Church Of St Peter And St Paul

TM 27 NE, 10/21

FRESSINGFIELD, CHURCH STREET,

Church of St. Peter and St Paul

29.07.55

GV

II

Parish church. Medieval; restored 1870 and 1888. Nave, chancel, north and south aisles, west tower, north and south porches. Flint rubble with stone dressings; the side walls of the chancel are plastered. Leaded roofs.

Early C14 square tower in four stages, with crenellated parapet. 2-light belfry openings. C15 aisles with largely original windows. The north aisle was extended to the east in early C16 to form a Guild Chapel, re-using a doorway and window of early C14 date from the chancel. 6-bay clerestorey with C15 2-light windows. At the east end of the nave roof an ornate original sanctus bell turret. Fine south porch of c1420 with C19 restoration: flushwork-panelled facade with enriched entrance arch; above are two Tudor roses in square panels. 2-light parvis window flanked by empty canopied niches and 3-light traceried panels. Stone parapet with quatrefoils and cresting. Tierceron vault with carved bosses, springing from C19 corbels. Medieval nave door. Early C14 chancel, considerably restored in C19: an original window to the north and two C15 windows to the south. C19 4-light east window in Perpendicular style, shafted internally with foliage capitals.

INTERIOR: Three-bay aisle arcades. Fine C15 single hammer-beam nave roof with a wide enriched cornice. C15 arch-braced chancel roof. Much of the north aisle roof is medieval: there are pierced spandrels and the wall posts rest on corbels carved as heads. In the south aisle an ogee-headed cinquefoil piscina. In the sanctuary an elaborate canopied piscina and triple sedilia, originally early C14 but nearly all renewed late C19. Plain octagonal font of medieval date. A very fine set of eighteen late C15 poppyhead benches, all with carved ends and back-rests, and some retaining carved arm-rests. The two westernmost benches have backs carved with twelve square panels, each to a different design. Some other benches incorporate C15 carved components. Dado of C15 rood screen with traceried panels.

Listing NGR: TM2615577483