Anglican Church Of St John And St Peter, Including Gate Piers And Boundary Wall

Anglican Church of St John and St Peter, including gate piers and boundary wall

The Church of St John and St Peter is an Anglican church built in 1852-4 to designs by the architect S. S. Teulon in the Decorated style. It was consecrated by the Bishop of Worcester on 15 March 1854. The church was originally conceived as the Church of St John the Evangelist but became known as the Church of St John and St Peter in 2000. In 1881, a polygonal apse, side chapels and transepts were added by Birmingham architect J. A. Chatwin.

The church is constructed of coursed red sandstone with ashlar dressings. The tiled roof features alternating bands of scalloped tiles.

The building is oriented south-west to north-east and has a cruciform plan, originally basilican, with chapels flanking the chancel and a vestry in the north-east corner.

The asymmetrical west elevation is dominated by a four-stage battlemented tower with pinnacles and angle buttresses. The west door to the nave is set within a pointed arch with trefoil lights to either side. Above the door is a four-light tracery window with a trefoil light at the apex of the gable end. The nave has an angled buttress to its south-west corner, and the south aisle is set back. To the north elevation of the west tower is a pointed arch doorway and a single storey stair turret. The three aisle windows are divided by buttresses and contain two lights with, from east to west, a quatrefoil, trefoil and cinquefoil above. Five clerestorey windows to the north and south elevations are two-light windows with pointed cushed heads.

To the east is a double-pile gable end transept and two staggered gable end bays forming the vestry. The polygonal apse at the east end features a central five-light tracery window with a two-light window to either side. Single-storey lean-to chapels flank the chancel on either side. The south elevation comprises the double-pile gable end transepts and two aisle windows of two lights with, from west to east, a pointed trefoil and cinquefoil above. A gable end south porch contains a pointed stone arch doorway supported on stone columns. To the west of the porch is a battlemented stair turret with a trefoil band. Hood moulds throughout carry head stops, none of which are identical.

The interior is defined by five-bay arcades formed from octagonal stone piers on square bases with chamfered broach stops. The piers support pointed arches with imposts. The transepts have two-bay arcades of the same formation. Carved angel corbels support the transept roofs. Pointed arches between the aisles and side chapels have foliate capitals, while the arcade pier to the east end above the pulpit carries a rich and elaborate capital in the Perpendicular style.

The chancel has an encaustic tile floor and an arch-braced collar rafter roof which is richly decorated. The stone reredos and panelling features cusped niches, marble piers and angel statues. The altar rails display gilded carvings of the Agnus Dei and symbolic representation of St John as the eagle. The chancel retains its choir stalls and chancel seating. Pairs of stone arches lead to the side chapels. The Lady Chapel to the south retains its 1920s furnishings designed by P. B. Chatwin. Carved head stops appear on the window hood moulds throughout.

Brick and stone gate piers with gabled caps featuring cusped detailing, and brick boundary walls form subsidiary features of the listing.