The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul

The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul

This is an Anglican Church with origins in the 12th century, substantially modified during the 13th, 14th and 15th centuries. The building underwent internal restoration in 1763 and again during the 19th century, with external remodelling and refurbishment undertaken by P.H. Currey in 1907. The structure is constructed of ashlar and coursed rubble coal measures sandstone with ashlar dressings, featuring moulded plinths and coped gables. The chancel gable displays a cross finial. The roof is covered with slate and stone slate, except for the nave which has a 20th century sheet metal covering.

The church comprises a west tower, nave, north and south aisles, a south aisle porch, and a chancel with an organ chamber and vestry to the north wall.

The tower, dating to the late 12th century, is broad and divided into three stages by moulded string courses. Clasping buttresses with shallow steps rise to the bell stage, which is topped by a shallow plain parapet with moulded coping. The ashlar octagonal spire with lucarnes dates to the early 14th century. The tower's west elevation features a wide west doorway of three orders with early English detailing to the shafts, though with a semicircular arch. The shafts, fluted capitals and arch are severely weathered. The doorway is fitted with plain studded oak plank doors and a semicircular wrought-iron grill to the arch head. The first stage contains twin lancets beneath hoodmoulds, the second stage has a narrow lancet, and the third has triple lancets beneath linked hoodmoulds. Small slit windows light the tower stair in the north-west corner, accessed by a plain doorway on the tower north wall with an oak door decorated with intersecting tracery. The tower's south elevation has a blocked full-width pointed arch, formerly serving an extension to the aisle, now replaced by a shallow four-centred arch headed window. Above is a square sundial, a lancet to the second stage, and an octagonal clock face.

The five-bay south aisle is constructed of ashlar and rises from an earlier two-stage plinth. Tall three-light windows with voussoirs to semicircular heads are topped by a substantial cill band and moulded string course linking the arched window heads. The aisle parapet is shallow with moulded coping. The south aisle porch dates to 1763 and was designed by John Platt of Rotherham. It is built of rusticated ashlar with a pediment to the semicircular-headed doorway, which features voussoirs and a keyblock. The porch has a plain plinth with roll moulding and a moulded door surround with impost band and ornamental ironwork screen to the arch head. Double doors with panelled bases and intersecting gothic openwork bars above are all of metal.

The five-bay nave features restored flat-headed Perpendicular two-light ogee-headed clerestory windows whose heads are linked by a stringcourse. Between the windows are attached shafts similarly linked with the string course, rising to the level of the crenellated ashlar parapet and formerly supporting pinnacles. The window hoods have dropped returns with stops.

The three-bay chancel was restored during the 19th century. It contains two three-light and one single-light window with moulded string course forming a hoodmould. A priest doorway has an 18th century quoined surround, flat lintel with projecting keyblock, and a nine-panel oak door. The chancel features 19th century diagonal buttresses with crocketed finals to the east end, a coped gable with cross finial, and a 19th century Perpendicular-style six-light east window with panel tracery beneath a four-centred arch.

The 18th century vestry and 19th century organ chamber are located to the north. The vestry has two-light flush mullioned windows with 19th century copings, a quoined doorway with shallow four-centred arch head, and two lancets flanked by a single hoodmould with a plaque between. The organ chamber has a two-storey gable with a blocked doorway. Above the lintel is a small slit window and a two-light cusped window.

The five-bay north aisle rises from a two-stage moulded plinth. Three Perpendicular windows have quoined surrounds, shallow arched heads, and cusped semicircular-headed lights with mouchette to the apex. A moulded string course runs at cill level with a chamfered band above the window heads. The parapet is 18th century ashlar. Two shallow stepped buttresses rise to band course level, with a more substantial stepped buttress rising to parapet level at the west end. The central bay contains a blocked doorway with wave mould to the door surround, an arched head, and a planked and studded door with blocking behind. The plinth moulding changes to the west of the doorway. The west end bay has a stone-framed doorway with an oak door featuring intersecting cover strips. The clerestory to the north aisle retains three unrestored 15th century windows.

Internally, the tower arch is stepped and chamfered beneath a plain hood, with keeled responds to the arch and plainly moulded square capitals. The keeled fillets to the corners of the outer arch support are also plain. The five-bay nave contains 12th century arcades. The two eastern piers to each arcade are circular and of early 12th century date, while the western piers are octagonal and late 12th century. The responds to the north aisle and the eastern north aisle pier have scalloped decoration to their capitals. The remaining columns have simple hollow-moulded capitals. The chancel arch is stepped and chamfered, of late 12th century date and pointed, with keeled responds and fillets but with foliage capitals. The south side of the chancel arch has a blocked approach to the former rood loft stair and a rood loft doorway above. The north side contains a double hagioscope. The north aisle chapel, belonging to the Guild of the Blessed Virgin and found in 1932, is served by a three-light Decorated window with reticulated tracery, now blocked by the 19th century organ chamber. An ogee-headed aumbry is located on the aisle north wall. The nave roof is a shallow 19th century trussed design with longitudinal braces to king posts. The chancel walls have 19th century plain panelling and a cambered ribbed and panelled 19th century roof.

Furnishings include wooden screens to the tower and chancel arches dating to 1907 by Currey, the latter featuring a coved canopy and drop tracery. 19th century pews and a pulpit with open quatrefoil panels below the handrail are present. An 18th century organ by John Snelzer of Passan, originally from a now demolished 18th century west gallery, was moved into the present chancel organ chamber in 1878, during which the 12th century keel moulding was mutilated. A late 17th century altar rail with turned and carved balusters and moulded handrail is in place. A carved wooden reredos of 1908 stands on a Hoptonwood marble base and incorporates a contemporary copy of Carracci's 'Pieta', given by Sir Sitwell Sitwell to commemorate his wife, Alice. A hatchment bearing the Royal Coat of Arms hangs above a blocked north aisle doorway. Charity boards are displayed at the west end aisles.

Monuments are located in the chancel. The north wall contains a rectangular framed wall tablet with achievement to Francis Stringer, died 1727; a rectangular wall tablet to William Sitwell, died 1776; Mary Sitwell, died 1792; Francis Sitwell, died 1793; and Hurt Sitwell, died 1830. A classical column memorial by White Watson commemorates Sir Sitwell Sitwell, died 1811, and Caroline Sitwell, died 1800. A wall tablet records Alice Sitwell, died 1797. An aedicule wall monument commemorates George Sitwell, died 1667, and his wife Margaret, died 1658. A wall tablet records Francis Sitwell, died 1671. The chancel south wall has a cartouche memorial to Thomas Barlow, died 1694. A set of chairs and one 17th century bench are present in the nave and chancel.