Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

This is a stone church of late 12th and early 13th-century origin, largely rebuilt in the 14th century with an early 15th-century tower. The chancel's north aisle dates from the mid 19th century, and the vestry is mid to late 19th century with some earlier work incorporated. The building was restored in 1908. It is constructed principally in sandstone ashlar, though the chancel has a 12th and 13th-century south wall of limestone rubble with sandstone plinth and cornice.

The church comprises an aisled nave with chancel and north aisle, a west tower, and a south vestry. The roof coverings are of tile, with coped gable parapets featuring kneelers, some with weatherings. The architectural style spans Decorated and Perpendicular periods.

The chancel is of two bays with a moulded plinth. Its east window is a three-light limestone window with curvilinear tracery. The south window has Y-tracery with inner trefoiled lancets, and there is a small chamfered low-side window. The chancel aisle has a three-light east window with reticulated tracery and a large gabled buttress to the north side. A door is set in a roll-moulded segmental pointed arch, above which is a Gothick wall monument with inscriptions to William Smith (1810) and Ann Smith (1827). A small chamfered straight-headed north-east light and two windows with Y-tracery similar to the chancel complete this section.

The nave is of three bays with a splayed plinth and diagonal and other buttresses of two offsets. Windows are mainly renewed but retain hood moulds. The north aisle has three buttresses, a north-west doorway said to be early 14th-century with three moulded orders and a hood mould continued across the wall, and a mid 19th-century ribbed door. Two two-light windows have curvilinear tracery with central mullion, and the west window has cusped Y-tracery.

The south aisle has two south two-light windows with curvilinear tracery. A south-west buttress is continued upward into a 19th-century octagonal stack with cornice. At the west end is a small plank door in the angle and a small quatrefoil window set high up. A wall monument comprises two slate panels with sandstone cornice, urn, volutes and other ornament, with inscriptions to Mary Johnson (1828) and others.

The vestry has a south gable with gablet kneelers, a two-light window with reticulated tracery, and a west door.

The Perpendicular tower is of three stages with a south-east stair turret and moulded string courses. A double-leaf west door is set in an elaborate but eroded doorway of three orders, featuring an inner moulded order, multi-cusped arch, and outer arch with alternating trefoil and trefoiled lancet panelling. Above is a deep-set three-light window with splayed sill and remains of jamb panelling, with hood mould continued as a string course. The second stage has remains of a small ogee canopy and two small ogee lancets under a straight head with hood mould flanking a clock face. The third stage retains remains of carvings to the buttresses, deep-set renewed paired two-light bell openings with blind tracery below and continuous hood mould (one opening only to the north), and a frieze of quatrefoils. The parapet is moulded and embattled, with an octagonal south-east stair turret rising above.

Interior

The chancel east window has a rere arch of three chamfered orders. There is a moulded trefoiled piscina of 12th and 13th-century date. The ceiling is a 19th-century panelled wagon roof with moulded ribs. The mid 19th-century two-bay chancel arch is in the Early English style with a composite arcade. A 19th-century chancel arch of two chamfered orders, the inner with foliage corbels and the outer dying into the wall, is also present. Remains of old carved corbels survive.

The nave has three-bay arcades. The north and south arcades rest upon bases and shafts of 12th and 13th-century date: square bases with angle spurs support octagonal shafts. The 14th-century Decorated south arcade has moulded capitals with castellated abaci; the eastern capital also has ballflower ornament. The impost to the west retains remains of a foliage corbel. The 15th-century Perpendicular north arcade has moulded capitals. The west impost, possibly of 12th and 13th-century date, bears a cowled woman's head. A 19th-century queen post roof spans the nave. The high tower arch is of three chamfered orders. The tower arch, window and door all have jambs with trefoiled lancet panelling. A plaster quadripartite rib vault with decorated bosses crowns the interior. A mid 19th-century internal porch is present.

The chancel aisle has a crown post wagon roof and an arch of moulded and chamfered orders. The aisles have 19th-century panelled ceilings with moulded ribs. The south aisle retains remains of an ogee piscina.

Fittings and Furnishings

An elaborate mid 19th-century Gothic reredos and altar table features a triptych painting. A mid to late 19th-century octagonal alabaster pulpit is decorated with blind tracery. Mid 19th-century stalls are present. An octagonal font of 1848 has blind tracery to the bowl and stem.

Monuments

On the tower south wall is a monument to Margarit Hixon (1632), a painted wood monument of triangular section with moulded frame. Above the north aisle door is a monument to Thomas Newcomb (1681) in alabaster. It takes diptych form with open doors, moulded round arch, scroll pediment and cartouche crest, with volutes, finials, drops and a moulded shelf bearing a winged head. Newcomb was printer to Charles II, James II and William III, and founder of the Almshouses.

Stained Glass

The chancel east window dates from 1908 and is by Charles Kempe. The south-east window dates from circa 1895. Windows in the south aisle date from circa 1917 and 1919.