Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

This is a parish church of medieval origin, with building phases spanning from the mid-13th century or earlier through to the early 16th century. The church was substantially restored in 1897–8 and again in 1984–5. It is constructed of roughly coursed stone with plain tile roofs where visible.

The building comprises a west tower, nave, south aisle, south porch, chancel (continuous with the nave), a chapel to the north and another to the south, a narrower unchapeled sanctuary, and a north aisle.

The west tower dates to the 15th century and rises in three stages on a moulded plinth. It is buttressed at the north-west and south-west corners diagonally, and crowned with battlements above a moulded string course. A polygonal south-east stair turret rises taller than the tower itself. The belfry windows are 2-light openings with moulded jambs and squared hoodmoulds. The second stage has a small rectangular light on all but the east face. The west window is a traceried 3-light design with moulded jambs and hoodmould. The west doorway is 2-centred arched with casement moulding, flanked by attached shafts and topped with a hoodmould featuring carved heads as label stops.

The south aisle dates to the early 15th century. It stands on a moulded plinth with a diagonal south-west buttress and battlements above a moulded string. It contains two early 15th-century 3-light traceried windows (one on each side of the porch) with moulded jambs and hoodmoulds.

The porch is 15th-century in date. It has a moulded plinth and battlements above a moulded string. Round-headed hollow-chamfered lights open to the north and south. The outer doorway is 2-centred arched with casement moulding, slender shafts to each side, circumscribed quatrefoils to the spandrels, and a squared moulded hoodmould formerly bearing carved label stops. The inner doorway is 4-centred arched with continuous hollow chamfer and roll moulding beneath a moulded hoodmould. A stoup with hollow spandrels is set into the east wall. The inner door is ribbed.

The south chancel chapel projects slightly south of the aisle and dates to the late 15th or early 16th century. It is plinthless and gabled, with two south buttresses. Its south window is a late 15th/early 16th-century 3-light opening with squared top, while its east window is 4-centred arched; both bear hoodmoulds.

The chancel itself has a 20th-century brick plinth and a diagonal south-east buttress. It is gabled, and its 3-light east window dates to 1897. A small ogee-headed light opens to the north.

The north chancel chapel dates to the 14th century and has a 20th-century brick plinth. It is buttressed diagonally to the north-east and north-west, with a steeply pitched gabled roof higher than the chancel. Its east window comprises three cusped and subcusped lights beneath a 2-centred arched head with intricate tracery of stars and quatrefoils. The north window likewise contains three lights (with sexfoiled ogivals, elongated stars, and cusped mouchettes) beneath a segmental head.

The north aisle is early 15th-century and stands on a moulded stone plinth with battlements above a moulded string. It has two buttresses. A rood loft stair turret occupies the angle between the aisle and north chapel. Two early 15th-century 3-light windows with hoodmoulds light the aisle, along with a small cinquefoil-headed west light with squared top, hollow spandrels, and hoodmould.

Interior

The nave is divided into four bays by an early 14th-century arcade of hollow-chamfered pointed arches with octagonal columns bearing moulded capitals and bases; the north arcade differs in its moulding from the south. The chancel arcade comprises two bays with similar hollow-chamfered pointed arches and octagonal columns. Those to the south are similar to but probably later than those of the south aisle, while those to the north date to the 14th century and are more finely carved than the nave arcade. The south nave and chancel arcades are continuous, while the north is separated by a slight pier. There is no chancel arch. An arch between the north and south aisle and chapel probably dates to the early 15th century; evidence suggests an earlier, steeply pitched lean-to roof formerly existed over the aisles.

The tower arch is a tall 15th-century opening of three hollow-chamfered orders with attached shafts to each side. Aisle windows feature moulded rere-arches springing from slender attached shafts. The north window of the north chancel chapel has a moulded inner architrave. The east window of the chapel has each inner reveal panelled by two slender attached shafts joined above their capitals by an applied ogee arch with cinquefoiled soffit; the head of this arch forms the impost for one of two chamfered orders over the window. A finely moulded stone window cill is present. A 2-centred arched doorway provides access to the rood loft stairs, and a moulded 2-centred arched doorway serves the tower stairs.

The roof of the nave features three octagonal crown posts with moulded capitals and bases, a moulded collar purlin and tie-beams, and moulded and brattished cornice. Sous-laces and ashlar-pieces are present, with brackets between pendant posts and tie-beams carved with elongated trefoils. The chancel roof retains three medieval octagonal moulded crown posts with hollow-chamfered collar purlin; the remainder of the roof has been replaced. The north chapel roof is a common rafter design with high collars, sous-laces, and ashlar-pieces. The south chapel roof has been rebuilt. The aisles are lean-to structures.

Fittings and Monuments

A late 13th-century hexagonal font with trefoiled panels stands on seven plain stone shafts upon a moulded hexagonal base. Piscinas include an ogee-headed example in the south wall of the sanctuary, a trefoil-headed version in the south wall of the south chapel, and a rectangular moulded piscina in the east wall of the north chapel. A large hagioscope opens into the south chapel. A continuous stone seat runs along the north wall of the north aisle. A carved hexagonal wooden pulpit dates to the early 17th century. A charity board dated 1888 is also present.

Fragments of 14th and 15th-century glass survive, along with some armorial glass in the south chapel.

The church contains numerous monuments. On the west wall of the south aisle is a monument to the Reverend Sir John Filmer (died 1834) and his wife, executed in white marble on a black ground in Grecian style with figures of Faith, Hope, and Charity in relief, signed by Ternouth. A tablet to Mrs. Dorothea Filmer (died 1793) is mounted on the south wall of the south chapel in white marble on black with fluted borders, guttae to the base, urns to the top, and a larger urn with shield above. Another tablet to Richard Argall (died 1605), also on the south wall of the south chapel, features egg-and-dart surround to a recessed panel, texts within bands above and below, decorated side panels, and a cornice with shield and achievements. A monument to Margaret Randolph (died 1609) on the south wall of the south chancel chapel comprises alabaster kneeling figures in relief flanked by free-standing Corinthian columns on a consoled plinth, with a coffered arch, moulded frieze and cornice, shields, and side-pieces. A brass on the floor of the north chapel commemorates Sir Edward Filmer, knight (died 1629), engraved with figures of Sir Edward, his wife, and 18 children. A stone table tomb to Robert Filmer Esq. (died 1585) in the north-west corner of the north chapel has a moulded plinth, corniced lid, and plain pilasters; the inscription is on a back plate flanked by Ionic columns with bead-and-reel frieze, moulded cornice surmounted by small obelisks and shield, and a skull below the inscription. A cartouche to Sir Robert Filmer, Baronet (died 1720), appears on the north wall of the north aisle. A monument to Sir Edward Filmer (died 1755) on the north wall of the north aisle is of white marble with moulded plinth and cornice, shield to base, and bust. A memorial to Beversham Filmer (died 1763) on the north wall of the north aisle comprises a scrolled rectangular tablet with moulded plinth, shield to base, scrolled pediment, and urn. A tablet to Sir John Filmer, Baronet (died 1797), on the north wall of the north aisle has a lightly moulded plinth and cornice, shield below, and a gadrooned urn against a black marble obelisk above.