Church Of St Peter

Church of St. Peter

Collegiate church with origins in the 12th century, mainly developed from the mid-13th to early 14th century, restored in the 19th century, and tower rebuilt 1889-93. The building is constructed of squared coursed limestone with ironstone and ashlar dressings, with lead and plain tile roofs.

The church comprises an aisled nave and chancel, transepts, and a west tower linked to the church by former college buildings. The chancel has a one-window range on the south elevation with a 2-light window with Y-tracery and a chancel clerestory above. The north elevation of the chancel similarly has a one-window range with a 2-light window with 19th-century Y-tracery. A late 13th-century five-light east window of lancets forms Y-tracery. The south chapel comprises a 2-window range of 2-light windows with Y-tracery and a single chamfered south doorway, with 2-stage buttresses between bays and at the corner. The north chapel extends 2 bays with a one-window range and 2-light 19th-century window, beneath a lean-to roof with quatrefoil frieze with shields and a 2-light east window with Y-tracery. A small 3-sided 19th-century vestry occupies the corner between north chapel and chancel.

The south transept has a 3-light Decorated south window with reticulated tracery beneath a shallow gabled roof with ashlar parapets. It contains a 2-light east window with Y-tracery and a single lancet to the west elevation. The north transept has a 3-light north window with Y-tracery beneath a shallow gabled roof with ashlar parapet; its east side is blank, and a 2-light 19th-century west window with Y-tracery is present.

The south aisle comprises a 2-window range with a 14th-century three-light square-head window with reticulated tracery to the right and a 19th-century single lancet to the left, with 2-stage buttresses between windows, a lean-to roof with ashlar parapets, and a 3-light west window with Y-tracery. The north aisle extends 3 bays with a 2-window range comprising a 2-light square-head window with renewed tracery to the left and a 3-light central window with segmental arch head. A blocked north door has a moulded surround and a trefoil-head holy water stoup to its right, with a blocked square-head window above. The lean-to roof features an ashlar parapet. A 14th-century four-light west window to the north aisle has tracery with mouchettes, and a 3-light west window to the nave at clerestory level is present.

The north and south nave clerestory comprises a 4-window range of 3-light windows under segmental-arch heads beneath a shallow gable roof with castellated ashlar parapet and cornice. The chancel clerestory similarly comprises a 4-window range of 3-light square-head windows with some renewed tracery, all with hood moulds, beneath a shallow gabled roof with ashlar gable parapets, cornice, and 12 gargoyles.

The west porch and attached vestry were formerly part of the college buildings and underwent 19th-century restoration. The south elevation of the porch comprises 2 bays with a 19th-century two-light window to the right and a south doorway with moulded stone surround to the left, with a hood mould of a blocked window to the centre and evidence of various refenestration beneath a gabled roof behind ashlar parapet with cornice. The north elevation of the porch is similar to the south. The south elevation of the vestry comprises a one-window range with a 19th-century two-light window with plate tracery, and a large 3-stage buttress to the right with a blank half arch at base with squint and fragment of arch at head. The north elevation of the vestry has a blocked arch-head door opening to a lower level and a similar blocked opening above, with a blocked square-head opening to the right return wall and a similar blocked opening above the porch. A gabled roof with plain tiles sits behind an ashlar parapet, with a 19th-century octagonal flue.

The 14th-century style west lantern tower was carefully rebuilt as a replica following its reconstruction in 1889-93. The tower comprises 4 stages of banded limestone and ironstone with 4-stage, set-back angle buttresses to the lower 3 stages. The west face of the first stage has an arch-head door opening above ground level. The second and third stages have single-light windows with cusping. Armorial plaques adorn the head of the third stage. The fourth stage (bell-chamber) has pairs of single-light bell-chamber openings with niches between and tracery to each face. A 2-stage octagonal lantern above has polygonal turrets with castellated parapet at each corner. The castellated parapet is continued between turrets as a frieze at the base of the lantern and was added to the original design when the tower was rebuilt. The lower stage of the lantern has single-light square-head windows to each face, some blocked. The upper stage has 3-light square-head windows with reticulated tracery to each face, all blocked with ironstone. A corbel table and castellated ashlar parapet with arrow slits support a short octagonal lead spire with weathervane. An undercroft of former college buildings is attached to the north of the tower and vestry with an asphalt roof and 2 square-head windows to the east elevation.

Interior

The interior features a 4-bay nave arcade of early-to-mid 13th-century double-chamfered arches of limestone and ironstone with quatrefoil piers that differ in profile. The base of 12th-century piers remains to the south arcade. Double-chamfered arches form the chancel arch with circular responds, and similar double-chamfered arches open to the north and south chapels and transepts, with the south transept having octagonal responds. 19th-century roof structures are present.

The altar area contains a double piscina to the right with squint, niche, and adjacent 12th-century aumbry. A trefoil-head tomb recess lies to the left of the altar, alongside a niche. An aumbry with ogee head, pinnacles, and flower decoration adorns the left side of the north chapel altar. An encased shaft is present in the south chapel wall. Various masonry fragments lie to the left and right of the altar in the south chapel. A large blank arcade with 3 short shafts adorns the east wall of the north transept.

Monuments include: a brass panel to Richard Frysby, first Dean of College, in the north chapel floor; an alabaster chest tomb to John Pyel (died 1380) and his wife with quatrefoil panels and shields and 2 mutilated recumbent effigies to the right of the south chapel; a 14th-century alabaster effigy of a recumbent lady on a plain chest tomb to the left of the south chapel, said to be the wife of Sir Thomas Cheney; a grey marble Perpendicular chest tomb, now reset as the south aisle altar, with a canopy over comprising 4 ogee-head arches, 3 quatrefoil panels with shields to the base, pendant-vaulted ceiling, and brass matrices to the back wall; an inscribed tablet to Maria Leyborne (died 1690) with scrolls and armorial device over the left wall of the north chapel; an arch-head plaque to Henry Wyckly (died 1728) and his wife with panelled pilasters alongside; an oval tablet to Simon Taylor (died 1786) with surround to the right of the north chapel altar; a mid-19th-century tablet to the Howes and Lucas family on the north wall of the north chapel; a marble tablet with urn in the north transept to Ann Taylor (died 1773); and a marble tablet in the south transept to Simon Taylor (died 1819).

Eight 14th-to-15th-century stalls occupy the chancel, with 4 poppy heads and one misercord. An early 20th-century stained glass east window by Kempe is present, along with early 20th-century glass in the south chapel, one north aisle, and south chapel windows. The interior of the porch has 4 doors at the cardinal points with moulded stone surrounds. The door into the nave has 3 niches to either side. The belfry contains 2 inscribed tablets to the rebuilding of the tower. Rib-vaulted undercrofts lie below the south transept.

The college was established for a Dean, 5 secular canons, and 4 clerks. It was dissolved at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. A licence to establish the collegiate church was obtained by John Pyel in 1373.