Parish Church Of Saints Peter And Paul

Parish Church of Saints Peter and Paul

This is a parish church at Dinton, constructed over several centuries from the 12th century onwards. The building comprises a 3-bay chancel, a 5-bay nave with a south aisle, a south porch, and a west tower.

The earliest parts of the church date to around 1140, when the south doorway was built, featuring splendid Romanesque ornament with a 2-order jamb (the inner hollow chamfered with stylised beak-head, the outer with spiral banded shafts on moulded bases with scallop capital on the left and bird on the right, with cable necks and chip carved abaci). The arch contains an interlace frieze to the tympanum, bowtel and hollow chamfer to the outer order, and a continuous third order with chevron and billet. The lintel is carved with a dragon and St. Michael, and the tympanum with a tree and monsters eating apples, with a Latin inscription above the lintel.

The chancel dates to around 1230, with the south aisle and south arcade constructed around 1240. The nave's north wall dates to around 1400. In the 15th century the south aisle was widened, a west tower was added, and the south porch was built around 1500. The chancel was lengthened by 3 metres in 1868.

The church is constructed of coursed rubblestone with stone dressings. The chancel roof has old tiles, whilst the nave, aisle, and tower have lead roofs. The chancel features lancet windows, with a triplet at the east end and 3 to the north and south walls, with a moulded abacus string continuing as a hood over the windows. The nave has a crenellated parapet. The south clerestory has 3 quatrefoil windows. The south aisle has a coped parapet.

The east window is 15th century, with 3 trefoil lights and tracery in a 2-centred head. The south wall has two 3-cinquefoil light windows under a flat head either side of the gabled south porch, then to the west 2 trefoil lights with a quatrefoil in a 2-centred head, and 3 ogee lights with tracery in a 4-centred head to the west wall. The nave's north wall has to the east 2-light trefoils under a flat head, and 3 western windows of 3 cinquefoil lights under flat heads. Weathered buttresses stand between the nave and south aisle.

The west tower has 2 stages, the lower with weathered angle buttresses, crenellated parapets, and an octagonal south-east stair turret. Small trefoil lights light the ringing chamber, and the belfry windows have 2 trefoil lights with a quatrefoil and 2 centre arches.

The west door dates to the 13th century and has 3 moulded orders, the outer 2 with jamb shafts with moulded caps and bases. Above is a 15th century window of 3 cinquefoil lights and tracery under a 4-centred head. The south porch has angle buttresses and a pointed arch of 2 chamfered orders in a square head, with single trefoil lights under square heads to the inside walls. The porch roof, dating to around 1500, features queen struts to collar cambered tie beams and chamfered purlin braces, with moulded purlins, trusses and wall plates.

Interior

The chancel contains a tall blank recess between the east lancets, with the south-east lancet having splays lowered to form a seat. A trefoil-headed piscina is present, and there is a squint from the south-east chapel. The chancel arch has 3 chamfered orders with moulded semi-octagonal caps and bases to semi-octagonal responds.

The nave's north side has a wall divided by semi-octagonal pilasters with chamfered caps and bases, resting on a continuous wall bench. These pilasters support the roof tie beams; an off-centre doorway stands in the centre bay. The south side has an arcade of 2 chamfered orders on octagonal piers with moulded bell capitals and bases, with moulded labels on both sides. Some of the wall above the arcades is likely 12th century. Stone head corbels to the east bay and timber moulded corbels to other bays support wall posts. The south aisle roof rests on plain corbels. The tower arch is 2-centred with 3 chamfered orders dying into straight jambs. The chancel has a 19th century wagon roof.

The church contains a 14th century font with a circular cup-shaped bowl, fluted with trefoil heads to the fluting, a moulded rim and a band of quatrefoil panels to the frieze.

A panelled Jacobean pulpit stands on a stone base.

Several monuments are present. In the tower on the north side is a monument to Richard Sergeant (1668), an altar tomb with Ionic columns, pediment and entablature supporting an urn. On the south side is a wall tablet to Richard Ingoldsby (1703), with putti to left and right, curtains, segmental cornice, escutcheon and foliage. On the nave north wall is a wall tablet to Simon Mayne (1787) with an oval marble on a black oval and shield above, and tablets to Elizabeth Vanhattern (1764) and John Vanhattern (1747), the latter flanked by Corinthian pilasters with arms above. A mural tablet in the tower commemorates Jane Serjeant (1681), with inscription and shield with arms. Brasses of 15th and 16th century date are present in the chancel floor.