Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter, Cretingham

A church of Grade II* status, dating from around 1300 and the 15th century. The building is constructed in rubble and knapped flint with ashlar dressings and colourwashed render, beneath a roof of slate and plain tile. It comprises a nave, chancel, western tower, and south-western porch.

The western tower is the most architecturally prominent feature. Its west face displays diagonal buttresses at either side with panels of flushwork to the lower body, now largely replaced with brick. At the centre is a blocked doorway with moulded ashlar surround and hood mould, bordered by brick voussoirs. Above this sits a two-light window with trefoil heads, followed by a lancet with a round arched head, cusped at the springing level. A band runs below the belfry opening, which is Perpendicular in style with two trefoil-headed lights and a quatrefoil to the apex. A string course sits beneath the battlemented parapet, which features flushwork tracery panels. The south face contains a staircase turret in the angle with the right-hand angle buttress, a blocked window (filled with brick to the lower body), a single-light round-arched lancet, and a similar belfry opening. The north face mirrors this arrangement but lacks the staircase turret. The east face abuts the nave to its lower body and has a similar belfry opening.

The nave's south face features a porch at left of centre with a steep gable above a shallower gable, now raised, with the upper gable rendered and colourwashed. The lower body has arched niches at either side of a central doorway, all cusped, with a double-chamfered central door surround. To the left is a two-light window with wooden glazing bars but retaining its original Perpendicular surround and hood mould. Two Perpendicular windows to the right of the porch, each of three lights with panel tracery (that at right being a 20th-century replacement in the original form), and a lean-to projection to the far right houses the rood screen staircase. The north face is partially rendered in colourwashed brick with a shoring buttress at right of centre. A Perpendicular window surround at the far left has wooden glazing bars, a blocked doorway with double-chamfered ashlar surround lies to the right of centre, and a two-light Perpendicular window stands at the far right.

The chancel's north face contains a brick shoring buttress to the left, with an early Decorated window of two lancet lights and a quatrefoil to the apex to its right. The south face has a lancet window at right with hood mould and label stops, a two-light window at left with Y-tracery and chamfered ashlar surround, and a priest's door with hollow-chamfered surround and hood mould between them.

Interior

The nave is dominated by a hammerbeam roof of six bays, probably dating to the early 16th century. Wall posts terminate in decorative pendant bosses, of which five remain; the remainder have been cut. The wall posts are richly moulded with arched braces featuring decorated spandrels connecting to the hammer beams. Further arched braces run along the wall length, forming four-centred arches. The hammerbeams have rounded ends and brattished tops. Above these are panels of tracery between principals and hammer-posts. Long arched braces further connect to the brattished collars. Two sets of richly decorated purlins run through the roof, with short king posts rising from the cambered collars to the decorated ridge beam. Arched braces forming four-centred arches also run between the king posts. The cornice is richly decorated with cavetto, roll, and brattished mouldings, featuring panels of blind tracery with shields.

An octagonal font with stem and bowl displays seated lions to the base and buttresses. Angels' heads with interlacing wings ornament the underside of the bowl. The side panels of the bowl show alternating rose bosses and shields with considerable amounts of original colouring in red, turquoise, and black. Nineteenth-century high box pews with panelled sides and backs occupy the nave. A raised octagonal Jacobean pulpit sits on an 18th-century base with arched and strapwork panels, a back panel, and an octagonal tester with acorn drops to the corners and a central acorn finial. The tower arch has semi-octagonal piers with moulded bases and capitals, a chamfered inner arch, and a wave-moulded outer arch with bar-broached stop. Nine pews with medieval bench ends show tracery panels and poppyhead finials.

A wall monument of 1596 to Lionel Louth is classical in style, with an arched surround enclosing a kneeling figure with rapier and helmet. Panels with strapwork arrangement flank the figure. The apron bears a central shield with tablets reading: LEONULUS OBIT AD MARGARITA POSUIT MDXCVI. Coats of arms appear in the spandrels at either side and to the top, with strapwork cartouches at either side. A second monument of alabaster and black marble to Anne Cornwalleys dates from 1615, with a central rectangular tablet, scroll brackets, egg and dart cornice pieces, scrolled pediment with coats of arms to the centre, either side, and apron. A third monument of 1603 to Richard Cornwaleis is constructed of ashlar, black marble, and mottled marble, with a central panel, strapwork surround, and pilaster strips. Pomegranates and grapes ornament the frieze, alongside coats of arms. Altar rails of the later 17th century have square newels and shaped balusters.