Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Church of St Peter and St Paul

This is a parish church dating from the 13th, early 14th and 15th centuries, restored in the 19th and 20th centuries. The tower is built of small blocks of roughly-coursed ragstone and sandstone with later brick repairs. The north and south porches, north and south transepts, east gable of the nave, and the partly rendered north aisle are all constructed of uncoursed ragstone and sandstone. The chancel is rendered. The south aisle features small blocks of coursed galleted ragstone. The porches and chancel have plain tile roofs, the nave and transepts have slate roofs, the north aisle has a lead roof, and the south aisle roof was not visible at the time of survey. The church comprises a west tower, a nave with north and south aisles (the north aisle continuing to the west end of the tower), north and south porches, north and south transepts, and a chancel only slightly narrower than the nave.

West Tower

The west tower dates from the 13th century. It has no plinth and no external delineation of stages, except for fragments of a stone string course between the probable bottom and central stages on the south side of the tower and stair turret. Short south-west angle buttresses date from the 14th or 15th century. The tower has a plain renewed coursed and galleted stone parapet. The belfry has two lancets with later brick dressings to each face except the east. A blocked pointed-arched stone lancet appears at the centre of the north face about halfway up, and another with brick dressings is on the south. A blocked lancet halfway up the west face is set towards the north side and was probably one of a pair. A central lancet with brick dressings sits above the west door. A narrow pointed-arched chamfered stone lancet appears towards the base on the south side, to the east of centre.

The west doorway is moulded, pointed-arched and made of stone with broach stops and a hoodmould. A chamfered pointed-arched stone stoup stands to the south of the doorway. The circular 13th-century south-east stair turret rises above the tower parapet and features a moulded stone cornice and a leaded onion dome with a weathervane dated 1734.

South Aisle

The south aisle dates from the early 14th century and was probably refaced at a later date. It has a chamfered stone plinth and a low chamfered stone string-course. The lean-to roof features shaped sprockets. South-west angle buttresses are present. The 14th-century west window has moulded jambs, two trefoil-headed lights, an encircled cinquefoil, and a scroll-moulded hoodmould with shaped label stops. Two restored 15th-century three-light pointed-arched traceried south windows flank the porch.

South Porch

The south porch dates from the 14th century. It has no plinth and a pebbledashed gable with no side lights. The pointed-arched outer doorway has a moulded head dying into broad plain-chamfered jambs and a scroll-moulded hoodmould with label stops. The inner doorway was not visible at the time of resurvey.

South Transept

The south transept dates from the early 14th century. It has no plinth and is gabled with lower eaves than the aisle. South-west and south-east angle buttresses are present. The restored traceried three-light south window has a hoodmould. Two restored 14th-century two-light east windows are similar to the west window of the south aisle but have moulded mullions and tracery.

Nave Gable

The nave gable has stone coping with shaped stone kneelers. A small blocked pointed-arched stone window sits towards the apex.

Chancel

The chancel dates from the 13th century. It has no plinth and diagonal north-east and south-east buttresses. The low-set 15th-century two-light south-west window has moulded jambs, cinquefoil-headed lights and a squared moulded hoodmould, with the east jamb of a blocked window (probably a lancet) above it. Two tall evenly-spaced pointed south lancets have rendered chamfered stone jambs. A low moulded pointed-arched 14th- or 15th-century stone doorway sits under the extant west lancet. The three-light traceried pointed-arched east window has a moulded hoodmould.

The north elevation has a high chamfered stone string interrupted towards the east end by an 18th-century memorial tablet, illegible at the time of resurvey, with acanthus consoles, a lightly-moulded plinth, and an eared semi-circular head with moulded cornice. A blocked pointed-arched lancet with plain-chamfered architrave appears to the west of centre, partly cut into by a 14th- or early 15th-century two-light window with cinquefoil-headed lights and a triangular head. The triangular head of a blocked upper rood-loft stair doorway sits under the eaves against the north transept wall.

North Transept

The north transept dates from the early 14th century. It has no plinth and is gabled with lower eaves than the aisle. North-east and north-west angle buttresses are present. A three-or-four-centred arched head of a blocked doorway to the base of the rood-loft stairs appears towards the junction with the chancel. The stair turret is non-extant. Two evenly-spaced early 14th-century two-light east windows are similar to the east windows of the south transept. A tall three-light north window has three encircled cinquefoils. The west elevation is unfenestrated, but the north aisle appears to cut across part of the triangular head of a blocked door or window.

North Aisle

The north aisle dates from the early 14th century, possibly with 13th-century origins, and was possibly refaced in the 15th century or later. It has north-west angle buttresses and one north buttress. The chamfered stone plinth is lower to the west of the porch. A chamfered stone string-course appears to the east of the porch only. Two 15th-century windows flank the porch, each with three cinquefoil-headed lights, tracery of vertical bars and a moulded hoodmould. A two-light early 14th-century window similar to that in the south aisle is located in the section of aisle under the tower, and another is in the west gable end. The tower masonry extends a short distance into the west gable.

