Church Of St Peter And St Paul

TF 0008-0108 GREAT CASTERTON MAIN STREET 12/8 (west side)

6.6.61 Church of St Peter and St Paul GV I

Church, C13 with C14 tower and later clerestory, restored. Of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings. Low-pitched roofs not visible (probably of lead), though coping of earlier roof is still visible on east face of tower. Nave with aisles, chancel, west tower and south porch, all embattled. C20 vestry west of porch. Tower has angle buttresses, 2-light Decorated bell-opennings, weathervane, corner pinnacles and north-east stair turret. Chancel windows are lancets and triple lancets with hood-moulds. East end has 2 recessed lancets flanked by shafts with stiff-leaf capitals and a niche containing a statue of St Peter above. Aisle windows of 3 lights with intersecting tracery. Clerestory of encircled trefoils. North aisle has blocked doorway. South aisle has exterior and interior tomb recesses,the exterior one containing a coffin lid with a figure having head and feet carved in high relief, the interior one with an effigy of a priest. South porch has sundial above arched entrance carried on cylindrical engaged shafts with stiff-leaf capitals. Pointed chancel arch with polygonal shafts and capitals. Restored C15 roof. Corbels of previous roof remain at base of clerestory. Tower, rectangular in plan, has inner walls north and south enclosing square space covered by star-shaped vault, carried on corbels in the form of helmets and shields. Arches to north, south and east carried on polygonal shafts, with embattled capitals. Norman font, square in plan, carved with lozenge pattern. C18 pulpit and communion rail. North aisle retains red painted outlining in imitation of masonry, each 'block' painted with a 5-petalled flower. N Pevsner, Leicestershire and Rutland, p 300.

Listing NGR: TF0013408796