Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Church of St Peter and St Paul

This is an important parish church primarily dating from the early 13th century, with substantial alterations and additions made in the late 13th or early 14th century, late 14th century, and 15th century. The building was restored in 1862-3 by the architect Woodyer, and underwent further restoration in the early 20th century.

The church is constructed of coursed limestone rubble, with some stone also squared, whilst the chantry chapel and parapets are of ashlar. The chancel is roofed in stone slate, whilst the nave is roofed in lead. The building comprises a chancel, a nave with a north aisle, and a west tower.

The chancel, which was rebuilt in the late 13th or early 14th century and subject to considerable 19th century restoration, consists of three bays. It features a chamfered plinth and quoins, with a coped gable to the east surmounted by a cross. A 19th century window in the style of the 14th century, containing three lights with geometric tracery and a hood mould with labels, occupies the east wall. To the north and south are two restored windows from the late 13th or early 14th century, each with two lights, cusped geometric tracery, chamfered surrounds and hood moulds with labels. A 19th century blocked doorway to a planned vestry lies to the north, alongside a 19th century brick and ashlar chimney stack. To the south, between the windows, is a 15th century chantry chapel (now used as a vestry) of two small bays with a stone flag lean-to roof. This chapel displays a moulded plinth with offset buttresses and a coped embattled parapet. Coped half-gables project to the east and west. The east wall of the chapel contains a pointed two-light window with a central mullion rising to the apex and cusped tracery within a hollow-chamfered surround. To the south, divided by a buttress, are two square-headed two-light windows with central mullions and cusped tracery, each within a hollow-chamfered surround; the window to the left has been restored.

The nave dates from the early 13th century, with an early 14th century north aisle and early 15th century clerestory. It is four bays in length and features quoins, an offset buttress, a double weather-course to the south, and a hollow-moulded eaves cornice. An embattled parapet runs around the building. At the apex of the east gable is a bell-cote with ogee-headed openings to the east and west, crocketed pinnacles, and a pyramid-shaped pinnacle with a crocketed finial at its head.

The south wall of the nave is dominated by a late 14th century gabled porch with a stone-slate roof and coped gable. The porch entrance features a double-chamfered doorway, above which is a C17 double plank door with muntins and rails forming panels; a date "1620" appears as a lead bas-relief on the western leaf. Blocked windows occupy the north and south sides of the porch, which also contains stone benches and a much-worn tomb from the 14th or 15th century to the east. The porch is entered via a part-restored early 13th century doorway of two orders: the outer order has chamfered jambs with stops below a moulded abacus, continuing into a hollow-chamfered and edge-rolled semi-circular head; the inner order has chamfered jambs continuing into a trefoiled head. An abacus on the east side bears a scratched sundial. A 19th century plank door and queen-post roof were added during later restoration.

To the west of the porch, and beside two openings to the east of it, is an early 14th century window of two cusped lights and a quatrefoil within a chamfered surround, hood mould and labels. The north aisle features three similar windows, though without hood moulds and labels; a 19th century window of two lights with Y-tracery and hood mould with labels occupies the east end. A 13th century segmental-headed doorway with an edge-roll surround and plank door is located to the north, towards the west.

The clerestory of the 15th century contains five square-headed windows on both the north and south sides, each of two lights with cusped tracery, hollow-chamfered surrounds, hood moulds and diamond-shaped labels.

The west tower comprises three stages: the first two stages date from the late 13th century and are now rendered, whilst the top stage is of the 15th century. The tower has a moulded plinth, offset diagonal buttresses rising to the 15th century stage, and string courses to each stage. A 13th century flat buttress is positioned at the east angle. Below the parapet runs a moulded eaves cornice with gargoyles to the north and south. The parapet is pierced and embattled, with crocketed pinnacles at the corners. A 20th century simple plank door with a single chamfered lancet above and hood mould occupies the south-west; above the first string course to the west is a single round-headed light. The south face contains a pointed chamfered doorway with a loop to its left, and a single round-headed light above the first string course. Towards the top of each face of the second stage are 13th century windows of two lancets with central polygonal shafts with moulded capitals and unpierced spandrels, together with hood moulds. All these windows are now blocked except that on the east, which retains one glazed light. The 15th century bell-chamber openings are square-headed, each of two lights, fitted with stone-slate louvres and hood moulds with labels.

Internally, the chancel contains a 19th century cusped piscina beneath the easternmost window of the south wall, with a stone seat to its immediate right. A restored doorway to the north leads into the chantry chapel, above which is a late 13th or early 14th century window, now hidden externally but identical to those flanking it. The chantry chapel is noted as possessing a moulded corbel supporting a chamfered rib of the roof. To the west of the westernmost window in the south wall is a late 13th century trefoiled recess. A restored late 13th century chancel arch of double-chamfered form has polygonal responds and moulded capitals. All windows to the north and south walls of the nave have chamfered rere-arches.

The north arcade comprises four bays with slender octagonal piers, each with responds to the east and west, moulded bases and capitals. The arches are double-chamfered, continuing into single splays above the capitals. Below the clerestory windows to the north and south runs a moulded string course. The clerestory windows themselves have chamfered rere-arches. The west tower arch is triple-chamfered with imposts to the outer chamfers, the inner chamfered order being supported on polygonal stiff-leaf corbels, with a hood mould above bearing carved head labels. The west window of the tower has two rere-arches.

The chancel roof, dating from the 19th century, is a crown-post construction. The nave roof, reconstructed in the 15th century style, is low-pitched and features moulded tie-beams, braces and purlins. Hammer-beams are supported on polygonal moulded capitals decorated with carving, including foliage, angels, a woman's head and a mitred bishop. A priest with a chalice and figures with books are set into the wall on either side. The north aisle roof, dating from the 19th century, is supported on plain corbels.

The interior contains 19th century stained glass in the chancel and tower windows, a 19th century font, and a 19th century stone pulpit which incorporates some 15th century panels, possibly from a former font, featuring ogee-headed tracery with crocketed pinnacles. Wall tablets commemorate John Rawlings and Elizabeth, his wife, who died in 1778 and 1775; the Reverend Thomas Clarke, M.A., of Brazenose College, Oxford, who died in 1837; and other 19th century commemorations on the north wall.