North Porch

The north porch dates from the 14th century and is similar to the south porch but has a stone gable. Panelled double doors with a leaded Gothick fanlight are fitted to the outer doorway. The moulded pointed-arched inner doorway has bar and cushion stops and a scroll-moulded hoodmould.

Interior Structure

The nave has four-bay 14th-century north and south arcades with doubly hollow-chamfered pointed arches and octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases. Similar archways with engaged semi-octagonal columns connect each transept to the nave and the nave to the chancel. The doubly plain-chamfered pointed tower arch has engaged semi-circular columns with bell capitals and bases. A similar archway but with different capitals and no base moulding connects the base of the tower to the north aisle. Doubly hollow-chamfered pointed arches dying into the walls appear between each transept and aisle.

A blocked four-centred-arched hollow-chamfered doorway to the base of the rood-loft stairs is located in the south-east corner of the north transept, and another higher up in the north-west corner of the chancel. A blocked pointed-arched doorway stands between the north aisle and the section of it to the north of the tower.

Each south chancel lancet has a keel-moulded rere-arch and deeply undercut hoodmould, with the hoodmould ends turned inwards as impost strings and also joined between the lancets. The transept windows have hollow-chamfered rere-arches with hoodmoulds, cushion stops and broach stops.

Roof

The nave roof is boarded in seven cants, with the section between the north and south arches featuring ribs and small gilded bosses. A latticed section sits over the chancel arch. Four cambered tie-beams are present. The transept roofs are boarded in five cants. The chancel roof has a moulded cornice and moulded octagonal crown-posts on moulded cambered tie-beams at the centre and west end. The aisles have aligned butt purlin roofs with hollow-chamfered principal rafters, purlins and cornices.

Fixtures and Fittings

Scroll-moulded stone string-courses run along the east walls and gable ends of the transepts. A moulded early 14th-century ogee-headed niche with cushion stops sits above the string course on the east wall of the south transept. The same wall has a moulded round-headed niche with cinquefoiled soffit, squared hoodmould and roses to the spandrels, and a trefoiled hollow-chamfered niche with hoodmould. A moulded pointed-arched piscina appears at the east end of the south wall of the transept with a trefoiled soffit, small stone shelf in the rear wall, and an incised trefoil to the stonework above. A plain-chamfered triangular-headed stone doorway leads to the tower stair turret. A quarry-tile floor with patterned border runs the length of the centre of the nave. Benefactors boards are displayed in the tower base.

Monuments

A memorial on the south wall of the nave at the east end commemorates Jane Akers, died 1804. It features an oval inscription panel on a rectangular black marble ground with a white marble cornice and an obelisk bearing a relief of an angel carrying a child. It is signed by H. Rouw.

A chest-tomb at the south end of the south transept has a chest panelled with pointed trefoil-headed arches, half recessed under a broad rounded arch with split cusping, squared spandrels with shields, and one upright of a panelled outer architrave with a demi-figure to the base.

A tablet on the south wall of the chancel commemorates Richard Warde, died 1781. It comprises a white marble inscription panel with consoled plinth, rounded head, ogee shoulders and raised shield towards the top, set on a round-headed grey marble back plate with a festooned urn above the inscription panel and palm fronds to the shaped base plate.

A monument on the north wall of the chancel commemorates Ambrose Warde, died 1637, probably erected after 1656. Made of grey and white marble and alabaster, it shows full figures of a kneeling man and wife, outwardly inclined, with a slanted shield behind each and another above them to the centre, all set within a festooned round-headed recess flanked by Corinthian columns. A moulded frieze with raised central panel and cherub's heads sits above. A moulded cornice with obelisk finials and a segmental pediment surmounted by a plinth bearing achievements complete the upper section. Children in bold relief appear on a panel below the parents, with a consoled plinth and inscription panels below them.

A cartouche on the east pier of the north transept commemorates John Ousnam, died 1703. It is draped, surmounted by achievements, and has two cherubs' heads and a skull to the base.

A tablet on the north wall of the nave commemorates Robert Kenward (died 1720) and Martha (died 1761), erected 1762. It comprises an eared white marble tablet with black consoles, shaped brown marble base plate, and moulded cornice with a brown obelisk bearing achievements.

A tablet on the north wall of the nave commemorates William Aretas Akers, died 1862. It comprises a rectangular marble panel, moulded consoles and cornice, and a canted top plate with coloured arm bearing a standard.

A tablet on the north wall of the nave commemorates Aretas Akers (died 1816) and members of the family (died 1842). It features proud tapering side-pieces, a draped urn above, small acanthus consoles, and a shaped base plate with coloured coat of arms and motto in an oval.

The south-west chancel window is engraved with a memorial to Edmund Blunden.