Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Church of St Peter and St Paul

This parish church on Kirton High Street has been developed over many centuries, with major building campaigns in the mid-12th century, late 12th century, 13th century, 14th century, and 15th century. Around 1500 the crossing tower and transepts were demolished and the chancel shortened. In 1805, architect William Haywood rebuilt the structure, using the stonework from the former crossing tower to construct a new west tower and extend the aisles. A significant restoration followed in 1900 by Hodgson Fowler, with further alterations in 1907. The building is constructed of limestone ashlar with lead roofs, and comprises a western tower, nave and chancel with clerestory, aisles, and a south porch.

The western tower is a tall four-stage structure rebuilt in 1805 from materials of the former crossing tower. It has a bell-moulded plinth, string courses, a quatrefoil frieze to the belfry stage, and a battlemented parapet with gargoyles and corner pinnacles. Stepped set-back buttresses with canopied niches containing statues face west. The belfry stage features large three-light openings with cusped panel tracery and moulded four-centred surrounds. A 14th-century west door has a continuously moulded and pointed surround. Above it is an ogee-headed niche recording the church's remodelling in 1803–1810. The west window comprises four lights with curvilinear tracery and moulded surround. Above are a pair of double lancets with cusped ogee heads, quatrefoils, and wave-moulded surrounds.

The aisles have blank moulded and pointed window openings, both with embattled parapets and crocketed gablettes to their buttresses. The north aisle contains six tall early 14th-century three-light windows with cusped Y-tracery in chamfered and moulded surrounds, divided by gabled stepped buttresses. The western bay is an extension of circa 1805. The gabled north porch has an early 13th-century double-chamfered outer arch with shafted imposts and octagonal capitals. Above it an ashlar plaque records the restoration. The inner doorway is also early 13th-century with collar-shafted reveals and deeply moulded pointed head. To the left is a 14th-century canopied recess.

An elaborate clerestory of circa 1500 comprises twelve triple lights with panelled tracery beneath chamfered triangular arches. Above runs a frieze of blank shields and quatrefoils with pinnacles to the embattled parapet. In the east wall is a blank window, and a further blank window appears in the north wall of the chancel. Beyond this is a large four-light 15th-century window with panel tracery and hollow-chamfered surround. A circa 1900 east window of five lights has panel tracery with hollow surround. The chancel south wall contains two windows matching that to the north, and the east window of the aisle includes another blank window. The south wall of the aisle features six tall 14th-century four-light windows with curvilinear tracery and moulded pointed surrounds. The western bay is an extension of circa 1805. A panelled parapet with blank shields and quatrefoils matches the nave clerestory. A lead rainwater hopper is dated 1785.

The gabled south porch has a double-chamfered outer arch with shafted reveals. The late 12th-century inner doorway has triple-shafted and collared reveals with circular capitals and three orders of moulding to the head comprising dogtooth, bead and reel, chevrons, and lozenges, all in high relief.

The interior features six-bay 14th-century nave arcades with slender circular shafts, annular capitals, and double-chamfered arches. Above are blank cusped-headed panels to the wall surface. The nave roof, dating from circa 1500, retains moulded and brattished tie beams and some principals, all supported on octagonal stone corbels with carved wooden figures. In the east wall of the tower is a 12th-century doorway with two orders of colonnettes and zigzag and lozenge decoration. Above it is a tall blank opening with moulded and pointed head, the original west doorway of the church. A 14th-century cusped ogee-headed piscina at the west end of the nave was moved from the chancel in 1804.

The west organ gallery, supported on four slender fluted Ionic columns with acanthus frieze and dentillated cornice, dates from 1761, with a raised and fielded panelled parapet above. It was altered in 1907. A 14th-century double-chamfered chancel arch is supported on 13th-century filleted shafted reveals on tall moulded bases, to former crossing piers. In the east wall of the north aisle the springing of the transept arch remains. The chancel has a circa 1900 wooden barrel-vaulted roof and good painted panelled reredos. Early 20th-century fittings include a chancel screen of 1914 with painted rood. In the south aisle is a segmental pedimented aedicule with swag containing an oil painting in an eared and shouldered surround.

An octagonal font with plain shields to cusped side panels and a 19th-century base bears an inscription recording a donation in 1405. In the chancel is a pedimented marble wall plaque to Vincent Colby, died 1756, with escutcheon and urn.