Church Of St Peter

The Church of St Peter is a parish church originally built between 1836 and 1838. The chancel was rebuilt in 1891 by J. Neale, the nave and tower in 1911 by G.H. Fellowes Prynne, and the church was extended in 1921. It is constructed of rock-faced Kentish ragstone with ashlar quoins and dressings, and has tiled roofs. The church is in the Gothic Revival style, combining Early English elements in the chancel with Flamboyant detailing in the nave and tower.

The church is large, comprising a five-bay nave with aisles, double transepts, a two-bay chancel, an organ bay, a vestry, a chapel to the southeast, and a baptistery to the west. The west end features a large five-light window with curvilinear tracery above an octagonal baptistery built in 1921. The tower is prominent and has three stages, with paired slits below a segmental-headed two-light window. The upper belfry stage has pointed-headed openings and traceried blind lancets, with clasping buttresses chamfered at the upper stage. Decorative corbelling sits below a moulded cornice to the crenellated parapet with octagonal corners. The main entrance is on the south side of the tower, featuring double doors with elaborate iron hinges, set within a four-centred arched surround. A shallow porch with timber tracery, caryatids and a hipped roof projects forward. Above the porch is a statue within a canopied niche, flanked by traceried lancets. A semi-octagonal stair turret rises to the second stage of the tower. The south aisle has three two-light windows with curvilinear tracery, mirrored by five similar windows on the north aisle. The clerestories have quatrefoil lights, and eaves are close. Double gabled transepts have two three-light windows each. The chancel’s east end has a foundation stone below a five-light window with geometrical tracery and a coped gable end parapet. To the south, two lancets with trefoiled heads are present; with a projecting gabled bay on the chancel's south wall. The Chapel of St George, built in 1921, extends from the southeast transept, featuring two bays of three-light windows with trefoiled heads in square, chamfered surrounds, and a plain parapet. An apsidal east end has two-light windows and straight buttresses. A gabled vestry is adjacent to the southeast organ bay, while a single-story vestry adjoins the northeast side.

Inside, there are five-bay north and four-bay south arcades, with octagonal piers and moulded caps and bases with low relief ornament to pointed arches. Shafts with angel caryatids rise from the arcades to a ceiled roof. A pointed moulded chancel arch sits above shafts in the responds. Blank triple arcades feature on both chancel walls. The east end has a sedilia and piscina with foiled heads in a pointed arch, and a large relieving arch to the north. Two broad arches lead to the organ bay on the north side. A blocked arch is present at the east end of the south aisle. An altar frontal dating from approximately 1891 has five canopied panels with figures in beaten brass. The west window is by H. Holiday (1917–18), while the east window’s depiction of the Crucifixion is by Kemp.