Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Church of St Peter and St Paul

This parish church in Reepham dates from the early 13th century and early 14th century, though it was mostly rebuilt in 1862 by architect Michael Drury. The building is constructed of coursed limestone rubble with limestone ashlar details, and is roofed with slate featuring stone coped gables with cross finials.

The church comprises a west tower, nave with north aisle, south porch, and rectangular chancel. The 19th-century west tower has a plinth and western lancet with chamfered surround and string course defining the bell stage. Bell openings on all four sides each contain two pointed lights with a cusped oculus above, hood moulds and label stops. A clock is set in the south bell opening. Moulded eaves sit above these openings, adorned with re-used corner gargoyles on three sides (absent from the south-west corner), followed by battlements with an embattled chimney in the south-east corner. The tower terminates in a pyramidal roof.

The 19th-century north aisle has a high plinth and pointed west window with three cusped lights, tracery and hood mould. The north side features three pointed windows, each with two pointed cusped lights and a quatrefoil above. At the east end of the aisle are pointed windows with three cusped lights, tracery and hood mould.

The chancel's north side preserves an early 13th-century cusped lancet with hood mould and head label stops. Its east end contains a pointed 19th-century window with three cusped lights, tracery, hood mould and head label stops. The south side has a pointed 19th-century window to the east with two ogee-headed cusped lights, a quatrefoil, hood mould and head label stops, alongside a 19th-century lancet to the west with hood mould.

The south side of the nave displays the outline of three early 13th-century pointed arcade bays. Between the first and second bays from the east is a foliated capital on a corbel head with an octagonal abacus. Two pointed 19th-century windows are set between the bays, each with three cusped lights.

The south porch is a 19th-century gabled structure that re-uses 14th-century fragments, with paired pointed cusped openings on its east and west sides. The pointed south door has a moulded surround, hood mould and floral label stops. Inside the porch, a 19th-century pointed doorway features a moulded surround, filleted hood mould, large foliate label stops and a plank door.

Interior features include a 19th-century tower arch with a pointed, double-chamfered head. The inner order rests on large corbels decorated with lilies and maple leaves, above rectangular jambs. An early 13th-century three-bay south arcade is embedded in the wall with partially visible double-chamfered pointed heads with rolled hood moulds on the two western bays. The western pier has a cluster of three shafts with three waterleaf capitals and a richly moulded abacus. The next pier to the east features a small plain capital with its detached shaft missing, and a moulded abacus above. Part of the easternmost capital's abacus is visible.

The early 14th-century north arcade comprises three bays with pointed, double-chamfered heads, hood moulds and 19th-century foliate stops on north and south sides. Two piers display a cluster of four large filleted rolls with four smaller rolls between and plain capitals. A western octagonal corbel and an eastern respond of clustered filleted rolls complete the arcade. The early 14th-century pointed double-chamfered chancel arch features moulded abaci, 19th-century rectangular jambs, hood mould and label stops.

The roofs date from 1862. The interior contains 19th-century pews, altar rail, pulpit and lectern. A 20th-century octagonal font features starred panels and foliate bands. An ashlar monument on the south wall of the chancel commemorates Ann Benet, who died in 1738, and displays scrolls and a coat of arms.