Parish Church Of St Peter

TL 65 NW STETCHWORTH CHURCH LANE (North Side)

6/152 Parish Church 19.8.59 of St. Peter

II*

Parish church. Chancel C13, tower late C14 or early C15. Nave arcades, north and south aisles and clerestorey C15. Nave and aisles restored in 1894 and chancel 1907. Walls of flint and pebble rubble with limestone and clunch dressings. Roofs of slates and modern plain tiles. Tower of three stages with clasping buttresses, moulded plinth band and belfry. Parapet with flint flush work and corner pinnacles with finials. Two- light belfry windows in two-centred arches. South aisle wall projects at east and west end as buttresses, with one blocked possibly C14 window. Four windows with cinquefoil lights in flat arches, two round windows with quatrefoils. Two lancet windows in south chancel wall with buttresses of two stages. East window rebuilt. Interior. Nave arcade of four bays, piers with embattled capitals, two-centred arches with hollow and plain chamfers. Guild bracket on south side of pier in north arcade, (also graffiti including woman with head-dress). Head corbels reset in aisle walls. Very fine C15 niche in south aisle with crocketed canopy on demi figure of angel. Nave roof restored C19, has C15 carved wooden corbels to moulded tie beams with carved spandrels to braces. Chancel roof C19. Organ C19 by Henry Jones, London. Font C16, octagonal bowl panelled with carved head bosses to quatrefoils, supported on octagonal stem with spurs to plinth. Monument in north aisle to Henry Gorges, d.1674, Superintendent and Surveyor General of the draining of the Bedford Level. Attributed to A. Storey (d. c.1696). Two kneeling figures in white marble holding hands over two books under open pediment, parents of Henry Gorges, whose white marble effigy with wig and Roman costume lies on tomb chest below. Monument to Ashton Benyon, d.1856, by E. Davis (b. 1813, d.1878). Pevsner, Buildings of England, p.460. RCHM (Cambs. notes), 1951. VCH Vol. VI, p.175. Gunnis, Dictionary of British Sculptors, pp.122,374. Maynard, Ms. Vol.IV, CRO.

Listing NGR: TL6424959028