Church Of St Peter

Church of St Peter, Stanion

A church of significant medieval importance, dating from the mid and late 13th century and 14th century, with minor 19th-century restoration work. The building is constructed of regular coursed and squared coursed limestone, with ashlar dressings to the west tower and spire. The roofs are covered in Collyweston slate and lead.

The church comprises an aisled nave, chancel, north chapel, south porch, and west tower. The chancel's south elevation displays a 2-window range of 2-light square-head windows, with a blocked low side lancet to the far left. It has a steep gabled slated roof with ashlar parapets. The east window dates from the mid 13th century, featuring 2-light tracery with a gable above. An adjoining gable, probably late 14th-century, contains a 3-light window with trefoil and quatrefoil details, beneath which sits a simple arch-head tomb recess.

The north chapel's north elevation is blank. The south aisle, dating from the late 13th century, consists of 3 bays with a 2-window range of 2-light square-head windows featuring carved label stops and some renewed tracery. The east window displays 3-light cusped intersecting tracery, while the west window contains a circle enclosing spherical triangles. A corbel table with carved heads and ashlar parapet runs above the lean-to roof, which is punctuated by 2 gargoyles. A gabled porch occupies the leftmost bay, with a chamfered outer arch and roll-moulded inner arch containing 2 orders of shafts.

The north aisle also comprises 3 bays with a 2-window range of 2-light square-head windows with carved label stops. A blocked north door lies to the right, and a 2-light west window similar to that of the south aisle is present. The roof is steeply gabled and slated with ashlar gable parapets.

The south nave clerestory features a 3-window range of 2-light windows with 4-centred arch heads; the rightmost window has been modified with a wood mullion. The north clerestory is blank. Both have shallow gabled roofs with ashlar gable parapets.

The Perpendicular west tower comprises 3 stages, with a narrow middle stage. Four-stage angle buttresses occupy the western corners. The west door has a 4-centred arch head with decorated spandrels, above which sits a 2-light west window. Pairs of 4-light bell-chamber openings with transoms face each direction on the third stage. A slender broach spire crowns the tower, decorated with 2 tiers of lucarnes.

Interior

The nave features a 4-bay arcade of Perpendicular roll-moulded and hollow arches. The piers are characterised by a long chamfer towards the nave and aisles with a hollow in the centre, and shafts with capitals towards the arch openings. The chancel arch is double-chamfered with bracketed capitals, while the tower arch is chamfered and moulded. The north chapel arcade spans 2 bays with double-chamfered arches, a central quatrefoil pier, and bracketed responds.

The nave roof structure retains some original timbers, though other elements are 19th-century replacements. A piscina and double sedilia with trefoil heads are located to the right of the altar, with similar features in the north chapel, now used as a vestry. A niche to the left of the north chapel window retains a carved bracket. The east windows feature shafts and roll mouldings.

A richly carved Perpendicular font is present, along with a Jacobean communion rail featuring turned balusters. Late 15th-century wall painting survives on the east wall of the south aisle, depicting a stag and unicorn, with additional fragments partly covered. Fragments of medieval stained glass appear in windows of the north and south aisle walls and the south aisle west window. Eighteenth-century box pews without doors line the nave, running longitudinally on tiered staging in the aisles, accompanied by an 18th-century three-decker pulpit and similar wall panelling in the north aisle.