Church Of St Peter

Church of St. Peter

This parish church has origins in the 11th century and has been substantially enlarged and altered over subsequent centuries. The chancel was rebuilt or remodelled in the 13th century when the south aisle and clerestory were added. The 15th century saw further alterations, re-roofing, and the addition of a west tower. A south porch was added in the 16th century. The church underwent major restoration in 1864 by F. Smith, and was refitted with a new vestry added in 1903 by T.P. Atkinson.

The building is constructed of flint rubble on a brick plinth, rendered with stone and some tile dressings, with a tiled roof. The plan comprises a three-bay nave, a lengthened chancel that is slightly narrower and lower than the nave, a south aisle, west tower, south porch, and north vestry.

The east end is unbuttressed and has a restored 15th-century window of three cinquefoiled lights with casement moulding to a Tudor arch and hood mould. The chancel's south side displays two 13th-century lancets (one with restored jambs, the other chamfered), a blocked 19th-century door, and a square-headed 15th-century window of two cinquefoiled lights. The 1903 vestry to the north has a catslide roof from the chancel with an eastern door.

The nave's north side has two 15th-century square-headed windows of two cinquefoiled lights. Between these is an 11th-century small round-headed opening with deeply splayed embrasure, now blocked. Towards the west end is a 19th-century pointed arched door with a two-light square-headed window above, formerly opening onto a gallery. A two-stage buttress at the east end of the nave, built into the vestry, is tile-coped. The south aisle's roof was raised in the 15th century to become a continuous catslide from the nave roof, thereby blocking the 13th-century clerestory. The aisle retains two 13th-century lancets. Tile quoining marks the west end, which has a high 18th-century two-light window with moulded mullioned timber frame. The east end displays a 15th-century square-headed window of two cinquefoiled lights.

The south porch has an exposed timber frame on a rebuilt brick plinth. It features a gable end to the south with blocked entrance, cambered tie beam, moulded bargeboards, and a two-light ovolo-moulded window to the east. A 19th-century entrance faces west. The porch roof is a crown post roof with two-way braces to the collar purlin and braces to the tie beams. The inner south entrance is a 14th-century two-centred moulded arch stopped on jambs with a mask-stopped hood mould. To the east of the arch is an oval stoup recess.

The low two-stage west tower has a lower stage as high as the nave and a short belfry. It is set to the north of the nave centre so the north wall almost aligns with the nave wall. A 19th-century double door with heavily moulded pointed arch faces west, with an early lancet above. A clock is positioned to the north. Two-stage diagonal buttresses with tiled offsets face west, and a two-stage buttress with tile offsets stands to the northeast. A string course runs to the belfry with two cinquefoiled lights in Tudor-arched openings and a single square-headed opening to the north. The roughcast embattled parapet has a cornice, above which rises a short leaded octagonal spirelet with weathervane.

The interior contains a three-bay 13th-century south arcade with octagonal piers, moulded caps and bases, and double-chamfered pointed arches (the southwest arch has a single chamfer only). One pier has a small pointed niche for an image with a hole for a lamp bracket. Two holes in the east respond indicate where the rood screen was positioned. Above the arcade are jambs to former clerestory openings with a single round light visible from inside the aisle. A 14th-century chancel arch is unevenly two-centred with double chamfers dying into chamfered jambs. The tower arch is also two-centred and double-chamfered.

The nave's north wall has a large round-headed 11th-century window opening. Towards the east is part of a probable surround to a former opening onto a rood stair. The chancel's north wall has an early 20th-century vestry door with a four-centred arch with carved spandrels to a square head. The south wall displays a late 13th-century piscina with trefoiled pointed head, outer chamfer, hood mould, and credence shelf, as well as a blocked 19th-century door.

The roof comprises ceiled seven-sided braced collar and rafter roofs with 15th-century arched braced moulded cambered tie beams in the nave. An 18th-century font has a fluted and gadrooned bowl on an unfinished stem.

The church contains numerous monuments of high quality. A large monument to General J. Sabine (died 1729) has been moved from the churchyard to the south porch. It is constructed of marble and features a panelled sarcophagus with relief carving showing a reclining Roman general with trophies and arms on the sides. Diagonally set scrolled buttresses flank it, and a panelled obelisk rises above.

The north chancel wall displays a marble epitaph to Reverend C. Proby and family (died 1727) in an aedicule with scrolled pilasters and an achievement above. A marble epitaph to W. Gore (died 1709) is housed in a scrolled and draped Baroque cartouche with seraphs. A marble slab commemorates Reverend A. Willis (died 1796). A bronze slab to T.H. Beit (died 1917) features pilasters and wings by H. Pegrams. A reeded Greek Revival marble slab commemorates the wife and son of R. Mackay (died 1817 and 1818).

In the southeast corner of the nave beyond the arcade stands a tall varicoloured marble wall monument to Lady E. Cathcart (died 1789) with a fret band below the epitaph, arms over a cornice, and two figures in relief flanking an urn. The nave's west wall displays a late 17th-century marble epitaph to the Warren family in a scrolled cartouche with arms above.

The south aisle wall contains a marble epitaph to J. Fleet (died 1733) in a Baroque cartouche with scrolls, drapes, seraphs and skulls, and arms above. A marble epitaph to Mrs. S. West and C. and S. Thornbery (died 1757, 1745 and 1770) features a blank cartouche below and an obelisk above. A wooden board records the will of Mrs. M. Sabine (died 1748, erected 1787). A brass in the south aisle depicts the figure of T. Pygott (died 1610).

Floor slabs include an early 14th-century Purbeck marble slab to Walter de Louthe in the chancel, and several 17th- and 18th-century slabs throughout the chancel, nave, tower, and south aisle. The east window dates to 1874 by Powell and Sons. A small memorial on the east wall commemorates F. Lloyd (died 1805). A sundial is positioned on the southeast quoin.