Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

Church. Medieval, restored 1873. The building comprises a nave, chancel, west tower, north porch, south aisle, and south chapel. It is built of flint rubble with freestone dressings, parapets and parapet gables. The roofs are slated, except for the tower and porch which have flat leaded roofs.

The chancel core probably dates to the late 13th century. It features a north doorway with hood-mould, and a scrolled dado rail around the inner chancel wall that rises to outline its rear-arch. A pair of polygonal angle-turrets at the east end, fitted with stone pyramid roofs and pinnacles, were restored in 1873. The chancel windows are probably early 14th century: a net-traceried 5-light east window, and 2-light windows in the north and south walls. The south window has dropped-cill sedilia with trefoiled squinches. Two original gargoyles remain on the north side.

The south nave arcade originally contained 4 bays and dates to the late 13th century. It has slender trefoiled piers and is matched by a similar chancel arch with engaged columns. An early 14th century moulded arched north nave doorway is hoodmoulded with good mask drip stones.

The west tower was added in the early 15th century. It has three tall stages with angle buttresses and a crenellated parapet decorated with sunk trefoils and mask gargoyles. Large 2-light belfry openings light the bells. The west doorway has a 19th century door with tracery of early 15th century type, possibly a fair copy of the original; above it is an early 15th century window of 3 lights. The inner doorway to the tower stairs retains its original iron-clad door.

The north porch probably dates to the 15th century, with 2-light side windows. The doorway has renewed pilasters from the early 16th century. Beside the north doorway stands a pillar stoup with traceried stem and moulded bowl. The 15th century door has a trailing-leaf carved border.

The south aisle dates to the 15th century and has a moulded south doorway. Major alterations to the south and west parts of the church were made in the early 16th century: a fifth arch was added to the nave arcade and the tower arch was rebuilt. A south chapel was added at this time with 3-light windows and an arched opening into the aisle. A rood screen extends from north to south walls across the chancel and chapel arches. Rood-loft stair turrets remain attached to the north and south walls, and a blocked doorway survives at the south end. The lower part of the screen is almost complete, with boarding that has applied tracery and some original decoration; the upper part was added in 1930. A 2-bay arcade links the chapel to the chancel.

The roofs throughout were renewed in 1873. The nave has a 5-bay hammer-beam roof with arch-braced collars; the aisle roof is similar. In the chancel, principal rafters and collars have vigorous soffit-cusping, echoed by wind-braced purlins.

The font dates to around 1300 and has a plain octagonal bowl and stem with 8 supporting detached shafts with moulded caps and bases. Four good 15th century choir-stalls feature poppyhead ends, buttresses and traceried fronts. In the nave are about 17 poppyhead bench ends of 15th or 16th century date, some with buttresses and carved figures, reused in new pews of 1873. Three further poppyhead ends of around 1600 were also reused. The marble altar reredos of 1873 has Italian carved alabaster medallions.

The west tower window contains stained glass dated 1864; similar glazing appears in the west aisle and east chancel windows. A painted panel on the south chapel wall records the bequest of Mrs Anne Wilder, nee Diggon, dated 1772.