Church Of St Peter With Attached Railings

The Church of St Peter, with its attached railings, is an Anglican parish church located in the village of Upton Lovell. The church’s origins lie in the 13th century, but it was substantially rebuilt in 1633 and restored in 1891 by C.E. Ponting. It is constructed of limestone ashlar with a Welsh slate roof.

The church plan incorporates a west tower, a nave with a north porch, a south vestry, and a chancel. The gabled north porch features a saddleback coped verge and a moulded pointed doorway with a quatrefoil above, bearing the datestone “THIS HOUSE / IS THE HOUSE / OF PRAYER / 1633.” The north side of the nave has a 17th-century two-light mullioned and transomed window, flanked by a short buttress. The 13th-century chancel features a lancet and pilaster buttress to the north, a roll-moulded string course, corbelled eaves, and stepped lancets to the east. The south side of the nave bears a two-light mullioned and transomed window alongside a gabled vestry with a quatrefoil and a datestone. The 17th-century west tower has diagonal buttresses, a semi-circular headed doorway with a keystone, arched lights to the north, recessed arched lights to the middle stage, wooden louvred windows to the bellstage, and crocketed pinnacles.

Inside, the nave has a three-bay king post roof with moulded tie-beams, the east one dated 1633, and moulded purlins, principals, and braces springing from stone corbels. A double chamfered tower arch, likely dating back to the 14th century, is present. Elliptical arches lead to the north and south doors. The early 13th-century chancel arch, resting on half columns with keel moulded shafts and 19th-century capitals, opens to an elliptically-arched chancel with a 19th-century arch-braced collar truss roof. The chancel also features a roll-moulded string course, a chamfered trefoil piscina on the south wall, an aumbry on the north wall with zig zag ornament, a 17th-century wainscot panelled reredos, and an east window rerearch supported by shafts with 13th-century moulded bases. Stained glass commemorates Sarah Ingram, who died in 1898. Other details include a restored 12th-century stone font bowl set on a 19th-century base, 1898 seating in the nave and chancel, an 1890s communion rail, a polygonal pulpit given by Rev. Crockett, and a 1717 George I Royal Arms painted on board on the north wall of the nave.

The church contains a late 14th-century effigy of a knight, John, 5th Lord Lovell of Tidmarsh, who died in 1408, set into the south wall of the chancel. A 15th-century brass memorial to a priest is also present, along with limestone gothic tablets to the Raxworthy family. A black and white marble memorial is dedicated to Fanny Raxworthy, who died in 1871, and was made by Tyler of Bristol. Cast-iron spearhead railings are attached to the north west and south west corners of the tower.