Church Of St Peter

The Church of St Peter is a parish church located on Leiston Road in Theberton. It dates back to the 12th century, with additions and restorations from the early 14th, 15th, and 19th centuries. The church is constructed of flint, with some areas rendered, and features a thatched nave and chancel.

The 12th-century round tower includes a 15th-century west window, and an octagonal belfry stage was added around 1300, featuring two-light bell chamber openings on four sides, with similar patterns in flushwork in between. The 15th-century crenellated parapet is adorned with fine flushwork and has four large gargoyles interspersed with smaller carved heads. The nave, which is also from the 12th century, has a 15th-century window.

A notable feature is the fine 12th-century north doorway, now located within a mid-19th-century vestry, which has two orders of chevron moulding supported by colonettes. The south porch, dating from around 1470, has flushwork decoration and a parapet with bank stone tracery. Its doorway features a square hood mould, carved spandrels, and a canopied niche above, along with 15th-century traceried doors.

The 15th-century south aisle was rebuilt in 1848 by the Doughty family of Theberton Hall. The chancel was extended to the east around 1300, with the earlier section from the 12th century featuring a stone corbel table and a stone string course on the north side. The later section has a 3-light brick window from around 1500 on the north side, a priest's doorway from around 1300, and an early 16th-century square-headed 3-light window on the south side. There is also a blocked 12th-century opening on the north inside wall of the nave, with roll moulding on the arch head.

Inside, carved stone corbels support the wall posts of the roof, and there is a plastered ceiling in both the nave and chancel. The south aisle features a three-bay arcade (Doughty chapel) with 19th-century painting on the arcade and aisle roof. The church contains a 15th-century octagonal font and a 15th-century pulpit on a modern base. Rood loft stairs with the original door are found in the north nave wall. The south sanctuary wall has a triple sedilia and a trefoil-headed piscina, while the north sanctuary wall features an aumbry with the original door. Additionally, there is part of a fine stone traceried image niche in the north vestry wall, which appears to have been moved from another location within the church. The church is recognized for its surviving medieval work.