Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Church of St Peter and St Paul, Bratoft

This is a parish church of early 14th-century origin with major rebuilding in the early 15th century, a brick west tower added in 1747, and significant restoration and reconstruction in the 19th century (1844 and 1890).

The building is constructed principally of greenstone and limestone rubble with some ashlar, with brick used for the 1747 tower. It features slate roofs with stone coped gables and cross finials. The plan comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, clerestory, and chancel.

The west tower of 1747 is built in red brick in three battered stages with a plinth and bands at first and second stages. The west face displays a semi-circular window with an ashlar plaque inscribed with the date 1747, and above this a segmental headed casement. Bell openings appear on all four sides, each with slatted openings and segmental heads. Battlements with corner pinnacles crown the tower.

The 15th-century north aisle underwent heavy 19th-century restoration, evident in the plinths, moulded string courses, brick patched eaves, and two-stage buttresses. The west end has a window with flattened pointed head containing two semi-circular headed cusped lights with panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. A pointed doorway to the right has hood mould, label stops and a plank door. The left window has a pointed head with two pointed cusped lights and hood mould. A similar window stands at the east end of the aisle. The clerestory above, restored in the 19th century, contains three triangular headed windows, each with two lights, panel tracery and continuous hood moulds.

The 19th-century chancel has a plinth and continuous sill band. Its north side features a triangular headed window with two ogee cusped lights, panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. The east end has a pointed window with three ogee headed cusped lights, sub-panel tracery, hood mould and head label stops. The south side contains a pointed doorway to the right with continuously moulded surround, hood mould, foliate label stops and plank door, with an arched window to its left displaying three ogee headed cusped lights, panel tracery and hood mould. Below the sill band sits a 14th-century blind opening reset in its original position, featuring a small cusped ogee head within a rectangular frame.

The 15th-century south aisle underwent 19th-century restoration. Its east window has a pointed head with three cusped lights, the central light ogee headed, with early panel tracery (partially restored in the 19th century) and hood mould. The south side of the nave contains two 19th-century pointed windows, each with two pointed cusped lights, sub-panel tracery, hood moulds and head label stops. A 19th-century gabled porch with pointed doorway (double chamfered head, hood mould and head label stops) projects to the left. The porch interior has flanking stone benches and a small 14th-century steeply pointed doorway with continuous chamfered surround, hood mould and plank door. The 15th-century clerestory above the south aisle (restored in the 19th century) contains three triangular headed windows, each with two cusped lights, panel tracery and continuous hood moulds.

The interior retains important medieval features. The 14th-century tower arch has a double chamfered head with semi-circular inner responds, with an 18th-century semi-circular headed arch inserted beneath. The nave arcades are of three bays from the early 15th century, with pointed double chamfered heads, octagonal piers and polygonal responds. The north arcade is slightly later but similar in character, both with narrower eastern bays. The 15th-century chancel arch rests on a 14th-century plinth and has a pointed head with continuous double chamfered surround. A 14th-century moulded tomb recess arch survives in the chancel.

The church contains several surviving medieval liturgical fittings. A curved triangular 15th-century piscina is set in the east wall of the chancel. A large aumbry with rectangular chamfered head stands in the chancel's south wall. The south aisle has a pair of small 14th-century piscinas. A 15th-century octagonal font displays symbols of the Passion and foliate and grotesque heads on the underside of the bowl.

A 19th-century screen in the chancel arch incorporates the main struts of the original 15th-century screen, comprising five traceried openings with a flattened ogee head in the centre. Nineteenth-century screens subdivide the eastern bays of both north and south nave aisles. Five 14th-century poppy head finials featuring eagle, head, angel, foliate and human motifs have been reused in 20th-century choir stalls. The 19th-century pulpit incorporates some original 15th-century panel tracery from the screen.

Most internal fittings including roofs, pews, lectern and altar are 19th-century work. A notable allegorical painting of circa 1588 depicts the defeat of the Armada.