Church of St Peter

Church of St Peter

This is a parish church located on North Green. The building dates from the late 12th and 13th centuries, with additions in the 15th century. It was restored in 1857 by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, with further restoration of the nave and aisles in 1873 and the nave roof in 1982.

The church is constructed of ashlar and dressed coursed rubble, with a metal roof to the nave, lead to the chancel and slate to the aisles. The building comprises a tower, nave, north and south aisles, south porch and chancel, all with embattled parapets.

The tower is set on a plinth with two heavily moulded bands above. It has four stages with a string course at each junction, and is strengthened by diagonal buttresses. The parapet has seven remaining crocketed pinnacles (eight originally) with eight gargoyles underneath. The west doorway has a moulded pointed arch with hood mould and remnants of label stops. Above is a single arched three-light window with hood mould and worn label stops. The bell chamber contains four arched two-light openings with panel tracery. Clock faces appear on the south and east sides, and three small rectangular stair lights are on the south side. An ashlar lean-to abuts the north wall.

The north aisle west wall is buttressed by two large coursed rubble sloping buttresses. It has three arched three-light windows with cusping, the rightmost window replacing a former doorway. A single similar window appears in the east wall, with four similar windows in the clerestory.

The north chancel is buttressed and has a string course extending to the east wall, interrupted by the buttresses. A late 12th-century chamfered arched doorway with imposts, dogtooth hood mould and worn label stops opens here. To its left is a single arched three-light window with cusping, while the east wall has a similar but larger four-light window.

The south chancel sits on a plinth and has two three-light windows. The south aisle east wall has a smaller three-light window. The south aisle itself is set on a plinth with a moulded band above and is strengthened by diagonal buttresses. It has three three-light windows. Between the two westernmost windows sits the diagonally buttressed and embattled porch, placed on a plinth with three heavy moulded bands. The buttresses rise to six crocketed pinnacles and are decorated partway up with single rostra. Single gargoyles appear on the east and west sides of the porch. The entrance has a pointed and moulded arched doorway with hood mould bearing worn angel label stops and a finial, with guttering terminating in worn beast label stops. The inner porch roof is supported on moulded ribs carried on corbels with decorative stone carvings, some in the form of human heads and animals. The south wall contains an ogee arched niche with finial, hood mould and worn label stops above, and below is a small niche with ogee and inverted ogee arches. The round moulded arched inner doorway has a wooden door. The west wall has an arched three-light window with cusping, with four similar windows in the clerestory.

Interior

The nave has four-bay arcades dating to the 13th century, with double chamfered arches with broach stops supported on octagonal piers and responds with moulded capitals; the south-east respond has an embattled capital. Hood moulds run over the arcade on both sides, the northern one bearing two label stops. The moulded tower arch has a single ashlar carved angel holding a coloured shield in the apex. The inner chamfer of the double chamfered chancel arch is supported on corbels. Two angels flank the chancel arch with a further single angel in the apex, all similar in style to the angel above the tower arch.

The south chancel wall contains a rectangular piscina. The south aisle south wall has an ogee arched piscina. The contemporary nave roof features carved and painted decorative bosses, including some with grotesque faces. The north aisle roof also retains some decorative bosses.

17th-century altar rails with twisted balusters survive. A fine 15th-century screen is canopied and vaulted, decorated with bosses, trefoils and daggers. The remaining furniture dates to the 19th and 20th centuries, including an octagonal font. The nave contains a 14th-century floor slab decorated with a stylised cross. A lead sheet removed from the roof is primitively etched with a depiction of a house and dated "RH 1792".