Church of Saint Peter

Church of Saint Peter

Parish church built in 1874-75 on an earlier site. Constructed in red sandstone ashlar with plain tile roofs. The building comprises a three-bay nave and two-bay chancel, a three-bay south aisle and two-bay south chapel, with a tower at the west end of the south aisle and a vestry to the north of the chancel. The architectural style is Decorated.

Tower

The tower has two stages. It features a double-moulded plinth, moulded string course and parapet string, and a battlemented parapet with moulded coping. Angle buttresses have chamfered offsets. A square stair turret to the south west has chamfered rectangular openings and an octagonal top stage with moulded parapet string and battlemented parapet with moulded coping. The belfry openings are louvered, each consisting of two trefoil-headed lights with panelled Y-tracery and chamfered reveals. Below the belfry opening to the west is a chamfered trefoil-headed lancet opening; three chamfered trefoil-headed openings appear below the belfry opening to the north. The first stage has south and west windows, each of two trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil in the tracery and chamfered reveals. Clocks are positioned below the belfry openings to the east and south.

Nave, Chancel, Aisle and Chapel

The exterior features a coved plinth. Buttresses have chamfered offsets, with diagonal ones at corners. Painted rafter ends and coped parapeted gable ends with crosses at their apices are visible throughout.

The south aisle has windows of trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoils in the tracery and hollow-chamfered reveals. The south doorway in the left-hand bay consists of a continuously moulded arch with fillet and a pair of boarded doors with elaborate strap hinges.

A timber-framed gabled porch adjoins the building, featuring a stone plinth with coved top and chamfered timbers with broach stops. Brackets support the gable. Pairs of trefoil-headed lights with cinquefoils in the spandrels sit above a flanking chamfered archway with inserted 20th-century boarded doors and tympanum. The side walls contain windows of 2+2+3 trefoil-headed lights. The interior of the porch has three chamfered arch-braced collar trusses and side benches.

The south aisle chapel has square-headed windows of two and three square-headed lights, each with a small trefoil above and hollow-chamfered reveals. A moulded Caernarvon-arched doorway to the left has a boarded door with strap hinges. The east window consists of three stepped trefoil-headed lights, with small trefoils above each light, moulded reveals and a hoodmould with uncarved stops.

The nave has a gabled sanctus bellcote at its east end with a chamfered-arched opening. Windows consist of two trefoil-headed lights; the outer two have small trefoils above each light and Y-tracery, whilst the centre one has geometrical tracery and chamfered reveals. A tall west window of two trefoil-headed lights with three quatrefoils in the tracery and hollow-chamfered reveals is present.

The chancel has a short high-up east window of five stepped trefoil-headed lights, with small trefoils above each light, moulded reveals and a hoodmould with uncarved stops. The vestry to the north of the chancel has a stack with chamfered sides and a circular shaft with moulded base and cap. East and west windows consist of a pair of trefoil-headed lights. A north doorway comprises a continuously-moulded arch with fillet and broach stops, and a boarded door with strap hinges.

Interior

The interior is well-proportioned and finely detailed. The three-bay nave arcade consists of octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases and double-chamfered arches, continuing down to the ground and partly dying into the responds to the west. A double-chamfered chancel arch has its inner chamfer springing from moulded corbels. A double-chamfered vestry archway features an outer chamfer that is continuous and an inner chamfer dying into responds. The vestry north doorway is continuously-chamfered. A double-chamfered south chapel arch has its inner chamfer springing from moulded corbels. A two-bay arcade between the chancel and chapel consists of octagonal piers with moulded bases and capitals and double-chamfered arches, continuous to ground at each end. A continuous double-chamfered tower arch has its soffit dying into responds. A Caernarvon-arched boarded doorway leads to the stair turret. A double-chamfered organ arch to the north dies into responds to the right and is continuous to the ground to the left with soffit dying into responds. The nave and aisle have hollow-chamfered rear arches, whilst the chancel and chapel have moulded rear arches. A moulded trefoiled piscina is located in the chancel, and a moulded cill string runs along the east window of the chancel.

Roofing

The nave roof has seven bays and the chancel roof has five bays, each featuring chamfered arch-braced trusses, pairs of chamfered purlins and ashlar pieces. A four-bay chancel roof employs a hybrid design with chamfered arch-braced trusses, trussed rafters and a collar purlin. A trussed rafter roof covers the south chapel. The ringing chamber floor in the tower has chamfered beams.

Fittings and Furnishings

The building contains rich and complete fittings, mostly dating from 1874-75 with details picked out in red and gold.

Carved wooden screens are present to the vestry, south chapel and between the chancel and south chapel, featuring pierced ogee tracery and billet-ornamented top rails. A more elaborate chancel screen has a central opening with cusped ogee head and pierced panelled tracery, side lights with pierced cusping and traceried panels beneath, posts with crocketed pinnacles, and a billet-ornamented top rail with pierced cresting. An elaborately-carved wooden rood cross in the form of a tree is also present.

Returned choir stalls feature traceried panels, poppyheads and carved handrests depicting subjects such as pelican, crow, lamb, fox or dog. Carved wooden altar rails are present. The altar is plain with a low carved wooden reredos. A carved 17th-century chair is retained. A hexagonal wooden pulpit features linenfold panels and a moulded top rail on a stone base. The south chapel has an altar and low reredos with carved and billet-ornamented cill band above. The complete set of pews has carved Maltese crosses at the ends of each bench. An octagonal stone font with two steps, chamfered base, stem with square fleurons and bowl with alternate carved traceried panels and circular traceried motifs supports a tall wooden cover with cresting to the base, traceried panels and a large poppyhead finial. A parish chest, dated "WM WP/CW/1681", features raised and fielded panels with carved ornament and a moulded edge to the top. A large organ case has crocketed finials.

Monuments

An alabaster chest tomb is dedicated to Sir Reginald Corbet, Justice of the King's Bench (died 1566) and his wife. It comprises 2 by 3 bays divided by twisted balusters with standing figures and heraldic ornament to sides and ends, an inscription around the top, and a pair of recumbent effigies with traces of colour. Various late 18th and early 19th-century memorial tablets are also present.

Stained Glass and Historical Context

Early stained glass work by Kempe dating from 1876 is present in both east windows. A copy of a drawing of the old church survives. A church and priest at Stoke are mentioned in the Domesday Book. The present church is an ambitious building, notable for its complete late 19th-century fixtures and fittings.