Church Of St Peter

HENLEY CHURCH LANE TM 15 SE 4/118 Church of St. Peter 9.12.55 - I Parish church, mediaeval with extension and restoration of mid C19. Nave, chancel, west tower, south porch. A parish room was added to the north side c.1860. Flint rubble with limestone dressings. Plaintiled roofs; a parapet gable at the east end. The late C13 south nave doorway reuses billet-and chevron-carved voussoirs from a late C12 arch, and in the jamb is a well- carved foliate capital from a nook shaft, no doubt from the same arch. Other C13 work includes a plain north doorway, cusped pointed windows in the chancel, with matching piscina and dropped cill sedilia with squinches, and a little arched aumbry in the north wall. Arched upper and lower doorways from the destroyed roodloft stairs may perhaps be of C13 also. Canted and ceiled nave roof is of C15 or earlier (the chancel roof was rebuilt C19, but with the previous C15 moulded cornice refixed). The C15 south porch has a moulded doorway with image niche above (now containing a C19 figure of SC. Peter), and side windows of splayed gault brick. Beside the porch is an inserted C15 grotesque corbel, perhaps taken from elsewhere in the building. C15 inner south door with original ironmongery; other C15 alterations include 2 large north windows. Over the west doorway of the tower is a panel of freestone with a fine carved frieze incorporating an inscription to Thomas Seckford (died 1505). This is the probable commencement date for the tower. The doorway has shields in the spandrels, and above is a large west window. The upper stage of tower has much fabric of red brick suggesting a 2nd phase. Diagonal buttresses have flushwork panels with crocketed heads. Lionhead gargoyles. In the south nave wall is a fine terracotta window of c.1525, one of an important group commissioned by Sir Philip Booth of Shrubland Old Hall, Coddenham whose private chapel has two windows by the same Italian craftsman. Above the window is a panel bearing a pair of dolphins, below is a frieze with delicately moulded heraldry, and on the jambs and mullions are arabesques and other enrichment. The east window is of C19 in the C14 manner. In the nave is a wall tablet to Mrs. Elizabeth Vere (wife of John), d.1717. Two floor slabs in the sanctuary of 1673 and 1682, and two more in the nave of 1713 and 1793. On the nave wall are three C17/C18 painted coats of arms of Lozenge form. For details of the terracotta window and for comparable examples, Brick Building in England; J.A. Wright: 1972.

Listing NGR: TM1586251333