Parish Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul

This is a large parish church of multiple building phases, located at Church Place in Fareham. The building is Grade II* listed and represents an exceptional example of ecclesiastical architecture spanning from the Saxon period to the twentieth century.

The earliest surviving elements are in the north-east chapel, formerly the chancel, which incorporates Saxon long-and-short work alongside a late Norman arch (the former chancel arch), thirteenth-century lancet windows, and some fifteenth-century windows. The north tower, the most distinguished external feature, was added in 1742 in a chunky Italianate style, designed by James Norris of Gosport with contractor Thomas Goss of Wickham. The nave was rebuilt and enlarged in 1812, though this work largely disappeared in later phases. The chancel was rebuilt in 1888 to the design of Sir Arthur Blomfield in Early English style, with the south transept executed in the same manner. The nave was rebuilt in 1930-31 by Sir Charles Nicholson in a style influenced by the tower. Later modifications include the glazing off of the outer north aisle to provide a west end parish office and separate chapel. A church hall, completed in 1975, is attached to the east end.

The materials vary by phase. The chancel is built in flint with red brick and stone banding and Bath stone dressings. The tower is of grey and blue Wallington brick headers with red brick dressings. The nave is in red brick laid in English bond with burnt headers and stone dressings. The roofs are tiled on the medieval and Victorian structures, with copper roofing to the nave and a copper dome to the tower cupola.

The plan comprises a nave with clerestory and west end organ gallery, chancel, north-east chapel, south transept, north tower, four-bay north and south aisles, a three-bay outer north aisle, south-east vestry, and north-east porch.

The Blomfield east end features angle buttresses and lancet windows, including a striking triple lancet east window beneath a polychromatic arch and a Geometric Decorated south window to the south transept. A chimney stack rises from the south wall of the chancel. The north-east chapel has a triple lancet east window and one lancet with remains of two others in the north wall, a thirteenth-century doorway, and two Perpendicular medieval square-headed windows. The three-stage north tower has projecting quoins of red brick, string courses, and a moulded brick cornice below the parapet. A round-headed east doorway to the tower is accompanied by an oculus window to the second stage and a Diocletian window to the top stage; the north face is similar with a round-headed window replacing the door. An octagonal cupola with a domed roof sits on a lead-covered base, fitted with clock faces. The 1930-31 nave incorporates some red brick walling from the 1812 phase and is lit by Diocletian windows, with a north porch featuring a low gabled parapet. The west end has clasping buttresses with set-offs, tall lancet windows, and a pair of shorter high-set lancets between them. A deeply moulded recessed round-headed west doorway is flanked by blind arcading. The south side displays high-set paired round-headed windows to each bay above blind-round-headed recesses, while similar triple windows light the clerestory.

The interior is more architecturally coherent than the exterior. The nave is tall and light, with a shallow-pitched tie beam roof of large scantling divided into panels with carved bosses. The 1930 arcades have octagonal Chilmark stone piers without capitals, with arcade mouldings dying into them. Flat panelled ceilings extend across the north and south aisles. A tall double-chamfered chancel arch with octagonal responds frames the chancel. The Flamboyant timber chancel screen, dedicated in 1910 and designed by Dart and Francis of Crediton, has been moved one bay east to accommodate a nave altar. The chancel features a canted boarded roof of 1889, divided into panels with cusped transverse arches, all decorated with painted panels from 1931 designed by Sir Charles Nicholson. The triple lancet east window and sedilia feature black marble shafts with bell capitals. A mosaic reredos by Messrs Powell & Son of Whitefriars was given in 1892 and extended with outer panels in 1905, depicting Christ in Glory as the central scene. Encaustic tiles cover the chancel floor. The north chancel wall functions as an archaeological display, revealing the former external wall of the medieval church with three medieval windows. One respond of the double-chamfered arch into the north-east chapel features volute capitals. The lights of the thirteenth-century triple lancet east window of the chapel are deeply splayed. Some medieval floor tiles survive. The chapel roof has a nineteenth or twentieth-century plastered canted ceiling divided into panels and three probably late medieval tie beams. A 1930s font features an octagonal stone bowl on a stem with engaged shafts, set upon a later large ashlar stone two-tier base. The east wall of the outer north chapel displays a re-sited section of medieval oak screen, heavily repaired and probably a fifteenth-century reredos. It is divided into large panels with blind tracery and a deep coved cornice with brattished cresting, with doors at each end. Traces of ancient colour survive. Nineteenth-century benches line the nave with chamfered corners and round shoulders. Numerous wall monuments are present, the most ambitious being that to Captain Newman (died 1811) by Sir Richard Westmacott, which depicts a relief of a sinking ship. The church contains several windows by Burlisson and Grylls, including a notable nineteenth-century Jesse tree in the east window of the north-east chapel, with a memorial date of 1887.

The church's exceptional character lies in its successful combination of diverse external styles and materials, the outstanding 1742 tower, the integration of the medieval chancel with Sir Arthur Blomfield's High Victorian chancel and Sir Charles Nicholson's fine nave of 1930-31, and its high-quality fittings including Victorian features in the chancel and a remarkable fifteenth-century coved timber reredos. The 1975 church hall extension is not of special architectural interest.