Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter

Church rebuilt in 1788 by John Wing. Constructed in limestone and ironstone ashlar with a lead roof.

The building has a T-shaped plan comprising a nave, chancel with transepts, and a west tower, all executed in Gothick style. The south chancel transept features a 4-light south window with trefoils and quatrefoils, beneath a shallow gabled roof with ashlar parapet and quatrefoil frieze.

The east elevation displays a central 4-light window with quatrefoils and trefoils, flanked by two 3-light windows containing quatrefoils, trefoils and lozenges. The centre bay breaks forward slightly beneath its own shallow gabled roof, with ashlar parapet and quatrefoil frieze. The north chancel transept is similar in design to the south.

A six-panel Gothic style door in the west return wall has a moulded stone surround and arch head. Above it is a tablet inscribed "This church rebuilt was finished A.D. 1788".

The south elevation of the nave comprises a 3-window range of 3-light windows with quatrefoils, separated by 2-stage buttresses. This elevation also has a shallow gabled roof with ashlar parapet and quatrefoil frieze. The north elevation of the nave is similar.

The west tower rises in four stages with 4-stage angle buttresses at the corners. It has a Gothick style west door with pointed arch head and moulded stone surround. Cusped lunettes appear on the north and south faces of the first stage. The second stage has 2-light windows on the north, south and west faces. The third stage features cusped roundels, and the fourth stage (bell-chamber) has 2-light openings to each face. A quatrefoil frieze runs below the parapet, which is plain with short pinnacles at the mid-point and tall pinnacles at the corners.

Interior

The chancel arch is pointed and moulded with fluted capitals. Similar arches open to the chancel transepts. The tower arch is blank, with a pointed arch door opening flanked by Gothick style doors and a small roundel above.

The plastered ceiling is supported on trusses with exposed tie beams featuring open quatrefoils in the spandrels. The interior retains 18th-century box pews and a two-decker pulpit, along with an 18th-century communion rail with attenuated balusters.

Monuments and Fittings

The south transept contains substantial monuments to the Palmer family. On the south wall is the tomb of Sir Geoffrey Palmer (died 1673) and Lady Palmer, comprising two upright shrouded alabaster figures in a black marble arched reredos with open doors, a segmental pediment and armorial device, and inscription on the open doors. This is attributed to Joshua Marshall. Also in the south transept is a black inscribed tablet to Geoffrey Palmer (died 1661) in the south-east corner with segmental pediment and flaming urn. Sir Thomas Palmer and his wife are commemorated by an 18th-century tablet on the south wall surmounted by a flaming urn. Geoffrey Palmer (died 1720) and his wife are recorded on a marble tablet on the east wall with pilasters, urns and armorial device. Another Geoffrey Palmer is remembered by a black inscribed tablet on the left with armorial device flanked by skulls. Charlotte Palmer's tablet on the west wall features an urn with drapery and an angel above. Sir John Palmer (died 1817) and his wife are commemorated by a tablet with draped urn above. Various other 19th and 20th-century tablets to Palmer family members are also present.

Inscribed floor tablets include one dated 1583 to Jeffrey Palmer, with additional 17th and 18th-century tablets on the south and east walls of the chancel.

The south transept contains six hatchments. The east window of the south transept contains 18th-century armorial glass. 19th-century stained glass appears in the south window of the south transept and two south windows of the nave.

A Gothic style font is present in the church.