Church Of St Peter

TM 38 SE SPEXHALL CHURCH LANE

2/18 Church of St. Peter

1-9-55

• II*

Parish church. C12, C15, C18, C19 and early C20. Random flint, with plaintiled roofs. Nave, chancel, south porch, and round battlemented west tower which is a rebuild of 1911 of the earlier tower, said to be Saxon, which fell in 1725. The remainder of the church is basically Norman. Norman north doorway to nave with simple, partly defaced, carving to the arch. Early C14 south doorway, with multiple continuous mouldings, inside a porch rebuilt in 1733. Perpendicular 2-light windows. The east wall was rebuilt in 1713 and has a trellis pattern of red brick on flint, and 2 stepped diagonal buttresses, that on the south-east dated June 18th, 1713. The 3-light east window with panel tracery was inserted in 1876. Over the priest's door on the south side of the chancel is a flying buttress added in 1888. Extensively restored interior of 1876: the roof, pews, tiles and plaster are all of that date. A holy water stoup to each side of the south door. An octagonal C15 font with low base, panelled shaft, and quatrefoils with shields round the bowl. Piscinae in the nave and chancel have identical cinquefoil cusping to the heads and chamfered jambs with broach stops. C15 heraldic glass in the north west window of the nave. The doorway and part of the stairs to the rood are in the north wall of the nave beside the panelled, but much restored, C17 pulpit. In front of the nave benches, the remains of 2 C15 benches with poppyheads and the remains of a further 4 pairs in the chancel. A section of Jacobean panelling against the north wall of the chancel. The stained glass in the east window is a memorial to Queen Victoria. On the south nave wall, brasses commemorating John and Maria Browne and their family: 1591, 1593 and 1601.

Listing NGR: TM3783280175