Church Of St Peter

The Church of St Peter is a church dating back to the 12th century, with a chancel added in the 13th century, a tower in the 15th century, and a south porch in the 16th century. The church was restored in 1886. The building is constructed of mortar rendered rubblestone with carstone in the nave walling, freestone ashlar to the tower, a brick south porch, rendered chancel, and a flint vestry, all under plain tiled roofs.

The church comprises a west tower, a three-bay nave, a south aisle and porch, and a chancel to the east, with a vestry addition to the north corner. The two-stage west tower has angle buttresses to the first stage, showing tiles and brickwork, and a brick dressed square casement window above an arched west door. The upper stage is battlemented, with a clock face on the north and west sides. The south porch has a central roll moulded depressed arch to the door, niches to either side, and a crowstepped gable above. The chancel has C13 Lancet windows on its south side, a renewed three-light window with curvilinear tracery to the east, and renewed C15 windows to the south aisle.

The west door, within the tower, dates back to approximately 1100. It is oak, with large iron C straps and horizontal bands, set within a roll moulded arched surround with cushion capitals to the piers. Octagonal piers support the arcade of the south aisle. The nave roof has three crown post trusses. The chancel arch is doubled chamfered to the choir and single chamfered to the nave.

The church contains an arcaded west gallery dated 1622 and a pulpit in a matching style, though altered, with lozenge patterning. A C19 Gothic style stone font has a decorated bowl on a stem with surrounding marble columns. Some late medieval pews remain, with the rest being copies.

Monuments include a grey and white marble memorial to Sophia Flayer Jervis (died 1834), featuring a draped female figure on a coffin; a stone artisan tablet to Johannes Lloyd (died 1663) with open and segmental pediments and strapwork decoration; and a grey marble panel to William Harvest (died 1741), with flanking piers and an acorn. A white marble memorial to Reverend R. Emily (died 1792), by R. Westmacott Snr, features fluted piers, a pedimented niche, draped urns, and scrolls to the cill. A Thomas Bund memorial, dated 1776, is a grey and white marble obelisk with winged cherubs’ heads. The memorial to John Merest (died 1752) is white marble with fluted Ionic pilasters, flanking scrolls, cherubs’ heads, and a coat of arms.

Brasses commemorate John Shadhet (died 1527) and Isabelle and Henry Purdon (died 1523), depicting standing figures with hands folded in prayer.