Church Of St Peter

The Church of St Peter is a church dating from 1873 to 1879, designed by Paley and Austin. It is constructed of coursed stone rubble with sandstone dressings, and has a slate roof with a tile ridge. The building consists of a nave and chancel, with a tower situated between them. To the north is an organ loft under a catslide roof, which adjoins a lean-to vestry. The gables are coped. The four-bay nave features round-headed windows. A north gabled porch is partially enclosed with a timber-frame structure built on low stone walls, and contains a round-headed entrance arch of one order with moulded detail. A corresponding bay is present on the south side but is blind. The west end has two windows positioned on a weathered sill band, with a continuous hoodmould. There are two lead dampcourses and a top lancet window. The tower has deep weathered buttresses on the north and south sides, with weathered projections in between. The projection to the south has a round-headed lancet window, with a smaller lancet above. The vestry features two windows, a round stair window above, and a diamond-shaped clock face on the upper part. The pyramidal roof is high, with north and south raking louvred dormers, and east and west hipped stone dormers containing round-headed, louvred bell openings with zig-zag mouldings to the arch, topped with a weather-fish. The chancel has a weathered sill band, two windows to the north and one to the south. The east end has three windows, the central one wider, under a continuous hoodmould. A flushwork cross is situated below the sill, alongside two lead dampcourses and a lancet window above. A gable cross is also present. The organ loft has a segmental-headed entrance and one window, with a lean-to outbuilding to the east.

Inside, the church features single rafter roofs with braced collars and ashlaring. Two arches lead to the tower and are stepped, with the inner part corbelled. There are blind arches to the north and south of the tower space, and a rib vaulted ceiling decorated with painted scrollwork and angels bearing the Beatitudes. The nave has a stencilled frieze and window arches, which form part of a scheme mostly whitewashed. Three pendant light fittings with wrought iron decoration are present, with one more elaborate in the tower space. The chancel contains good, simple stalls, an organ case, and an altar rail. A reredos by Salviati, dating from 1883, features mosaic panels and painted angels above the east windows. Good stained glass is found in the chancel, possibly by Powell, and in the west end. A collection of good wall tablets are also present, commemorating Edward Taylor (died 1790), James King (1827), Margaret Taylor (1820), and George Braithwaite (1814), the last three by Webster of Kendal.