Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter, Little Warley

This is a church of 15th and 16th-century origin, substantially rebuilt in 1718 and again in 1895. It is constructed of ragstone and brick, with a peg-tiled roof. The building comprises a simple plan of equal-width nave and chancel, with a west tower.

Exterior

The south elevation of the nave shows a ragstone wall with a large area repaired in 18th-century red brick at the west end. Two similar 15th-century windows are present, each with two-centred arched heads of two cinquefoiled lights with supermullions bearing trefoils. Between them sits a 15th-century south doorway with a two-centred arch, double hollow-moulded jambs, and a cavetto-moulded label. The door itself is old oak, boarded and tongue-and-grooved with cyma mouldings. A timber-framed and brick projecting door porch in late medieval style has five side lights; the embattled plates may be original, whilst the outer work dates to the 19th or early 20th century. To the west of the east nave window stands a ragstone buttress; to the east is a shallow projection of ragstone with upper 16th or 17th-century brickwork enclosing the rood stair.

The chancel is lower than the nave and built of 16th-century red brick. It has a rectangular two-light window with cinquefoiled heads, the exterior of which has been restored. Two brick buttresses are present, one diagonal on the south-east corner.

The west tower was rebuilt in 1718, as marked by a datestone on its west face. It is constructed of chequered brickwork on old ragstone footings, with buttressed corners and a simple louvred belfry opening. A parapet sits on a slight corbel-table.

The north elevation of the nave shows ragstone with 16th or 17th-century red brick repairs to the west end, supported by a buttress. The windows are similar to those on the south elevation, though the west window has been half removed and its opening blocked by the repair brickwork. A north door with two-centred arch and hollow chamfer has been blocked by early 18th-century brickwork. Two buttresses are present, with putlog holes in the ragstone wall filled with flint blocks.

The chancel on the north elevation shows a 16th-century brick wall, blank except for a contemporary central buttress and two heavy 19th-century buttresses on either side.

The east end elevation is entirely 19th-century, built of yellow brick with an accompanying diagonal buttress on the north corner. It features triple lancet windows with continuous label.

The west elevation of the tower has diagonal buttresses. The ground floor contains a two-centre-headed window with single mullion and transom, with cement-rendered reveals above. A datestone, two slit vents, the belfry opening, and parapet are as seen on the south elevation.

Interior

The nave contains a rood loft stair with upper and lower doorways, both with two-centred heads. The roof is a two-bayed crown-post construction, with a square crown-post featuring square fillets and four-way bracing, moulded cornice, and tie-beam.

Parts of medieval pews survive, mainly as handrails rebuilt at the west end. The bulk of the seating comprises box-pews dating from around 1600, framed and panelled with dentilled cornices. A 17th-century pulpit survives in three sides, with dentilled cornice bearing pendants of bobbin work and decorative sunk panels.

A simple font with a marble bowl and oolite pedestal in 17th-century style is present.

The chancel arch dates to the 16th century and has a two-centred form with two chamfered orders.

Monuments and Furnishings

The chancel contains important monuments. On the north side is an alabaster and marble altar tomb of Sir Denner Strutt and Dorothye his wife, dated 1641. It features recumbent effigies with the wife positioned behind and above the husband, and a large baldacchino with putti lifting curtains. On the south side is an altar tomb of Mary (Chapman), wife of Sir Denner Strutt Bart., dated 1658, also in alabaster and marble, depicting the woman in a shroud in a semi-reclining pose. The south wall carries a brass of Anne Wolley dated 1592, showing a half-figure in a ruff.

In the nave's north wall, within the blocked north doorway, is an alabaster figure of Time, found in the churchyard.

Monumental slabs are set into the floor of the central aisle.