Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

Parish church of the 13th century, possibly with late 11th or 12th-century origins, with 15th-century additions. The building was restored in 1870. It is constructed of knapped flint with stone dressings, with plain tile roofs. The plan comprises a west tower, nave, slightly narrower chancel, and north aisle to the nave.

The west tower dates to the late 15th century. It stands on a chamfered stone plinth in three stages, with diagonal north-west and south-west buttresses. It has a plain parapet above a moulded string and a pyramidal slate roof with weathervane. The belfry windows contain two pointed-arched lights and a sexfoil. There are no other openings to the north or south. A small rectangular brick west window sits towards the top of the lowest stage, with a stone west lancet beneath it featuring a hoodmould. The west doorway is a low, hollow-chamfered, pointed-arched opening set in a shallow hollow-chamfered rectangular recess. A circular south-east stair turret, taller than the tower itself, has a plain parapet and slit lights.

On the south elevation of the nave, two buttresses support the wall. There is an untraceried, straight-headed 15th-century window with two cinquefoil-headed lights and a hoodmould towards the west end. To the east of the porch is a straight-headed window with two trefoil-headed lights and a tall plain-chamfered pointed lancet. Two stone corbels support the eaves.

The south porch dates to the 14th or 15th century. It has vertical boarding to the gable and a roof with chamfered rectangular crown posts. The inner doorway is 13th-century, with a pointed arch of two orders—the inner with rounded edges, the outer plain-chamfered—set below a moulded impost. The outer order carries roll moulding above the impost, with a scroll-moulded hoodmould above. Two scratch dials are inscribed on the porch walls. Probable evidence for durns (blocked openings) survives at the outer doorway.

The chancel is 13th-century work. It is built of roughly-coursed knapped flint, almost chequered with blocks of stone. It has diagonal north-east and south-east buttresses. Two plain-chamfered pointed lancets light the south wall, with two similar lancets to the north. Three stepped individual east lancets are set below an oculus window.

The north aisle is 19th-century work dating to the 1870 restoration, with a lean-to roof. It has four pointed north lancets. A very small round-headed east window appears late 11th or 12th-century in character. A similar west window features a stone head channelled to represent an arch with voussoirs.

Interior

The interior contains a four-bay north arcade to the nave of 19th-century construction in 13th or 14th-century style. The arches are doubly plain-chamfered and pointed, with alternating circular and octagonal columns bearing moulded capitals and bases. A 19th-century doubly plain-chamfered chancel arch dies into the walls. A tall, pointed 13th-century tower arch is plain-chamfered with broach stops. A four-centred-arched doorway with broach stops provides access to the tower stairs.

The nave roof is a crown-post roof with five slender moulded octagonal crown posts, ashlar pieces, and scissor braces trenched past collars and past each other above. At each end, the crown post sits on a low secondary collar with ogee braces connecting the collar to the tie-beam. The scissor braces represent a relatively unusual survival in this area.

The chancel roof is a collared common rafter roof with sous-laces, ashlar-pieces, and five tie-beams.

The fittings include an aumbry with a broad, chamfered pointed arch towards the east end of the south wall of the chancel. A larger, similar aumbry without chamfering is positioned towards the east end of the north wall. An octagonal font with chamfered base stands on the floor.

Three large black stone tablets set into the nave floor serve as monuments. One commemorates Mr Stephen Pilcher, died 1755, and features a roundel and achievements. Another similar tablet records Martha Pilcher, died 1750. A third, to John Simons, died 1677, bears incised arms set in spreading foliage.