Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Church of St Peter and St Paul, Cudham Lane North

The Church of St Peter and St Paul is a multi-phase medieval building of outstanding historical interest. The nave is Anglo-Saxon in origin, with the chancel rebuilt in the 13th century. The arcades date to the 14th century, though it remains unclear whether they replaced earlier arcades or whether the aisles and chapel were also added at this time. The church was restored in 1846 and again extensively in 1891-92 by the architect Ewan Christian.

The building is constructed of flint rubble with stone dressings, with tile roofs and a shingled spire. The plan consists of a long nave with a short north aisle, south porch and south tower set in the angle between the nave and south chapel, with a chancel and south chapel.

The exterior shows evidence of its long building history. The nave features a west door and a Perpendicular west window. Two small late Anglo-Saxon or Norman windows with monolithic heads survive: one in the nave north wall to the west of the aisle, and another in the western part of the south nave wall. The chancel has diagonal buttresses and two lancets in the north wall, with a Perpendicular east window. The north aisle is notably shorter than the nave at the west end, a local characteristic also found at nearby Cheveling. Both the north aisle and south chancel chapel have clasping buttresses, an unusually early feature, though they are wider than typical for early aisles and contain 14 windows, suggesting they were built or substantially rebuilt in the 14th century. A small 14th-century window or squint is set low in the aisle north wall towards the west end. The tower on the south side of the nave represents a local arrangement also formerly found at Keston. It has a plinth and buttresses, with the lower stage being very tall and the upper stage much smaller, defined by a string course. The spire is typical of the area.

Internally, the long, tall, narrow nave displays typically Anglo-Saxon proportions. The early 13th-century chancel arch is very tall with a pointed head of two chamfered orders. To the south of the chancel arch rises an internal buttress for the southeast tower, its north edge forming part of the arch. A blocked opening above the chancel arch provided access to an upper chamber over the chancel by the late medieval period, though it may be Anglo-Saxon in origin. The tower arch is also early 13th-century with a hood mould. The early 14th-century two-bay nave north arcade consists of two chamfered orders with a hood mould on polygonal piers with moulded capitals. The two-bay chancel south arcade also dates to the 14th century. The nave roof features arch braces and was likely built after 1487, when 20 shillings was left to the building of the church roof.

The principal fixtures include piscinas in the east wall of the chancel, the south chapel and the aisle. The 15th-century octagonal font has quatrefoils with shields on each face. A late 19th-century polygonal oak pulpit was the gift of Edward Augustus Rucker of Cudham Hall. An oak lectern, given by the Worsleys of Cudham Hall in 1878, is also present. One nave window dates to 1897 and was designed by Kempe. A Perpendicular panelled tomb chest in the chancel has a niche above it. A brass commemorates Alys Waleys, died 1503. Two copper tablets to Thomas Alwen and James George Wood (killed in the First World War) were created by Francis Cooper. Wall paintings of Peace and Fruitfulness, dating to around 1920 as a war memorial, are located in the south chapel.

Cudham church is recorded in Domesday Book, and the long, narrow nave almost certainly dates to the pre-Conquest or early Norman period. The chancel and chancel arch were rebuilt and extended in the 13th century, and the church was substantially remodelled in the 14th century with further work in the later medieval period. The church was granted to the nuns of Kilburn in the mid-14th century. Later medieval work included the building of the tower and new windows. 19th-century restoration, particularly the significant work by Ewan Christian in 1891-92, removed all traces of 17th and 18th-century alterations that had accumulated in the building.