Church Of St Nicholas And St Peter

Church of St Nicholas and St Peter

This is a church of late 12th-century origin, substantially altered and extended over subsequent centuries. The building was partially refenestrated in the early 14th century, a major addition was made in the late 15th century, and it underwent restoration in 1800 and 1895. The fabric consists of 12th-century coursed rubble and 15th-century ashlar beneath a plain tile roof. The plan comprises a west tower, a three-bay nave (originally two bays), and a two-bay chancel.

West Tower

The tower dates from the 15th century and rises in four stages. It has a plinth with moulded coping, a moulded string course to the fourth stage, a parapet string, and a crenellated parapet with corner finials and continuous coping to the merlons and embrasures. The western doorway has a four-centred arch with two roll-moulded orders and a heavily crocketed hood mould. Above it is a four-centred window of three trefoil-headed lights with porch tracery and a plain hood mould returned to the sides as a string. Carved rosettes flank this window. The third and fourth stages have two-light transomed windows with four-centred heads and heavily crocketed hood moulds. Below the third stage is another pair of carved rosettes.

Nave and Chancel

The nave and chancel date from the 12th century. Pilaster buttresses mark the bay divisions and corners. When the tower was built, the nave was extended to the west using partly re-used 12th-century masonry. The blocked 12th-century north and south doorways survive in trace; the former retains its round arch and the latter its flanking shafts. A second blocked entrance on the north side has a pointed head and dates probably to the 14th century, corresponding to a 14th-century doorway inserted immediately west of the 12th-century south entrance. The nave windows have 19th-century tracery that may reflect 14th-century patterns. The north side has two pointed windows with Decorated-style tracery; the easternmost retains its 14th-century hood mould. A 12th-century loop lies to the right of this window, its stonework renewed in the 19th century. Three pointed windows light the south side; the eastern one displays Perpendicular-style tracery and retains its 14th-century hood mould terminating in carved human heads. A 15th-century south porch stands on the south side, with its upper parts rebuilt in 1800.

The chancel contains two 12th-century loops on the north and one on the south. On the south side is a 14th-century door with a segmental pointed head, an early 14th-century two-light window with reticulated tracery and a hollow-chamfered hood mould terminating in carved heads, and an early 15th-century two-light window with Perpendicular tracery. The east window has four lights with intersecting tracery, segment-moulded mullions and surround, and a hollow-chamfered hood mould with carved heads at the apex and as stops.

Interior

A high pointed tower arch of two orders rises into the interior; the inner order is ogee-moulded and interrupted by moulded imposts, while the outer is sunk-chamfered and continuous. A two-stage tower chamber with timber-framed ceiling supports the floor of the third stage. A late 19th-century arch-braced collar roof with moulded braces and purlins spans the nave. The chancel arch dates from circa 1170–90 and has an inner keeled roll and outer chevron moulding springing from two pairs of shafts with waterleaf, palmette and scalloped capitals. To the right of the arch is an early 15th-century pointed opening or squint of two trefoil-headed lights surmounted by supermullions containing a quatrefoil, with a 19th-century copy to the left. A 19th-century organ gallery crowns the arch.

Fittings and Decoration

The font is composite. Its 12th-century basin is extravagantly carved with a lamb, a winged monster, two pairs of men holding books (probably the Evangelists), an atlas and other figures and foliage. The base is the inverted bowl of another 12th-century font, and the stem is late 19th-century. A square panelled pulpit dates to the 19th century but incorporates earlier material.

The remains of 13th-century mural paintings surround all surviving 12th-century windows. The south window of the chancel has leaves and tendrils on the rear arch and, just below springing level, bands of Lombardic letters beneath which are figures of saints. A similar arrangement was employed on each of the other three windows. On the ledge of the north-east nave window embrasure is a 15th-century image niche with trefoiled ogee head and tall traceried gable. On the same ledge are three medieval tiles: one with an alphabet, one with a King's head, and one with a flower. On the ledge of the south-east nave window embrasure are two pieces of medieval sculpture: one a bracket supported by an angel, and the other probably the Archangel Gabriel in the traditional attitude of annunciation. Over the south door hangs a cloth bearing the Tudor royal arms with lion and dragon as supporters and the initials E.R. Royal arms painted on canvas in the tower date from 1822.