Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

This church at Hutton Cranswick originated in the 12th and 13th centuries, was substantially rebuilt in the 15th century, and underwent extensive restoration in 1875–6 by architect Ewan Christian, as marked by "1876" on the rainwater heads. It is constructed of sandstone ashlar with a grey slate roof.

The building comprises a two-stage west tower, a four-bay aisled nave with a south porch, and a two-bay chancel with a north vestry.

The west tower has a stepped and chamfered plinth with a south-west stair turret. Angle buttresses with offsets rise to full height on the west side. The west end displays a three-light pointed window with Perpendicular tracery beneath a hoodmould, partly recut. A first-stage band separates the lower section from the second stage, which contains slits and twin-light, straight-headed Perpendicular belfry openings on each side. A hollow-moulded band sits above this, with battlements and crocketed pinnacles to the angles.

The south porch, a 19th-century addition to the second bay of the nave, has a double-chamfered pointed arch under a hoodmould. Within stands a plank door set in a mainly recut Norman surround consisting of two orders of nook-shafts with recut capitals supporting an outer order of zigzag moulding and an inner order of roll moulding.

The south aisle features buttresses with offsets between bays and a stepped plinth to the third and fourth bays. The first and westernmost bays have two-light straight-headed Perpendicular windows under hoodmoulds. The third and fourth bays and the east end contain three-light straight-headed windows with Perpendicular tracery to the heads, set in double-chamfered surrounds that are largely recut. The south aisle is finished with stepped eaves and shaped modillions.

The north aisle has a chamfered plinth and buttresses with offsets between bays. The westernmost bay contains a 19th-century entrance with a plank door in a chamfered pointed surround under a hoodmould. The remaining bays are lit by pointed three-light windows with trefoil and cinquefoil lights, mostly recut, set in double-chamfered surrounds. This aisle also has stepped eaves and shaped modillions.

The chancel has a stepped and chamfered plinth. On the south side is a priest's entrance—a plank door in a four-centred chamfered surround—flanked by pointed three-cinquefoil-light windows in double-chamfered surrounds. The north side incorporates a vestry with a pointed chamfered entrance under a hoodmould and, to the east, a two-light Perpendicular-style window. The chancel proper has a pointed three-cinquefoil-light window in a double-chamfered surround on this side. Both sides of the chancel are finished with chamfered eaves and shaped modillions. The east end contains a three-light four-centred window with Perpendicular tracery to the head in a double-chamfered cavetto-moulded surround under a hoodmould. The chancel is topped with ashlar copings and a cross at the apex.

The interior features a pointed double-chamfered tower arch and a pointed plank door in a double-chamfered surround providing access to the bell tower. Four arcades of pointed double-chamfered arches rest on cylindrical piers with roll-moulded bases and hollow-chamfered capitals; the central pier to both aisles is notably wider. The two westernmost windows of the south aisle reuse beak-head moulding to the arch. Flower moulding adorns the west end window of the north aisle. A piscina is present in the south aisle.

The chancel arch is double-chamfered and springs from cylindrical responds with roll-moulded bases, hollow-chamfered capitals, and flower moulding to the abaci. The chancel itself is plain.

Monuments include a four-centred recess with a weathered effigy in the south aisle and a marble tablet with urns to Ann Awbrugh (died 1715) in the north aisle. A 19th-century octagonal font rests on four piers.