Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

This is an Anglican parish church of Early English origins, entirely rebuilt in the early 16th century by Sir Edmund Tame of Fairford and restored in 1895 by F.R. Kempson. The church is constructed of ashlar with stone slate and a leaded roof, except for the nave north wall which is rubble. It comprises a nave with south aisle and south porch, a chancel with a parallel south chapel of equal length, a vestry linked to the north side of the chancel by a short passage, and a west tower.

The south wall of the south aisle and chapel features diagonal and side buttresses with offsets. Five three-light windows with four-centred arches, hollow-moulded chamfers and stopped hoods light this elevation, with similar windows at the east and west ends. The parapet is battlemented. Two late 17th to early 18th-century headstones with oval inscription panels and rich almost three-dimensional relief decoration stand against this wall.

The porch is gabled with diagonal buttresses. Its entrance is a four-centred arch with engaged jamb shafts. The spandrels are carved, one bearing a Tudor rose and the other a vine motif, with a stopped hood above. A battlemented parapet crowns the porch with a cube sundial at its apex. Inside, the floor is flagged and stone side benches run along the walls. A 15th-century studded plank door occupies the inner opening, set within a moulded four-centred arched surround with carved and painted spandrels decorated with naturalistic oak and ivy leaves.

The nave north wall retains evidence of column bases and the springing of the Early English north arcade, now incorporated into the wall. A blocked rectangular north doorway has flat-chamfered and quirked moulding. Three three-light windows similar to those on the south aisle light this wall. A stairs projection to the former rood loft stands at the far left, and a battlemented parapet caps the wall.

The chancel is lit by a five-light Tudor-arched east window and two similar three-light windows to the north wall. The 19th-century vestry has diagonal buttresses.

The three-stage tower features a moulded plinth and a pointed three-light west window with casement-moulded surround and a hood with diamond stops. Two-light belfry windows have stone louvres and hoods with carved head stops. Strings run between storeys, and a battlemented parapet with crocketed pinnacles crowns the tower.

The interior comprises a three-bay south aisle continuous with a two-bay south chapel. The five-bay nave arcade has octagonal piers with concave mouldings and capitals formed as elongated lozenges with moulded margins. The arches are four-centred with ogee mouldings. A pointed arch spans the tower opening.

The nave has a 16th-century roof with braced ramped tie-beams and moulded intersecting beams carrying carved wooden bosses. The south aisle and south chapel have similar 16th-century roofs, with fine angel corbels bearing musical instruments in the south aisle. A 19th-century roof in the chancel follows the same pattern. The floor is stone flagged, with coloured and encaustic tiling in the chancel and sanctuary.

Traces of three circular Early English piers forming the arcade of a now-demolished north aisle remain visible in the nave's north wall. A round-headed doorway high in the north wall where it meets the chancel formerly gave access to a rood screen.

Finely carved 16th-century wooden screens with blind tracery and vine scroll frieze divide the nave and south aisle from the chancel and south chapel. A similar 16th-century screen divides the chancel from the south chapel.

An 11th-century tub-shaped stone font stands inside the south door, reputed to have been brought from Elmore by the Guise family. It is decorated with an arcade containing eleven figures representing the apostles. An 18th-century chalice-shaped stone font stands at the west end of the nave. Early 20th-century pews with blind tracery to the pew ends furnish the church. A 19th-century pulpit possibly incorporates carved panels from the former rood loft.

A finely carved panel decorated with Katherine of Aragon's pomegranate is reused as a cupboard door in the vestry. Fine 17th-century communion rails with turned balusters and acorn finials stand in the chancel, with a 20th-century altar table behind. The south chapel has 18th-century wrought iron communion rails incorporating a swan motif.

Monuments include two ledgers in the nave aisle: one to Robert Berkeley, died 1690, and one to Rebekah, wife of Robert Berkeley, died 1707. The south aisle contains two further ledgers: one to William Bradley, died 1728, and one to Hannah Bradley, died 1733. The north wall of the chancel displays a large ornate Baroque monument, formerly highlighted in gold, to Jane, daughter of Robert and Rebekah Berkeley, died 1672. The monument has an oval inscription panel with foliate surround and large palm leaves on either side, putti and a painted heraldic shield at the apex, with drapery flowing around the panel. This work is attributed to Reeve of Gloucester. A white marble monument over the vestry door commemorates a member of the Berkeley family, possibly dated 1727, with a cartouche-like inscription surround and palm fronds on either side, a cherub's head and heraldic shield at the top, and downturned flaming torches and a winged skull at the bottom.

The south chapel contains two chest tombs: one to Eleanor Iermye, died 1629, wife of Sir R.Y. Berkeley, with black marble top and two polished limestone heraldic plaques on the side, and a similar monument opposite to members of the Guise family. Both monuments appear to be either 18th century or early 19th century in date.

Stained glass includes fragmentary 16th-century Renaissance-style work. The middle north nave window contains the initials 'E.T.' (Edmund Tame) tied with a lover's knot, with small winged sibyls surviving in the tracery. Medallions of 17th-century Flemish glass set in the north aisle windows survive. The west window of the south aisle was made by Wailes in 1858.

There is a close relationship between this church and Fairford Church, which was built by John Tame, father of Edmund Tame who donated Rendcomb Church.