Church Of St Peter

A parish church of around 1300, restored after a fire in 1486 and comprehensively restored by A. Blomfield in 1886 at the expense of the Prince of Wales. The building is constructed of uncoursed carstone with limestone dressings and a tiled roof.

The plan comprises a west tower, nave, chancel, north and south aisles, a south porch, and late 19th-century additions of an organ bay and vestry to the north.

The three-stage embattled west tower has full-height ashlar buttresses and a limestone plinth. The west door features continuous mouldings of three orders with a string course above. The west window has two cusped lights under a quatrefoil. Traceried sound holes of cinquefoil form within wide stone surrounds occupy the second stage to the north, west and south. The bell openings have two cusped reticulated lights, with a string course below a parapet decorated with ball flowers within waves.

The north and south aisles are similar in design. Each has opposing doorways with deep continuous ogee mouldings of two orders and figure stops. A cusped ogee-headed niche sits above the south doorway. Both aisles have diagonal buttresses and a gable parapet to the east. Herringbone work appears in the north aisle and to the east return of the south aisle. The openings to these aisles vary: to the west (south aisle only), two trefoil-headed lights with trefoil tracery under a basket arch; to the centre, three cinquefoil-headed lights under a four-centred arch; to the east, three ogee-headed lights under a segmental arch. A double trefoil-headed opening stands to the west of the south porch. The west and east returns of the aisles have cusped Y-tracery openings; that to the east of the north aisle is now externally blocked by the organ bay. Five double-light clerestory openings light the north and south sides of the nave.

The large south porch has a gable parapet and angle buttresses. Its arch comprises five orders with ogee mouldings. Cusped niches with stone dressings and carstone backing stand either side. Two-light reticulated openings open to the returns; the roof is renewed. An octagonal plinth stands to the right of the south doorway.

The lower chancel has a gable parapet and cross. The south chancel features a central priest's door with continuous moulding and a hood mould running into a string course, with a steep pitched pediment integral with the arch. A low rectangular blocked opening lies to the left, and a double trefoil-headed light to the right. The three-light east window, with multicusped reticulated tracery, is renewed. Late 19th-century additions of vestry and organ bay in carstone occupy the angle of the north aisle and chancel.

The interior comprises a five-bay arcade to the north and south with octagonal piers and double-chamfered arches, the outer chamfers being hollow. Hood moulds with grotesque stops run above the arches. The piers and arches are reddened from the fire of 1486. The floor to the west bay is lower. Low octagonal plinths stand to the east side of doorways; that to the south is a copy. Benches line the north aisle walls and surround piers. Small square recesses occupy each wall. A low double-headed recess with a figure corbel stands between arches on the west wall of the north aisle.

The roof is partly renewed in the late 19th century with a boarded lining. The 15th-century tie beams are arch-braced from wooden wall posts of standing apostles. Queen posts support collars having tracery above. Hammer beams of clerics holding shields alternate with ties.

A tall tower arch with polygonal shafts and a figure corbel above opens to the south. A fireplace with a stone segmental arch occupies the south wall of the tower.

The chancel arch has continuous moulding and polygonal shafts with a chamfered arch above. The 19th-century roof features arch-braced collars with fretwork tracery above and curved wind braces. Three-stepped sedilia with an arcade of cusped-headed lights with shafts without capitals stand in the chancel, with an attached piscina of trefoil head. Choir stalls incorporate four 15th-century poppyheads and some traceried panels. A wall painting above the chancel arch depicts Christ in glory, executed in the late 19th century in medieval style and perhaps copied from an original painting. Part of this sits above a collar beam. A stair to the roof loft stands to the left with a wooden arch.

The chancel screen dates to the late 15th century and has traceried painted panels, much erased, with a renewed 19th-century rood loft featuring vine frieze. An early 14th-century parclose screen to the south aisle, renewed, displays delicate Decorated tracery with ogee-headed tracery lights, grotesques to the top rail, cusps of tracery, and lion heads to crocketed finials on muntin buttresses. A 15th-century parclose screen to the north aisle has traceried lights and panels with tracery bearing a Tudor rose and cusps. A 15th-century tower screen, renewed, shows crocketed ogee tracery to some lower panels.

A trefoil-headed piscina stands in the north aisle. The south aisle chapel contains a multicusped piscina and some medieval encaustic tiles. A 16th-century table with bulbous legs occupies the north aisle chapel. An oak table with a frieze dated 1637 and initials TE TE in marquetry stood at the time of survey by the tower. A Baroque 17th-century lectern painted black with gilded classical ornament is present. An eagle lectern of silvered brass, from the Church of St Mary Magdalene Sandringham, was presented by HRH Alexandra, Princess of Wales, as a thank offering for the recovery of the Prince of Wales from typhoid in 1871.

A square sandstone mensa lies in the pavement of the west bay of the south aisle. Two consecration crosses appear on each of the north and west walls. An alms box of structural timber with a braced wrought iron lid bearing 15th-century flower head rivets is present. A Royal achievement of 1844 in cross stitch on felt hangs in the south aisle.