Church Of St Peter And St Paul

The Church of St Peter and St Paul is a mid-20th century building located on the site of an ancient church that was destroyed by enemy action on September 21, 1940. The architects for this church were Duncan Clark RIBA and the late Marshall Sissons.

The church features a west tower that is divided into three stages, with a polygonal stair turret at the north-east corner. The tower has rectangular windows, with double windows at the top stage, and each stage is accented by a chamfered string course. The parapet of the tower is embattled. The nave includes a south aisle and a north transept, with low-pitched roofs that are either felted or metalled. The walls of the church are rendered.

The south aisle is supported by three buttresses and has a chamfered string course above the footings, which incorporate ancient stones. The south wall contains three windows, each featuring three perpendicular lancets and topped with square hood moulds. The chancel has a pair of similar windows above a flat-topped extension to the south.

A red brick south porch with a crow-stepped gable and a round-arched entrance leads into the church. Inside, there is a plain chamfered arcade supported by two thin tower piers and one returned pier. The church furniture is made of modern oak.

Notable interior features include effigies from the mid-13th century of two knights clad in mail and surcoats, depicted as Crusaders with their feet on dogs and legs crossed, measuring seven and a half feet tall. These knights are members of the de Horkesley family. There is also a tomb for John Swynborne located near the knights, to the east, made of Purbeck marble and bearing brasses of two plate-armoured knights in prayerful poses, inscribed with the date 1430. The church is included for its group value.