Church of St Peter is a Grade I listed building in the South Norfolk local planning authority area, England. First listed on 7 December 1959. A Medieval Church.

Church of St Peter

WRENN ID
forgotten-chamber-candle
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
South Norfolk
Constituency
South Norfolk MP: Ben Goldsborough (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
7 December 1959
Type
Church
Period
Medieval
Address
Church of St Peter, Church Road, Forncett
OS grid reference
TM 164 928
Coordinates
52.49039, 1.18745
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Church of St Peter, located on Church Road in Forncett St Peter, dates from the 11th, 14th, and 15th centuries. It features a Saxon round west tower with circular openings halfway up and near the top, as well as 2-light bell-openings with arched and triangular heads and recessed central shafts. The tall nave includes a clerestory and north and south aisles, which are adorned with Perpendicular windows. The chancel showcases some herringbone flushwork and additional Perpendicular windows, while the porch has flushwork panelling. The building is constructed from flint with stone dressings and has slate roofs.

Inside, there are three bay arcades from the late 14th century, and the 15th-century roof features embattled tiebeams and arched braces. The church contains notable bench ends with poppy-heads and figures, possibly from the 15th century, which were restored in the 19th century or entirely replaced in 1857. There is a Jacobean pulpit and a 15th-century octagonal font. An alabaster tomb-chest belonging to Thomas Drake, who died in 1485, and his wife features cusped panelled sides with shields and incised effigies on the top slab. The churchyard also contains some 18th-century headstones.

Local climate

Church of St Peter sits in a drier-than-average part of the UK, with an average of 710 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 89% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 95% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 30 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 65% of listed buildings. Of these, 16 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

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