Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

The Church of St Peter is probably of late 11th or very early 12th century origin, as indicated by the date of the north door. The south door dates to the late 12th or early 13th century, and the west tower was built in the 14th century. By the mid-14th century the church also had a south aisle and porch, both later demolished. The church was substantially rebuilt on a smaller scale in 1781, using older materials and retaining the west end of the nave and tower. The east window was remodelled in the early 19th century. Further restoration work was carried out in the later 20th century.

The building is constructed of flint rubble and stone with some later brick. It comprises a nave and west tower, with no chancel.

The church is a small building with a disproportionately large tower, a consequence of the 18th century reduction in scale. The tower rises in three stages with a moulded parapet and a polygonal spire that forms an important local landmark. The 14th century west window has two trefoiled ogee lights with a quatrefoil in the head and a hood mould. Single light windows are present in the bell stage, and two gargoyles sit below the parapet on the west face. The nave and chancel were rebuilt in 1781 on a very small scale, reusing older materials including a late 11th or very early 12th century north door with chamfered imposts, now blocked, and a late 12th or early 13th century south door with roll moulded orders on detached shafts (one replaced in wood) with stiff leaf capitals. A three-light window with Perpendicular style tracery was inserted in the west wall in the early 19th century, replacing an 18th century window. The gargoyle above the west window dates probably to the late 18th or early 19th century. The roof is hipped over the east end. A distinctive weathervane bears the letters A P.

The interior is painted white and is surprisingly spacious for such a small building. The tall 14th century tower arch has two chamfered orders, the outer continuous, the inner on polygonal shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The blocked north door is visible as a recess in the north wall. The roof is a simple late 18th century construction with tie beams, the backs of the rafters boarded and the whole painted white. The bell frame is late medieval.

Among the principal fixtures is an outstanding 12th century font: a square lead-lined stone bowl with mermen holding their divided tails at each corner, set on a cylindrical stem with a simple roll moulded base. The east window contains late 19th century glass by F R Leach featuring yellow floral and geometric quarries. Two memorial tablets in the tower date to the late 17th and early 18th centuries; the earlier features carved drapery, the later displays naïve fruit and floral swags.

The church has significant historical importance. Roman and Anglo-Saxon settlement existed in the area, and early, possibly non-Christian burials have been found in the churchyard. A church was built here shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066, with the north door probably dating to the late 11th century. Always a small and poor parish church, by the mid-14th century St Peter's possessed a nave, chancel, south aisle, porch, and west tower. A guild was present in the church by the 15th century, and money was left in 1503 for three windows on the north side. From the mid-17th century onwards, the parish was religiously linked with that of St Giles, though it remained administratively separate. The south aisle was demolished sometime after the Reformation. The church received new furnishings in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Although reported to be in an acceptable state in 1743, it had become ruined by 1772. Fragments of pink, burnt limestone incorporated into the rebuilt walling may suggest an unrecorded fire. Despite proposals for demolition, the church was rebuilt on a much smaller scale in 1781, when the nave and chancel were replaced with the present structure. It then served mainly as a chapel and vestry room for St Giles. Following a brief period as a Sunday School and children's church, and repairs in the mid-20th century, it became redundant in 1973. It is now administered by the Churches Conservation Trust.