Church Of St Peter And Attached Mausoleum

Church of St. Peter and Attached Mausoleum

This is a medieval church with later alterations, comprising an aisled nave, chancel, north chapel, north-west tower, and south porch. The building dates primarily to the 13th century, with the north aisle and north chapel added in the late 13th century. The chancel, south aisle, and porch are 14th century. The nave's west end was rebuilt, a clerestory added, and the upper part of the tower altered or rebuilt in the late 15th century. The chancel underwent restoration around 1848.

The chancel is constructed of limestone ashlar, while the tower, west end, and south clerestory are built of regular coursed sandstone. The north clerestory, aisles, and porch are of squared coursed sandstone rubble. The chancel and porch retain their original tile roofs. All external walls are finished with coped gable parapets.

The chancel contains two bays and features 18th and 19th century sandstone diagonal buttresses, each topped with two cinqfoiled gablets. A 19th century five-light Perpendicular east window with hood mould and a 19th century cross finial are present. The south doorway has a chamfered four-centred surround and ribbed door, also dating to the 19th century. Renewed windows with Decorated tracery in limestone and sandstone feature hood moulds throughout. The south aisle has a south-east diagonal buttress of two offsets and additional south and south-west buttresses.

The porch contains a doorway of two moulded orders with hood mould and ribbed double-leaf doors. It features blocked east and west lancets, and east and two south windows with reticulated tracery. The clerestory comprises two bays with straight-headed two-light Decorated windows to north and south, some with hood moulds, and a moulded and coped parapet.

The north aisle and chapel form a single space of four bays with a splayed plinth. A north-east diagonal buttress of four offsets and two north buttresses of two offsets are present. A three-light 19th century east window with geometrical tracery and three-light north windows (probably altered in the 17th century) with part-moulded arches, mullions but no tracery are visible.

The nave has a west buttress of three offsets. A four-light Perpendicular west window retains remains of head stops. The tower comprises two stages with a diagonal buttress of six offsets. A west lancet has a hood mould. Bricked-up lancet slits to the west and north are present. A moulded string course continues around the nave gable parapet. The upper stage features paired lancet openings with continuous hood moulds, now bricked up but with vents. An embattled parapet crowns the structure.

The interior is plastered. The chancel features a two-bay arcade to the north chapel of two chamfered orders with hood mould, octagonal pier, and semi-circular imposts with moulded capitals. A four-bay crown post roof, possibly 14th century, has wavy struts and braces, wind braces, and chamfered tie beams. Octagonal piers and half-octagonal responds appear throughout. The chancel arch comprises two orders: the outer continuous, the inner on moulded imposts and head corbels.

The nave contains a two-bay north arcade similar to the chancel but with a continuous outer order. Part of a third arch to the west is interrupted by the tower. A 14th century three-bay south arcade features two chamfered orders with moulded bases and capitals. A late 15th century Perpendicular roof has wall posts and stone corbels. The north chapel features an ogee piscina. Both aisle and chapel have lean-to roofs. A simple 13th century tower arch with chamfered imposts connects the south aisle. A simple piscina is located in the south aisle.

The church contains several fittings of note. A plain tub font, possibly 13th century, is present. A 14th century oak chapel screen features shafts with shaft rings and intersecting round arches with Decorated tracery. Late 17th century altar rails have barley sugar twist balusters and fielded newel posts with moulded caps. A hexagonal pulpit of 1790 has a moulded plinth and cornice with some inlay. Some 14th century benches survive. Painted Royal arms of 1702 appear above the chancel arch. Early 19th century framed and painted panels in the north chapel include pious verses and inscriptions to the Clarke family, spanning from 1601 to 1801.

The chancel contains early 19th century wall monuments to the Tibbits family. A mausoleum of the Tibbits family, dating to the late 18th or early 19th century, is attached to the east end of the chancel. Built of sandstone ashlar in the Gothick style, it features diagonal buttresses with cinqfoiled gablets that continue upward as finials. The east wall displays a blind quatrefoil.