Church Of St. Peter

MERTON TL 99 NW

4/38 Church of St. Peter

16.7.58 I

Parish church. C12 and C14. Flint, partly rendered with lead nave and pantiled chancel roofs. West tower, nave, south aisle and chancel. Plain C12 round tower with 2-light bell openings on central scalloped shafts. One 2-light window to lower- stage west, and lancet to north and south ringing chamber. Gabled north porch 1854 with hood mould on head stops. 2 buttresses to nave with 2 2-light windows above string course. Y tracery with cusped lights supporting cusped foil. Gabled roof with low parapet. 2 3-light plate traceried chancel windows in intersecting frame with daggers and pointed trefoils. Engaged columns with capitals and bases below hood mould on leaf stops: String course below windows. 2 buttresses at east with 4-light cusped intersecting window with sexfoiled circle of 1855. South chancel wall as north. South aisle buttressed. East window of 3 lights intersecting and cusped with sexfoiled circle over pointed quatrefoils c.1340. Hood mould on head stops. 2 2-light south windows with cusped lights supporting quatrefoil. Gabled south porch by E.B. Lamb 1856. 3 2-light square-headed clerestory windows with cusped ogee lights. Interior has south arcade of 4 bays with octagonal piers and moulded bases and capitals under double waved arches. Low tower arch with splayed lancet. Chancel arch wave moulded on octagonal responds with Perpendicular bases. Rood stairs survive. Nave roof of wall posts on corbels becoming arched braces to principals. Moulded butt purlins and ridge piece. Boxed in ashlaring. Some C19 timbers. South aisle roof similar. Chancel roof false hammerbeam of 5 bays. Single butt purlin. Heavy wall plate and boxed ashlaring. Very fine mid C14 screen. Cusped and sub-cusped central ogee opening with tracery roundels in spandrels. 2-light panels between stiles left and right with tracery freize. Single bays to chancel arch. Panelled lower half and battlemented top rail. Early C17 double decker pulpit, panelled with carving. Early C17 box pew in aisle. Late C17 balustraded irontwist altar rail. Stepped sedilia c.1300 with moulded arches on columns with capitals and bases. Double piscina, under arched head repeating chancel window design. C15 hexagonal font on tall base, with contemporary cover restored extensively 1843.

Listing NGR: TL9119298023