Church Of Saints Peter And Paul

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is a parish church largely built in the first half of the 15th century. It is constructed of flint with stone dressings and has ashlar and lead roofs. The church comprises a four-stage west tower, a north porch, a south porch, a nave, a clerestory, a north aisle, a south aisle, north and south transepts, and a chancel.

The west tower has stepped angle buttresses, with the top stage added around 1511. The west door features angels with censers in the spandrels, a frieze with heraldry, and three niches above it. A four-light west window, elaborate traceried sound holes, and a three-light bell-opening are also present. The tower is topped with a battlemented flushwork parapet with crocketed finials.

The porches are two-storied with west stair turrets and diagonal buttresses. The north porch has a lierne vault over the first floor and likely a Lady Chapel. The aisles feature four-light windows between stepped buttresses. The south transept has a four-light south window, while the north transept has a three-light east window. The chancel has three bays of three-light windows between buttresses and angle buttresses, culminating in a seven-light east window. The clerestory has six bays of two-light windows. All windows feature Perpendicular tracery. The roofs are edged with battlemented flushwork parapets.

Inside, a six-bay arcade is supported by piers with four shafts and four hollows, and moulded four-centred arches. The roof is constructed with short arch braces, two purlins per side, and angels at the intersection of principals. The aisle roofs have arch-braced construction with traceried spandrels. The transept roofs have delicate timber tracery between panels. The chancel roof is arch-braced and boarded with ridge bosses; all retain some original painting. A 15th-century ringing gallery has a balustrade of arched and traceried timber, along with a crane supporting an incomplete canopy.

A sacrament font dating to around 1437 and a 15th-century pulpit (adapted to a triple-decker arrangement around 1611) are also present, complete with a back panel and tester. The base of the screen features traceried arches over depictions of saints, forming the back of the return stalls. High above, remnants of the canopy of Honour remain. The stalls have armrests carved with heads, faces, and monsters, alongside misericords depicting flowers and faces. Benches feature poppyheads. Original traceried doors lead to the west, north, and south, and to the porch staircases. Altar rails with turned balusters were added around 1637. Fragments of 15th-century stained glass can be found in the east and south transept windows. Several good 15th-century brasses commemorate the church’s patrons.