Church Of St Peter

ST 76 SW ENGLISHCOMBE 8/86 1.2.56 Church of St. Peter

I G.V. Parish church. Late C12; chancel altered early C14; late C15 alterations to nave and south chapel; restored 1885 and south porch added. Consists of nave, south chapel and south porch, central tower and chancel. Coursed, squared freestone and rubble with freestone dressings; slate roof over nave and lead roof over chancel. Tower of 3 stages on a plinth; thin clasping buttresses to upper 2 stages embattled parapet and pinnacles; single-light opening with cusped head on second stage and 2-light bell-chamber opening with pierced lozenge panels; square projecting stairtower to first stage at north-east. Nave: 2-light clerestorey window on south side with 4-centred heads; 3-light C19 mullion and transom west window in a late Perpendicular style; two 3-light late Perpendicular style north windows under 4-centred heads; buttresses with off-sets between; blocked north door in chamfered and 4-centre headed surround. The rubble-built south chapel has a flat roof concealed behind an ashlar embattled parapet; angle buttresses with off-sets; and a 4-light window with cinquefoil heads and under a square dripmould having lozenge stops. Chancel: corbel table with carved human and beasts' heads, some plain on the north side; 2-light south window with trefoil heads and quatrefoil light above; 3-light east window of reticulated tracery, a continuous string course rises to form angle buttresses over the windows; angle buttresses with off-sets on east end rising to form pinnacles, embattled gable on east end rising to form pinnacles, embattled gable between. South porch of ashlar with an embattled parapet; moulded and pointed doorway. Interior. South chapel has triple chamfered arch from nave; panelled reveals to window and squint to porch formed of 2 ogival triangles; ogee- headed piscina. The tower arches to the nave and chancel have attached half- columns, scalloped capitals, decorative scallops to north-west and monster's face on column at north-east; the arches above are later, double-chamfered and pointed. On north side of tower are 2 arches of a blank arcade decorated with 3-dimensional carving of 2 rows of zig-zag with beading between; columns with cushion, scalloped and carved head capitals; the arcade continues behind the north-west pier of the tower. Chancel: roll moulded inner moulding to windows; scalloped capital at north west; on east face of the tower arch is a mediaeval statue either of the infant Christ or from a tomb. (N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England : North Somerset and Bristol, 1958).

Listing NGR: ST7160462886