Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

This church in Wellesbourne dates from the late 13th century, with a late 14th-century tower. It was extensively rebuilt and enlarged in 1847 by J P Harrison, when the nave was lengthened to the east and the chancel was rebuilt.

The building is constructed of coursed dressed limestone with narrow courses to the north aisle and rubble to the south aisle, both with ashlar dressings. The roofs are 19th-century tile with decorative bands and cresting, with slate to the south aisle.

The plan comprises a 2-bay chancel with a north organ loft and vestry and a south chapel; a 5-bay nave with a gabled north aisle and lean-to south aisle; and a 3-stage west tower. The exterior features offset and diagonal buttresses and coped gables.

The chancel incorporates red sandstone in its east end below a 3-light Decorated tracery window. The south side has a pointed-arch entrance and a 2-light window with uncut hood stops. The vestry has a 3-light east window with its lower part blind, a small double-cusped light, and a 2-light window to the north. The chapel has a Y-tracery east window set above a reset late 13th-century quatrefoil, and three single-chamfered lancets to the south.

The north aisle has a pointed entrance at the west end of its north wall and four 3-light north windows with reticulated tracery, plus one at the west end. The south aisle has a top cornice and parapet with roll moulding. A gabled stone porch contains an entrance with continuous moulding and iron gates. A late 14th-century 2-light straight-headed window to the left has head stops to the hood mould. Three windows to the right match those of the north aisle, with a west lancet.

The tower has string courses, top cornice, and a crenellated parapet with continuous roll moulding. Its 3-light west window features Perpendicular tracery with a hood decorated with grotesque stops, crockets and fleurons. A small light to the south side has a large hood with crockets and fleurons. The second stage has similar lights to each side, two to the south. Two 2-light louvred bell-openings have similar hoods and head stops.

The interior chancel has a waggon roof with Y-shaped principals, carved bosses and stencilling. A former chancel arch from around 1100 has been reset to the organ loft, featuring two orders with cushion capitals and some cable moulding. An 1873 arch to the chapel has a trumeau supporting a trefoil. The sanctuary features 1873 red and white marble panelling by T H Wyatt, with brattishing and a central gablet over a reredos cross in a trefoil arch and flanking quatrefoils. Flanking 2-light arches have mosaic panels, with a cusped niche to the north and gabled sedilia to the south.

The nave has an ashlared single-rafter roof with scissor braces and stencilling. A high west gallery with painted panels and two entrances sits over the tower arch. The 5-bay arcades have shafted piers with plain capitals; the south aisle is late 13th-century with a 19th-century addition, while the north aisle is 19th-century.

The fittings include chancel encaustic tiles and traceried stall fronts. The nave contains a 19th-century timber pulpit and lectern with rich carving, and a 19th-century font to the north aisle with tracery panels.

Memorials include a brass to Sir Thomas le Straunge, died 1426, shown as a knight in armour, good 18th- and 19th-century wall tablets, and a chancel tablet to Paul Aylworth with a black marble panel, architrave and armorial bearing with skull crest. An 18th-century niche to the chancel north wall has a pedestal inscribed to Ann and John Denes, died 1761 and 1786.

The church contains good stained glass in the chancel, aisles and tower. The tower window is by Holland of Warwick. The chancel south window, dated 1892, is by C E Kempe, and some windows are by Willement.