Parish Church of St Peters

Parish Church of St Peter's

This Grade I listed parish church is noted for its exceptionally fine late 13th and early 14th century first floor chapel and undercroft, which serves also as a north porch entrance. The undercroft was restored in 1864.

The church's surviving nave arcades date from the transitional late 12th and early 13th century and retain material from the original structure, with re-used stone visible in the south aisle wall. The north and south aisles were rebuilt in the early 14th century, incorporating some Norman material and a Norman window in the north aisle. The tower dates to the late 14th century with 15th century embattlements. The vestry and chancel are 13th century work, though they were rebuilt in the 15th century. The church underwent restoration in 1846.

The building is constructed of flint, originally plastered, with barnack and limestone dressings. The roofs are lead, pitched low to the aisles and nave with a gabled chancel. The nave gable features a coped, cross-stepped parapet, while the east gable wall of the chancel is topped with a cross finial, as is the nave gable. The west tower has a moulded plinth and a later embattled parapet, with angle buttresses of four stages. The buttresses to the north-west are incorporated within a belfry stair turret which terminates above the tower and is lit by quatrefoil openings. Belfry windows contain two cinquefoil lights within two-centred arches. The clerestory comprises five bays with an embattled parapet, each window set within a moulded four-centred arch and containing pairs of cinquefoil lights. The aisle parapets are embattled, with three aisle windows containing three cinquefoil lights and a quatrefoil in the spandrel, while one 15th or 16th century window in the east bay, similar to the vestry window, sits within a four-centred arch. A late 13th century vestry door has been reset with shafted jambs, bell capitals, moulded bases, and a deeply moulded two-centred arch. The chancel east window is a 19th century restoration.

The north chapel is a two-storey structure of three bays with a vaulted undercroft. It has angle buttresses of three stages, a plain tile roof with gable parapets rebuilt in the 19th century, and a stair turret featuring an external two-centred arched entrance in the western bay. The entrance to the undercroft comprises a two-centred arch of three chamfered orders. Ground floor openings are single cinquefoil lights, whilst the first floor windows feature decorated tracery with three lights set within two-centred arches.

Interior

The church interior features a 15th century tower arch with moulded outer and inner orders, and a chancel arch with attached half piers. The nave arcade comprises five bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders, moulded capitals and bases to octagonal piers. The nave roof spans ten bays with carved bosses at tie beam intersections and at alternate bays. Flanking the chancel are 19th century chapels. The chancel roof is a fine 15th century example with richly ornamented principal timbers and arch-braced queen posts, featuring carved angels in each bay and across each tie beam.

A restored 13th century double piscinae and sedilia feature deeply moulded two-centred arches and shafts with moulded capitals and bases. Fifteenth century choir stalls with misericords survive, as do pews with carved poppy heads featuring angels and other decoration. The font is 15th century work with lightly carved panels of blind arches. A brass lectern of 1881 is a copy of a 15th century lectern at Isleham. The reredos dates to 1886, and the pulpit to 1918, executed in limestone with carved wood and brass balusters to the stair.

The church retains old glass in the Lady chapel and north aisle. A brass to William Chesewright, dated 1521, is located in the south aisle. Later glass includes late 19th and modern work by Heaton Butler and Co., Clayton and Bell, Hardman, and Constable of Cambridge, together with a poets window by Mrs Dawson Waugh.

Frescoes in the style of William Morris were designed by C P Leonard and executed in 1905 by Edith and Minnie Townsend. Tower frescoes were executed by C P Leonard.