Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

Parish church of medieval origin, restored in 1898. The building is constructed of flint with some iron conglomerate and erratics, with limestone dressings and plain tile roof. It comprises a west tower, nave, north porch, chancel, a south aisle added in 1898, and a south-west vestry of 1925.

The unbuttressed west tower features a late 14th-century 4-centred west window of 2 lights with panel tracery, partly renewed, with part of a brick relieving arch above. The ringing chamber contains small cusp-headed single lights to the north, south and west, with the heads to the south and west renewed. The bell stage has a string course and 4-centred bell openings with 2 cusped lights and an eyelet. The embattled parapet is of knapped flint with a string course bearing angel gargoyles, and remains of evangelistic symbols survive at the north angles.

The north porch dates to the 15th century and features a gable parapet with a cross. It has a perpendicular arch with narrow continuous moulding and side shafts, with a hood bearing stops of small angels holding shields. A niche above now contains a statue of St Peter added in 1940. Each return has a small 2-light opening under a square head. The interior has wide basket-headed recesses to each wall and a tall north doorway with continuous roll mould and hood.

The north nave includes a 19th-century buttress to the east angle and another across the line of a former 13th-century arch. To its left is a double-splayed 11th-century semi-circular headed opening, now blocked, with vestigial herringbone work nearby. Two openings are partly renewed in the style of the west tower. To the left is a narrow 2-light opening under a square head with below it a square opening measuring 43 by 43 centimetres, which serves as a hagioscope to the chancel.

The chancel has 19th-century diagonal buttresses and a gable with devil's head corbels. The east window has 2 lights with Decorated tracery. The north chancel contains an 11th-century double-splayed opening to the centre and, set low to the right, a single-splayed semi-circular headed opening. The south chancel has 2 lancets.

The south aisle of 1898 reuses material from an earlier south nave, including a south-east quoin of iron conglomerate. Its east window and three openings to the south follow the style of the west tower; two of these were reset from the earlier nave, and to the left is a narrow 2-light opening similar to that in the north nave, probably also reset.

Internally, the roof of 1898 features 7 cants with scissor bracing. A 3-bay south arcade of 1898, designed in 14th-century style, has octagonal piers and double hollow-chamfered arches. The 15th-century chancel arch has polygonal jambs and a continuous double-chamfered arch, with a small recess to its left.

The north chancel contains two 11th-century splayed openings with semi-circular headed lancets, that to the right showing traces of painted decoration and that to the left positioned lower with a narrow hagioscope in its left splay leading to the present outer wall of the nave. Two wide lancet recesses flank the east window. The south chancel openings have dropped rear arches; that to the left now contains fragments of early stones, including four forming a wheel-head cross, one bearing incised crosses as if for an altar. A plain piscina retains its original wooden shelf.

The south aisle of 1898 has a roof with arch-braced collars. A 15th-century octagonal font has a bowl that was reset or renewed in 1898, with foliage and floral designs to its faces. The font's 15th-century base has a trailing vine design matching that of the font in the Church of St Peter at Ketteringham, with an octagonal stem featuring a hollow niche to each face containing fleurons, and a 15th-century Maltese cross base. The south aisle contains medieval glass of saints in the panel tracery of the central light.

Other interior fittings include a narrow early 18th-century table with legs of tapering Tuscan columns with clasping bands, and a canvas achievement of George IV above the north door. The west wall displays fragments of 11th-century interlacing stonework from a cross and from a shaft with cushion capital. Beneath the tower is a framed Lord's Prayer in oak fretwork created in 1906 by Frederick Reynolds, who was aged 14.