Church of St Peter is a Grade I listed building in the East Suffolk local planning authority area, England. First listed on 7 December 1966. A Medieval Church.

Church of St Peter

WRENN ID
distant-pediment-amber
Grade
I
Local Planning Authority
East Suffolk
Constituency
Central Suffolk and North Ipswich MP: Patrick Spencer (Con)
Country
England
Date first listed
7 December 1966
Type
Church
Address
Church of St Peter, Church Road, Bruisyard
OS grid reference
TM 325 662
Coordinates
52.24547, 1.40471
Source
Historic England listing

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

Description

The Church of St Peter is a medieval parish church located on Church Road in Bruisyard. It features a nave, chancel, west tower, south chapel (now serving as the vestry), and a south porch. The building is constructed of flint rubble with some coursed work and stone dressings, and it retains remnants of old plasterwork in the nave, chancel, and tower, all topped with plaintiled roofs.

The circular tower dates from the 12th century or earlier, although its narrower upper section may have been rebuilt later. It has a large 19th-century lancet window on the east side and two-light bell chamber openings in the Perpendicular style on each side. The nave has a core from the 12th century, featuring a south side with one 18th-century cross window with square leaded panes and an early 16th-century three-light brick window, both square-headed. On the north side, there is a blocked 12th-century doorway and a renewed broad lancet window with Y tracery.

The simple gabled porch, likely from the 16th century, has been extensively restored, while a notable 13th-century nave doorway retains its original door. The chancel includes a three-light east window in the Perpendicular style, which was renewed in the early 20th century. The early 16th-century south chapel, built using materials from Bruisyard nunnery, has blocked three-light windows on the east and west sides, and a three-light south window with missing tracery; all windows are brick with square heads.

Inside, the church features a 15th-century arched-braced nave roof of six bays, with additional arched bracing along the ridge supported by angels beside the collars. There is a 15th-century carved font, an 18th-century pulpit with a tester, and early 17th-century turned altar rails now positioned beneath the chancel arch. The chancel also contains some 15th-century poppyhead bench ends, a piscina, and sedilia in the south sanctuary, along with original stairs leading to the rood loft.

The early 17th-century screen to the south chapel has closed panelling and upper balustrading. Inside the chapel, there is an effigy brass commemorating Michael Hare (died 1611) and his two wives, although the central figure is missing. The church is listed as Grade I for its well-preserved medieval features.

Local climate

Church of St Peter sits in one of the driest parts of the UK, with an average of 690 mm of rain a year. This makes it drier than 97% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is lower than that of 59% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 19 freeze-thaw cycles a year, fewer than 81% of listed buildings. Of these, 10 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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