step, stands the font. It is octagonal, plain, supported by a stem of a similar shape.

The chancel has a somewhat more northerly direction than the nave; the reason for which, as assigned by old Romanist writers is, that Jesus bowed his head while expiring on the cross. It is not divided from the rest of the church by a chancel arch, and is as wide and nearly as high as the nave. The large east window is four-centred and depressed. There is a chantry chapel, or, as it is frequently termed, the north chancel, extending from the transept to the east end of the church.

The windows of this structure were formerly ornamented with stained glass, very trifling frag ments of which now remain. Neither are there any monuments of particular interest.