Church Of St. Peter

A parish church on the west side of Long Street in Foston, built over several periods from the late 12th century through to 1859, when it was extensively restored by architect Charles Kirk. The building is constructed primarily in limestone ashlar and coursed ironstone rubble, with blue lias stone used in later phases, and is roofed in lead and slate.

The church comprises a west tower, a nave with north and south aisles, a south porch, a chancel, and a rectangular chapel projecting to the south of the chancel.

Tower

The west tower dates to the late 12th century and rises in three stages, set on a low plinth with moulded string courses. A large buttress clasps the south-west corner, disregarding the string courses and containing internal stairs and four small lights. On the west side stands a round-headed doorway with a moulded arch decorated with chip-star carving, though the cable-decorated hood mould is damaged and the two head label stops are weathered. This doorway is now blocked, and two 20th-century round-headed windows have been inserted in its place. A deep groove marks the north-west corner of the tower. All four bell openings contain two crudely pointed late 12th-century openings under round-headed arches; on the east side a quatrefoil is set above, while on the south an oculus appears. The tower is finished with 15th-century moulded eaves, projecting gargoyles, battlements, and ornate corner pinnacles.

North Aisle

The north aisle was rebuilt by Kirk in 1859 using coursed blue lias with ashlar plinth, buttresses, window dressings, and moulded eaves. The west window contains a single narrow light with a trefoiled head. A diagonal buttress and two others, each of two stages, support the aisle. Two windows punctuate the outer wall: the western has three lights while the two eastern ones have two lights each, all fitted with 19th-century tracery and hood moulds. A clerestorey of coursed ironstone runs along the north side.

Chancel

The chancel was restored in 1859 and features very thick rendering scored to resemble ashlar joints. Two ashlar buttresses of three stages each, moulded eaves, and a small parapet complete its form. The east end is built of blue lias with ashlar bands and quoins, and a blue lias plinth with ashlar dressings. A 19th-century east window of four triangular-headed lights sits under a rectangular hood mould with head label stops. The south side of the chancel is built of blue lias with ashlar bands, and contains two triangular-headed lights, moulded eaves, and a small parapet. Inside, the chancel floor is laid with encaustic tiles. Two plain aumbrys are set in the north wall and a single aumbry in the south. A 20th-century string course runs beneath the windows.

South Chapel

The south chapel was rebuilt in 1859, with its lower part retaining earlier ironstone rubble and the upper section constructed of 19th-century blue lias and limestone. The east side features an inserted quatrefoil window with moulded eaves and parapet above. The south side is finished with quoins and a large coffin-shaped window with a trefoiled head, hood mould, and head label stops, topped by a shallow coped gable with finial. Inside, a pointed-headed aumbry is set in the south wall, three corbels are embedded in the east wall, and a single corbel appears in the west wall.

South Aisle

The south side of the aisle was rebuilt in 1859, with its lower part retaining earlier coursed ironstone and the upper section of 19th-century blue lias and limestone. Two reset 12th-century plain lancets are set in this wall, the eastern one being larger. A 12th-century lancet reset to the west of the porch is also present. A 16th-century clerestorey contains two small rectangular windows to the east and a single larger 19th-century rectangular window to the west.

South Porch

An ashlar porch of 19th-century date stands to the south, featuring a doorway with a pointed arch, keeled responds, a coped gable with finial, and a slate roof. Within the porch stands an early 13th-century south doorway with columnar responds, a pointed arch with filleted rolls, hood mould, and head label stops, with a weathered head carved at its apex. Stone benches flank the porch. An angle buttress of two stages stands to the west.

Interior

A 13th-century tower arch opens into the nave with a steeply pointed profile and plain polygonal responds with abaci running into string courses. The nave comprises three bays. The north arcade dates to circa 1200 and features octagonal piers and polygonal responds supporting double chamfered round arches. The early 13th-century south arcade employs octagonal piers and polygonal responds supporting double chamfered pointed arches with large sculptured heads in the spandrels. A round late 12th-century chancel arch decorated with chevron and billet carving has rectangular responds with scalloped capitals. An early 13th-century pointed arch in the chancel opens into the south chapel, with polygonal responds.

Three corbels are embedded in the east wall of the south chapel, and a single corbel appears in the west wall. The south chapel retains a 17th-century altar table. A 12th-century octagonal font rests on claws and is decorated with panels, supported on 20th-century rectangular blocks with a hood. The pews, screen gates, and pulpit are all 20th-century insertions. A hatchment of 1717 is displayed within the church.