Parish Church Of St Peter

Parish Church of St Peter

A Grade I listed parish church in Yaxley, of cruciform plan originating in the 13th century but substantially altered and enlarged over subsequent centuries. The building exemplifies the development of English Gothic ecclesiastical architecture from the 13th to 15th centuries, with later restoration work carried out between 1906 and 1910.

The church began as a 13th-century cruciform structure. Between around 1290 and 1300, it was modified by the addition of north and south chapels to the chancel and the widening of the nave aisles. Around 1330 to 1340, the east wall of the chancel was rebuilt or refaced, and the roofs of the chapels were altered. The mid to late 15th century saw the addition of the west tower and spire, while the nave, clerestory, and south porch were rebuilt in the late 15th century.

The walls are constructed of roughly coursed rubble limestone and Barnack stone ashlar, with lead roofs throughout.

The south elevation presents the building's most distinctive feature: a four-stage west tower with clasping buttresses and an embattled parapet topped with crocketed pinnacles at the angles and mid-points of each side. The second stage contains a window with a single loop-light, while the belfry has two tiers of three trefoiled lights set within a four-centred head with moulded label. Rising from the tower angles is a crocketed octagonal spire with flying buttresses, articulated by two ranges of spire lights—the first of two trefoiled lights and the second of one trefoiled light, both with gabled heads.

The nave, aisles, transepts, chancel, and porch have plain parapets. The clerestory runs along the nave with four windows, each containing three trefoiled lights in a four-centred head with moulded label. The south aisle features a south doorway of circa 1300, set within a two-centred arch of four moulded orders with jambs supporting two free shafts and one attached shaft, all with moulded caps and bases; the door itself dates from the 17th century. Two eastern windows in the south aisle are 15th-century work, each with three trefoiled lights in a four-centred head; a western window of circa 1300 has three graduated pointed lights with moulded label and mask stops. The south porch is accessed through a four-centred archway of two chamfered orders, the outer continuous and the inner springing from attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases. Above the archway sit two niches enriched with crochets and finials, while the gable parapet is surmounted by three carved beasts.

The south transept contains a window of circa 1350 with five trefoiled ogee lights and net-tracery in a two-centred head with moulded label and head stops. The south chapel has an eastern window of 14th-century date containing three trefoiled lights with flowing tracery in a two-centred head; its western windows, dated circa 1300, each have three pointed lights with pierced spandrels in two-centred heads with moulded labels. The chancel clerestory displays three 14th-century windows, each containing two trefoiled ogee lights in a segmental head.

Interior

The nave contains four bays of arcades with two-centred arches of two orders: the outer is moulded while the inner is chamfered and springs from attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The shafts continue upward to support the roof principals. A north aisle doorway of circa 1300 features a two-centred arch. The tower arches are two-centred with two orders; the outer is wave-moulded and continuous, the inner chamfered and springing from attached shafts with moulded capitals and bases. The west doorway has a four-centred head, as does the stair turret doorway with chamfered jambs (this doorway retains a 16th-century door). The north and south transept arches to the aisles are of 13th-century origin but were extended in the 15th century. A rood loft door retains linen fold panelling.

The north and south chapels have corbelled 13th-century west archways. The chancel arch, dated circa 1300, is two-centred with two chamfered orders, the inner springing from semi-octagonal moulded corbels. The north wall displays a 13th-century arcade of two bays with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders with moulded labels, and a central quatrefoil column with moulded cap and base. The south arcade comprises three bays with more elaborate mouldings.

The chancel, north chapel, and south chapel roofs incorporate 14th-century timbers, with reused materials and carved details visible in the nave and transept roofs. An octagonal font with plain sunk panels dates from circa 1300. Six late 13th-century lockers and three 14th-century niches survive. Piscinae are located in the north chapel (late 13th century), south chapel (both 15th and 13th century), north transept (13th century), and south transept (14th century). Sedilia of three stepped bays are situated in the north chapel.

A 15th-century screen of six bays retains traces of painted decoration. A hexagonal pulpit, dated 1631 and inscribed with the initials H.S., I.P., and R.E., stands in the church. The north transept contains 16th-century seating, while the chancel retains restored late 15th-century stalls.