Church Of St Peter And Paul Church Of St Peter And St Paul

Church of St Peter and Paul

This church, located on Main Street in Sywell, was built in the 12th, 13th and 14th centuries, though it underwent significant restoration in the Victorian period. The chancel was rebuilt in 1862, and the south aisle, north chapel, and tower were rebuilt and heightened in 1870 by the architect J. Maners. The building is constructed of regular coursed and squared coursed lias stone and ashlar, with a plain-tile and lead roof.

The church comprises a nave, chancel, south aisle, north chapel, south porch, and west tower. The south elevation of the chancel features a single window range with a 2-light window and a door to the left with moulded label stops. The chancel has a gable roof with ashlar parapets, finials and kneelers. The 3-light east window contains intersecting tracery. The north elevation of the chancel has one blank bay with an inscribed tablet reading "Rebuilt 1862 Rev'd R. Baillie Rector". A north vestry projection extends from this elevation and contains a 2-light east window.

The south aisle displays three windows, each of 2 lights with cusped tracery, and 3-light windows at both east and west ends. It has a lean-to roof with ashlar parapets. A gabled porch with finial, positioned left of centre, has a double-chamfered opening with octagonal responds. The inner door is probably late 12th-century masonry reset in the 19th century.

The north transept features a 3-light north window and a gabled roof with ashlar gable parapets and finial. The north elevation of the nave contains one 14th-century four-light square-headed window with arch-headed lights and a north door to the right. Above the south aisle, the nave clerestory comprises three 19th-century 2-light windows with ashlar parapets and a shallow gabled roof.

The west tower dates to the 13th century and is of two stages with a plinth, abutted by the aisle to the south. A 19th-century polygonal staircase turret rises from the lower stage on the west face, above which sits a 14th-century 2-light square-headed window enclosed by a string course. Above this is a similar 2-light bell-chamber opening. The 13th-century bell chamber has 2-light openings with plate tracery on the north and south faces, and a double lancet opening on the east face. The tower is crowned with a castellated parapet featuring central gargoyles and short gabled corner pinnacles.

Interior

The interior features a 3-bay south arcade of 19th-century pointed arches with roll mouldings and circular piers bearing Romanesque-style capitals. A similar chamfered chancel arch has a bracketed capital and flat respond. The west tower arch is 13th-century with double chamfering and a quatrefoil respond to the north wall; the south wall features a quatrefoil pier forming part of a group of three piers supporting the corner of the tower, comprising a 19th-century circular pier with a 12th-century square abaci plus some 12th-century masonry, and a 19th-century copy. The south tower arch matches the south arcade design. The north chapel contains a 19th-century double-chamfered arch with quatrefoil responds and foliated capital. Various 19th-century roof structures are present throughout.

The south aisle contains a 13th-century reset piscina. A reset 14th-century tomb recess is located in the north transept.

The church contains several monuments. In the north aisle is a reset monument to Robert Willmer (died 1612), comprising a marble tablet flanked by detached columns on a plinth with entablature and heraldic device above. A marble tablet to Lady Mary Willmer (died 1729) features a pediment, urn and garlands. Various 19th-century marble tablets commemorate members of the Pell and Robertson families.

The stained glass east window contains reset heraldic glass dated 1580. A 20th-century window lights the north nave. Two octagonal fonts are present: one dating to the 13th century and the other to the 19th century.