Church Of Saint Peter And Saint Paul

Church of Saints Peter and Paul

This is a sandstone church of 12th-century origins, substantially remodelled around 1300. The building was further enlarged in the early 16th century when the aisles and chapel were raised, and the top stage of the tower was added with the west wall rebuilt in 1610. Major restorations took place in 1882–1887, with the porch restored in 1938 and a comprehensive restoration in 1928.

The church is constructed of sandstone, mostly in regular coursed work, with splay plinths and old plain-tile roofs topped with coped gable parapets. The nave's east gable was raised in the 19th century in brick with stone coping. The building comprises an aisled nave, chancel, north vestry and transept chapel, south porch, and west tower.

The chancel consists of three bays with splay plinth and north-east and south angle buttresses of two offsets. The large 3-light east window has cusped intersecting tracery with remains of hood mould. Hood moulds with head stops are found throughout the chancel. The gable features a 19th-century cross finial. A late 17th-century straight-headed south doorway remains blocked. Late 14th-century eastern and western 3-light windows display Perpendicular tracery, while a 19th-century central 2-light window occupies the centre. All windows have splayed jambs. Between and below the eastern and central windows stands a mid- to late 18th-century monument with pediment, winged heads, ornamented entablature, and panelled surround.

A lean-to vestry is attached to the east, with its wall flush with the chancel. The brick vestry features a depressed ogee-arched doorway with plank door and large cross-glazed overlight, and the remains of a small blocked ogee north lancet.

The 3-bay aisles have splay plinths, small 14th-century diagonal buttresses of two offsets, and embattled parapets with moulded cornices. The 3-light east window has renewed cusped intersecting tracery with old hood mould and head stops. The south aisle's 3-light east window also features renewed cusped intersecting tracery, while a 2-light eastern window has uncusped Perpendicular tracery. Central western and west windows display Y-tracery. The north aisle contains a 19th-century buttress and a bricked-up chamfered doorway. 2-light double-chamfered mullioned windows are present, with two 3-light windows above: the eastern window is arched with mullions and the straight-headed western window has arched lights.

The north chapel has angle buttresses of two offsets, a coved cornice with mask frieze and parapet, and 3-light east and north windows with simple cusped intersecting tracery. The north gable is very shallow-pitched with a much narrower and steeper rendered 17th-century gable on top. A moulded west doorway has a 19th-century stud door, and a 2-light window sits in the angle.

The tower comprises three stages with splay courses and a high moulded and splayed plinth. Full-height west diagonal buttresses contain seven offsets. The first stage has a small 2-light west window, with stone inscribed 'THIS TOWER RESTORED 1928' above. The second stage features a small quatrefoil window and, high up, a window of two small basket-arched lights. The bell chamber has 2-light Perpendicular openings, partly renewed, with Y-tracery and louvres. A moulded cornice and embattled parapet are topped with crocketed pinnacles bearing weathervanes. The north side displays a central buttress and a plain corbel. A large stair projection occupies the south-west angle. The third stage carries a painted clock face to the south.

The interior has plastered nave and aisles. The chancel contains a piscina and three sedilia of around 1300 with trefoiled arches, hood moulds, and head stops. North and straight-headed south doorways remain blocked. The north arch consists of two chamfered orders with responds bearing fillets and moulded capitals. A 19th-century two-bay king post roof with celled upper part covers the chancel. The chancel arch, dated 1887, has two chamfered orders without responds.

The nave features a moulded cornice and plaster ceiling. The arcades of two very wide bays contain 12th-century round piers with scalloped capitals (decorated to the north) and square responds, but with arches of two chamfered orders dating from around 1300. The tower arch has two outer continuous chamfered orders and an inner order with responds and moulded capitals. The aisles have very shallow-pitched roofs, possibly from the 16th century, with moulded beams and carved bosses. The arch from north aisle to chapel consists of two chamfered orders, with the inner order featuring carved corbels—one depicting a green man to the north and a man with a monkey to the south. The chapel contains a niche in the east wall with trefoiled arch and blind trefoil-panelled surround, and an east piscina with trefoiled arch. The chapel has a ceiled queen strut roof, possibly dating from the 16th century.

The font is octagonal with a plain bowl and stem featuring blind trefoiled arches and trefoil spandrels. A late 19th-century pulpit is executed in Early English style. Stalls and pews incorporate 18th-century panels. The east window contains stained glass dated to 1885.

Monuments include: on the chancel east wall, Elizabeth Cope (1716) with panel surround featuring volutes, segmental pediment with cartouche, and gadrooned apron; on the nave west wall, James Luttrell (1788) with drapery panel, winged head in arched surround with broken pediment and urn, volutes, and above a relief medallion of a woman and anchor suspended from drapery; and in the south aisle, Simon Luttrell, Earl Carhampton, signed by E. Grubb (1788), a large double panel with volutes and central console, above which is a cherub with urn and an achievement of arms against an obelisk.