The Parish Church Of St Peter

The Parish Church of St Peter is a parish church dating to the 15th century, with substantial rebuilding occurring in 1852-3 by Butcher. The church comprises a west tower, a nave, a north aisle, a south porch, a south transept, a north-east organ chamber, and a vestry. The building is constructed of ashlar.

The west tower is an impressive feature, displaying slender proportions and two stages. It features diagonal buttresses with three offsets and 17th-century corner obelisks acting as pinnacles. A north-west stair turret is half-octagonal. A heavy base moulding forms the hood mould of the west door, which has concave moulded jambs. The tower has a four-light Perpendicular west window, and two two-light square-headed belfry openings with shallow-chamfered lights. A small north window has a hood formed by a string course.

The 1852 rebuild is a well-balanced composition. Externally, all windows are decorated. The south front includes a wide transept with a three-light south window above a lean-to section lit by small punched sextafoils, indicating an internal recess. There is one flush two-light window to the nave and two to the chancel, both with hood-moulds. The east window is three-light, with a large sextafoil in its head. Strong double set-off buttresses are visible, and the vestry’s east front has bold, asymmetrical fenestration. The north side features flush two-light windows.

Inside, mediaeval fabric remains, notably the tower arch responds with wave moulding and a 16th-century tower ceiling. A cusped, original tomb recess is located in the south transept, containing four heads facing downwards of good quality. The font, possibly 15th century, has been recut and is octagonal with traceried panels, although its plinth is missing. The 1852 rebuilding includes a three-bay north arcade with Decorated octagonal piers, and a double-chamfered chancel arch with moulded capitals. Good roofs are present, with arch-brace and collar rafters in the chancel and nave, and scissor-braces in the south transept. The chancel is tiled with Minton tiles. Contemporary wooden commandment boards are housed in the tower. A large, assertive wooden pulpit is also present. The church contains monuments of historical interest, including a wall monument to Rev. G C Gorham, dated 1865, by Hale of London (in the south transept, east wall), and a mural monument to J Sheppard, dated 1865, by Stephens of Exeter (in the south transept, west wall). Heraldic glass is found in the south transept, south window, and north aisle, along with windows dated 1852.

The church has historical significance relating to a judgement in 1847 by the Bishop of Exeter, which concerned the orthodoxy of Rev. G C Gorham. This "Gorham Judgement" led to the secession of several influential figures to Rome.