Church Of St Peter

CHURCH OF ST PETER

Redundant Anglican parish church, built in 1813 by architect John Morlidge for F.D. Astley. Constructed in Bath limestone ashlar with a lead roof to the nave and slate to the chancel.

The building comprises a tall square nave with south porch, short chancel, south vestry, and west tower, all executed in a simple Gothic style. The nave features tall two-light windows with cusped heads and hoodmoulds, topped by a crenellated parapet with slender corner buttresses. The porch has a moulded Tudor doorhead and a steeply raked crenellated gable. The chancel is likewise crenellated with thin buttresses and a three-light east window. The tower rises in three stages with a plain Y-tracery window over the west door, pierced screens to the ringing and bell stages, a crenellated parapet, and crocketed corner pinnacles. The vestry features octagonal buttresses that rise above the parapet and terminate in crenellated crowns.

Interior

The nave is flagged and plastered with a roof of seven bays comprising hammer beam trusses and open panel work above a shallow arch. Windows have stone reveals. A tall chancel arch with double nook shafts at each corner separates the nave from the chancel. The chancel contains a panelled organ gallery at the west end, supported on cast iron columns and canted back at the ends. The chancel roof spans four bays and has a tiled floor with steps to the altar; the sill of the east window is set low. A wide chamfered arch leads to the vestry, which contains an angled fireplace.

Fittings and Monuments

The font at the west end dates to the 12th century with minimal scallops to a plain bowl. A second font of the early 19th century, positioned by the chancel arch, is octagonal and trumpet-shaped. The oak pulpit is three-sided and panelled with steps and a handrail. Choir stalls date to 1900 with traceried high backs and carved crestings. The nave pews are original to 1813 and simple in design, though the front pew on the south side has a carved bookstand.

The nave contains five wall monuments on the north side. The most prominent is a large monument on two limestone arches to Francis Dugdale Astley, founder of the church and died 1818. It features a white marble frame with a grey marble slab carrying inset metal lettering, octagonal panelled pilasters, and three elaborately crocketed ogee arches with foliated pendants. Below on a shelf sits a quatrefoiled base supporting three Parian ornaments: two winged angels and a central octagonal vessel decorated with gothic panels, marked 'St Mary's, Nottingham'. Other monuments include a two-stage white marble sarcophagus by W. Gibbs of Andover (1824) to Sir Dugdale Astley, Baronet (died 1842) and his wife Sarah (died 1824); a white marble tablet with sarcophagus over on grey marble background to Arthur John Astley (died 1831); a white marble monument to Emily Astley, child (died 1837); and a white marble scroll on grey by Sanders of London to Ethel Chapman, née Astley (died 1871).

The chancel contains eight wall monuments. These include an engraved slate slab to Reverend Walter Garrett (died 1716) and his wife; a white marble tablet to Edward Starkey (died 1779) and family; a slate slab to Reverend Thomas Earnle (died 1690); a marble slab to John Wallis RD, Professor of Arabic at Oxford; three Astley monuments including a small marble chest set in a wall niche dated 1915; and a white marble scroll on a marbled grey slab to Susan Astley, née Bouverie (died 1854).

Brasses are located in the chancel: one to Reverend John Neet (died 1429), one to Susanna Tesdale (died 1650) inscribed with a homily, and one to Mary Samwell of Lavington (died 1811). The nave displays a framed royal arms of George II and three hatchments to Sir John Astley (died 1771), Francis Dugdale Astley (died 1818), and Sarah, Lady Astley (died 1824).