Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

This is a substantial parish church with architectural elements spanning from the 11th century to the 17th century, and later Victorian restoration work. The building is constructed of roughly-dressed sandstone and sandstone ashlar with slate roofs.

The church comprises a west tower, a three-bay aisled nave with clerestory, south porch, chancel, north chapel and vestry. The chancel arch dates to the 11th century or earlier. The south arcade belongs to the early 12th century, whilst the north arcade, tower and tower arch date to the late 12th century. The 15th century saw significant additions and modifications: the spire, chancel, clerestory, battlements and gables all date to this period. An early 17th-century vestry and window to the north chapel were added later. The aisles were rebuilt and a porch was added during restoration around 1870, as recorded on rainwater heads.

The three-stage tower stands on a tall chamfered plinth and is embattled with angle buttresses to the north-west and south-east, the latter fitted with gablets. A staircase vice is positioned at the south-west corner. The tower features lancet windows to the south and west, and slits to the vice. The bell-openings are paired pointed lights with shafts beneath round arches and hood-moulds. Chamfered bands define each stage. A plain parapet supports a recessed octagonal spire.

The south porch is gabled and buttressed, with a pointed opening enclosing a rebuilt doorway and a rebuilt window to the east. The clerestory windows, which have been restored, are paired pointed foiled lights with chamfered mullions beneath square arches. An embattled parapet runs across the top. The north aisle windows have been rebuilt. Similar original clerestory windows appear on the south side, with an embattled parapet below.

The chancel has two windows on its south wall with paired square-arched lights and reticulated tracery. A third, later-inserted window sits to the west of a central buttress decorated with offsets and crocketed gablets rising through an embattled parapet. The north side contains two windows: one with chamfered mullions featuring five segment-arched lights, and another with three square-arched lights. The east end is finished with clasping buttresses adorned with crocketed gablets and pinnacles, supporting a restored three-light window with panel tracery and pointed hood-mould. The roof line features a coped gable to the porch and crow-stepped gables to the nave and chancel. A gabled bellcote with a round-arched opening sits above the nave's east end.

The interior displays notable Romanesque and Gothic features. The tower arch has three orders on each face, with the centre one filleted and moulded bell capitals, square abaci and hood-mould. The south arcade comprises two round arches beneath chamfered hood-moulds, resting on cylindrical piers and responds with scalloped capitals and square abaci. The north arcade contains three double-chamfered pointed arches on cylindrical piers with attached shafts. The piers bear moulded bell capitals, whilst the columns carry waterleaf capitals and square abaci. The western pier has a cable-moulded base. The north side of the eastern respond features a round-arched niche with incised floral carving at its rear. The chancel arch is round, set on chamfered responds with stops. The imposts are chamfered on the lower edge, with the north impost displaying interlace carving.

Two pieces of an Anglo-Saxon cross, probably dating to the 9th century, survive in the south aisle. Approximately 1.75 metres high, they are finely carved with interlace, foliage scrolls, a head, and the lower parts of two griffins. Misericords, probably of 15th-century date, number two in the north and seven in the south, carved with various motifs including vines, a mask and grotesques. A fine 15th-century font cover, restored in 1947, takes the form of a tall octagonal canopy with buttresses and crockets, carved Perpendicular tracery and eight figures around the base. Additional fonts include a 19th-century octagonal example with carved panels and an octagonal Jacobean font. A William and Mary hatchment hangs above the chancel arch.

The church contains several monuments of note. In the north aisle is a swathed cartouche inscribed in Latin, erected in 1682 to Sir Thomas Posthumous Hoby (died 1640). On the south wall of the chancel stands a wall monument to Lady van den Bempde-Johnstone (died 1853), featuring a standing female figure by Matthew Noble. The sanctuary's north wall bears a wall monument of nearly life-size figures in high relief to Margaret Anne Johnstone (died 1819), created by Chantry. An elaborate cartouche honours Arthur Dakyns (died 1592), erected by Sir Thomas Posthumous Hoby and his wife Margaret, who "repayred" the chancel in 1597. The south wall displays an alabaster wall tablet with a fulsome tribute to Margaret Hoby (died 1633).