Church Of St Peter And St Paul

The Church of St Peter and St Paul is a parish church dating back to the 11th century. A Saxon chancel forms part of the present building and is incorporated into the north and south arcades of the nave. The north aisle was rebuilt in the 12th century, the south aisle in the 13th century, and the west tower was added in the 14th century. The chancel was rebuilt around 1854, and the clerestory and upper stages of the tower, along with the porch, were rebuilt in 1876. The church was restored between 1854 and 1856 by R.C. Hussey.

The building is constructed of coursed regular ironstone rubble, with a stone roof and Welsh slate. The chancel features a geometrical east window, 2- and 3-light windows with Y-tracery to the north and south walls, and a 3-light geometrical window to the south wall. A blocked 2-centred doorway on the north wall has a hood mould and stops. The south aisle has a geometrical east window and four triplets of lancets to the south wall. The west tower is of four stages and has a crenellated parapet. The interior of the chancel has a piscina and three seat sedilia, and blind arcading dating from around 1854. In the nave, two small round-headed windows in the north and south arcades are remnants of the earlier Saxon church. The north aisle has a four-bay arcade with round-headed arches and piers with scalloped and waterleaf capitals. The wide south aisle has a four-bay arcade with arches of two chamfered orders, octagonal piers, and projecting abacii; one capital features trumpet-scallop decoration, while the others have stiff leaf decoration. A chest tomb is located under a 14th-century double arched tomb recess in the south wall. A font, likely from the 14th century, features a bowl with roll moulding and 17th-century carving and cover. A pulpit from 1639 and a reading desk constructed from 17th-century panelling are also present. A chancel screen, possibly late 15th century, has strapwork cresting added in the 16th or 17th century and is located in the south aisle. Seventeenth-century pews, including two dated 1637 and 1638, remain. A south door is inscribed 1639. Wall paintings from the 14th century are found in the south aisle, with 17th-century texts over earlier work in the north aisle. Monuments include a marble monument to Richard Wykeham (d.1635) in the north aisle, and stone memorials to John Hawten (d.1598), John Duncombe (d.1645/6), and his wife Elizabeth in the south aisle. Nineteenth-century stained glass is throughout the church.