Church Of St Peter

Church of St. Peter

Parish church, primarily dating from around 1200, with significant additions and rebuilding in the late 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, and restored in the 19th century. The church is constructed of greenstone and limestone rubble with limestone ashlar dressings, and has lead roofs with stone coped gables and an eastern cross finial.

The building comprises a west tower, nave with north and south aisles, south porch, clerestory and chancel.

The mid-14th century west tower rises in three stages defined by moulded string courses and has a moulded plinth with three-stage angle buttresses. The pointed west window contains three ogee-headed lights with early flowing tracery, its hood mould running into the flanking string course with head label stops. Above is a small cusped ogee-headed light, with a similar window on the south side. The bell stage features ornate niches in the corners, and bell openings in all four sides, each with a pointed head, two cusped ogee-headed lights, cusped mouchettes, hood moulds and label stops. The tower is completed with moulded eaves, a parapet and ornate pinnacles.

The north aisle has a plinth and includes an early 15th-century pointed window with three flattened ogee-headed lights and panel tracery. An early 14th-century pointed window with Y tracery is set on the north side, alongside a 14th-century doorway with pointed head and continuous moulded surround, hood mould and plank door. Two early 16th-century rectangular windows follow, each with three cusped lights, panel tracery and hood moulds. Beneath one of these windows are two medieval stone coffins, one with its lid. The east end of the aisle has a 19th-century pointed window with three cusped ogee-headed lights and panel tracery, with a 14th-century human corbel set above. The clerestory contains four plain rectangular windows with leaded lights.

The north side of the chancel shows the pointed outline of a blocked archway leading to a demolished chapel, with a small early 14th-century piscina to its left featuring a pointed cusped head. The east end is flanked by two-stage angle buttresses and contains a large pointed 19th-century window with four pointed cusped lights and panel tracery. The south side of the chancel likewise displays a pointed outline of a blocked archway to a demolished chapel. The east end of the south aisle has a pointed 19th-century window with three cusped ogee-headed lights and hood mould.

The south side of the aisle features two 14th-century rectangular windows, each with three plain ogee-headed lights and hood moulds. A gabled late 14th-century porch projects from the south side, containing a pointed double-chamfered doorway with polygonal jambs and hood mould, with flanking stone benches. The inner doorway dates from around 1200 and has a pointed chamfered head with chamfered jambs, moulded imposts and a plank door. To the left of the porch is a late 13th-century pointed window with Y tracery. The west end of the south aisle contains a 15th-century pointed window with three ogee-headed cusped lights and panel tracery. The clerestory here has four plain rectangular windows with leaded lights.

The interior contains a 14th-century tower arch with pointed double-chamfered head dying into rectangular jambs. The mid-14th century north and south arcades have single bays to the west that are narrower; the north-west respond dates from around 1300 and features a filleted triple roll. The remaining piers and responds are octagonal and polygonal respectively, all with pointed double-chamfered heads, hood moulds and head label stops on the north arcade. The chancel arch was restored in the 19th century and has a pointed double-chamfered head with polygonal responds and moulded capitals. A 15th-century chancel screen features single-light semi-circular-headed divisions with ornate ogee arches above and slender buttresses. The 19th-century fittings include a communion rail, reredos, pews and choir stalls.

The roofs are early 16th-century queen post roofs with multiple braces. A gable of the original nave roof line is visible above the tower arch, bearing an 18th-century hatchment.

The font is early 13th century, of drum form with a trefoil-headed arcade supported on slender jambs with moulded capitals and fleur-de-lys in the spandrels; the pedestal includes human heads, with a 14th-century octagonal pedestal below.

The pulpit dates from the late 17th century and features a recessed panelled pedestal. The pulpit itself is decorated with stylised dragons, plain brackets and moulded panels above, with flanking fluted columns to each side supporting a fretwork frieze with grotesque heads, thistles and berries. Two brackets support a book rest with strapwork ornament.