Church Of Saint Peter And Saint Paul

Church of St Peter and St Paul

This parish church stands in Belton, on the south-east side of Main Street. It has been closely associated with the Brownlow family of Belton House since 1638.

The building is primarily medieval, dating from around 1200 and 1400, but has been substantially altered and extended. The chancel was rebuilt in 1721 and altered again in the early 19th century. The south porch dates to 1775, and a memorial chapel was added in 1818. The vestry and extensive restoration work date to the late 19th century. Several important elements were designed by the architect Jeffry Wyatville around 1815–1820, including the memorial chapel, west door, nave parapets, and some interior features.

The church comprises a chancel, nave with clerestorey, north aisle, memorial chapel, south porch, and west tower. It is built in ashlar and coursed squared stone with ashlar dressings and steep pitched plain tile roofs.

The chancel is a single bay with a plinth and coped east gable. Its 3-light Perpendicular east window is accompanied by blank sides. The flat-roofed vestry has a diagonal buttress and features a 2-light flat-headed east window, with a door and 3-light window with 4-centred arch and hood mould to the north.

The nave spans three bays and has 2-light Perpendicular clerestorey windows with sill bands and linked hood moulds, a string course, crenellated parapet, and a coped east gable with a cross. The south side contains a diagonal buttress to the east and a Tudor arched 3-light Perpendicular window with hood mould. The north aisle displays a 2-light Perpendicular window with 4-centred arch and hood mould; a similar window at the west end is now boarded.

The memorial chapel is a single bay with a plinth, crenellated parapet and gable. Its north gable displays a stylised cross (added around 1921) and angle buttresses topped with tall crocketed pinnacles. The west side features an ogee-headed niche to the north and a 3-light Perpendicular window with hood mould to the south.

The south porch has a plinth and moulded parapet, a crocketed gable with finial, and diagonal buttresses topped with finials. Its entrance is a 4-centred arched moulded doorway with hood mould.

The west tower rises in three stages and is unbuttressed, with quoins, plinth and string courses. Its lower stages date to the 13th century and include a pointed arched west door in a projecting flat-topped surround, designed by Wyatville around 1816. Above this is a cusped single lancet. The middle stage has a single lancet to the south, both with hood moulds. The upper stage, dated 1638, features a crenellated parapet with corner pinnacles topped with wind vanes incorporating the Brownlow crest. Each side has a 2-light pointed arched bell opening with hood mould.

Internally, the rendered walls enclose a 14th-century chancel arch with round responds. The chancel has a traceried king post roof with arched tie beams on brackets, dated 1811. Its east window has an ogee crest by Wyatville (around 1816) and is flanked by 19th-century commandment boards with elaborate crocketed gables. The stained glass dates to 1847 and was made by T Willement. The north side features a moulded 4-centred arched doorway with chamfered responds.

The nave has a Perpendicular ceiling with moulded beams, bosses and brackets, also by Wyatville. The heavily restored north arcade dates to around 1200 and has a central pier with incised lozenge decoration and a scallop capital. The arches are rebated, the eastern one bearing lozenge ornament, with half-round responds. A moulded pointed tower arch with round responds opens to the tower. The south window contains heraldic stained glass from 1823, possibly by Willement.

The north aisle features Perpendicular style roofs at its east and west ends, with a panelled plaster ceiling by Wyatville for the remainder (which was undergoing restoration at the time of the survey).

The memorial chapel displays Perpendicular style fan vaulting in gabled niches at the corners, and an elaborate Decorated style cusped tomb recess and crest beneath the west window.

The south porch has a stone roof with ribs and a moulded 4-centred arched doorway with hood mould. A traceried door dates to the 15th century. Above it are early 19th-century Royal arms beneath a label mould.

The tower chamber contains a stained glass west window from 1852.

Fittings include an octagonal stone font in Norman style, probably reworked in the 19th century; an altered 17th-century octagonal oak pulpit with sounding board; an altered early 18th-century altar rail with twist balusters; and benches with fleur-de-lys decoration from 1891.

The church contains an outstanding collection of sculptural and architectural monuments to the Brownlow and Cust families of Belton House. These include demi-figures from the mid-17th century by Joshua Marshall to Richard Brownlow, and from 1679 by William Stanton to Sir John and Lady Alicia Brownlow. Monuments with sculpted figures date to 1754 (by Sir Henry Cheere, to Viscount Tyrconnel), 1770 (by W Tyler, to Sir John Cust), 1807 (by Westmacott, to Sir Brownlow Cust), and around 1818 (by A Canova, to Sophia, Lady Brownlow). Other important works are by Edward Stanton, Christopher Horsnaile, John Bacon, W Theed, C Marochetti, Feodora Gleichen, G G Scott, and Nina Cust.