Church Of St Peter

The Church of St Peter is a parish church dating back to the early 13th century, with significant additions and alterations in the 15th century and a restoration in 1876. It is constructed of roughly coursed blue lias rubble with ashlar quoins and dressings, some red brick dressings, render, and slate roofs. The building comprises a nave, a western tower, a chancel, a north aisle, and a vestry.

The tower, of the 12th century, stands four stages high and features a plinth, two string courses, and a battlemented parapet. The west doorway is early 13th century and has keeled and round-angle shafts with stiff leaf capitals and a moulded pointed head, set within an outer round hood mould. Above the doorway is a single light with a double-chamfered surround, a moulded hood mould, and human head label stops. The two upper stages of the tower have paired lights to each face; the lower lights are pointed and chamfered, while the upper lights have cusped 15th-century heads. The north aisle was rebuilt in the mid-19th century and contains single lancet windows in the west and east walls, and three similar windows to the north. The chancel, dating from the early 19th century, is built of rendered rubble and incorporates a single paired light to the north wall, two similar windows to the south, and a large triple light with quatrefoils to the east. A vestry, constructed of rock-faced ashlar, is located on the north side and features paired windows.

The south wall of the nave includes two 19th-century two-light Y tracery windows set within larger, blocked openings with brick relieving arches. Between these windows is a small, recut round-headed 12th-century light, splayed internally. The south wall is constructed of weathered lias rubble with limestone alternating quoins. A sloping setting of stones, possibly part of a vanished south porch roof, is cut by the westernmost window.

Inside, the three-bay early 13th-century north nave arcade features quatrefoil piers with keeled foils and slender round shafts in the diagonals. It has very fine stiff leaf capitals of several varieties and double chamfered arches, with hood moulds and later figured label stops, only two original heads remaining at the extremities. The early 13th-century tower arch has octagonal responds and capitals with a double-chamfered arch, and a blocked door is situated above. The early 19th-century chancel arch is plastered with two uninterrupted chamfers. The north aisle incorporates a moulded 19th-century sill band. The chancel contains double pointed niches on either side of the altar, displaying painted commandments and prayers. All fittings are 19th-century, except for the font, which is a recut 12th-century tub with slightly tapering sides. A painted hatchment is positioned over the chancel arch. Fragments of 15th-century bench ends are repositioned on the south wall of the tower, alongside a further hatchment on the opposite wall.