Church Of St Peter And St Felix

Church of St Peter and St Felix

This is a church of 12th to 19th century date, built of rubble with stone slate roofs. It comprises a 3-stage west tower, a 3-bay aisled nave with south porch, and a 2-bay chancel with north vestries.

The tower is dated 1397 by an inscription on its stepped diagonal buttress, which reads "AD MCCCLXXXXVII", with a later inscription below stating "This Church built Anno Dom 1397 M.T.". At the top of the buttress is a carved figure holding a musical instrument. The tower has a chamfered plinth and a stair turret to the right with chamfered light vents. The ground floor features a chamfered pointed-arched single-light window with label. The second stage has a clock and a small trefoiled light with hoodmould, repeated on the north side. The offset third stage contains a flat-headed belfry opening of 2 trefoiled lights with hoodmould on all sides. Below the crenellated parapet is a string course with a gargoyle and shields at the corners. On the west ground floor, a hollow double-chamfered window of 2 trefoiled lights with Perpendicular tracery above and hoodmould with head stops is set into the tower. Against the south side of the tower is a tombstone commemorating Lucy, wife of Reverend James Stubbs, buried in the wall in 1805.

The south porch dates to the late 14th century and features stepped diagonal buttresses, a pointed-arched continuously-moulded doorway with hollow chamfer and label, and an image niche above (now containing a modern figure of St Peter). The parapet is crenellated ashlar with corner pinnacles and a central cross-legged figure. On the left return is a small vent blocked with a copper plaque commemorating John Allen of Fox Hall, died 1822. Inside the porch are bench tables and a barrel vault. Set into the east wall is a piece of stone carved with miniature interlaced Romanesque arcading. The inner doorway is pointed-arched, continuously-moulded with hollow double chamfer, high stop-chamfers, a label with shield at apex, and head stops.

The south aisle dates to the 15th century and has a chamfered plinth, stepped diagonal buttress to the right, and C19 Perpendicular-style 2-light triple-cusped flat-headed windows flanked by the buttress. Set into the wall are fragments with chevron motif, 2 halves of a small cross slab grave cover, and a voluted capital with face mask. A chamfered string runs along the aisle. The east window of the south aisle is a 2-light cinque-cusped flat-headed window with Perpendicular tracery above. The nave south clerestory, dating to the late 15th century, contains 3 windows, each of 2 pointed cinque-cusped lights in deeply-chamfered segmental-arched openings with labels and head stops.

The north aisle dates to the early 14th century and features a single-light trefoiled east window in a tall pointed opening with label and head stops. The north side has stepped clasping end buttresses and a boarded north doorway that is pointed-arched, continuously-moulded with hollow chamfer and label. A buttress flanks flat-headed windows of cinque-cusped lights, with the western window being 19th century. The clerestory here is similar to that on the south side.

The chancel dates to the late 12th century and has a battered plinth below a roll moulding. From left to right are a pilaster buttress; an early 14th century window of 2 trefoiled lights with star-shaped tracery, label with heads at apex and right stop; part of a blocked round-arched doorway; a chamfered pointed-arched priest's door with label and head to left, above which is a blocked Romanesque window; another pilaster buttress; and a window of 2 pointed lights with lozenge above, with label and small head stops. A stepped diagonal buttress follows, then a corbel table with some heads. At the east end, a battered plinth runs below a roll, with a sill roll above. A 13th century window of 3 pointed lights is set in a double-chamfered opening with four-centred arch, label with head stops, and is flanked by 2 worn heads, with other old fragments in the walls. An added stepped buttress stands to the right at the junction with an early 14th century gabled vestry, which has a window of 2 trefoiled lights with star-shaped tracery and label with head stops. A heating chamber and air-raid shelter added to the east end are not of special interest. The north side of the vestry has a chamfered plinth and stepped buttresses flanking a trefoiled single-light window, with a matching 19th century window to the west.

The interior contains a north arcade of the early 14th century with 3 bays of octagonal piers and chamfered pointed arches with labels; the easternmost arch is smaller and has a shafted respond with mid-band. The south arcade, dating to the 15th century, has 2 bays with chamfered pointed arches on an octagonal pier. The tower arch is sharply pointed with 2 chamfered orders dying into abutments; above it is the scar of a lower steeply-pitched roof. The lower stage of the tower has taller chamfered rear arches to windows and a vault with 8 chamfered ribs and a central bell-way. Against the west wall is propped a large piece of carved woodwork, possibly the front of a large pew, inscribed "CN. MW. CA. MC. MB. ANNO DOM 1639". The north windows contain carved grave slabs, including a cross base in the jamb of the west window and a cross with sword and Latin inscription used as a lintel to the eastern window. Near the south door is the font, a circular bowl on a moulded base.

In the chancel, a pointed arch on altered shafted responds (formerly with ambo) opens from the nave. On the north side is a sill string to a late 12th century round-arched window with splayed reveal of exposed Romanesque masonry, now giving onto the eastern vestry, and an old door to the vestry in a continuously-hollow-moulded pointed-arched opening. On the south side is a piscina basin. The vestry contains a piscina basin and a chamfered square aumbry in its east wall. The 19th century roofs comprise a 4-bay barrel-truss to the chancel and 4-bay elaborately traceried king-post trusses to the nave. A good 19th century rood screen is set within the chancel arch.

The church contains numerous monuments. In the chancel, below the piscina, is a 17th century panel with Latin inscription commemorating Lucy Robinson, in a moulded frame. On the north wall is a marble monument to Thomas Wycliffe of Richmond, died 1821, the last surviving male descendant of the reformer Wycliffe, with an urn on pedestal above inscription and coat of arms below, by Bennet Flintoft of York. Above the north arcade are wall monuments to Rebecca Lax, died 1775, and Hannah Lax, died 1811, with urn, by Fisher of York; and also by him one to Thomas Lax of Ravensworth Park, died 1851, with draped urn. At the east end of the north aisle is a wall monument to Francis Laton, died 1609, and his wife Ann, died 1622, with many coats of arms on cartouches. Above the south arcade is a wall monument to John Hind of Gayles, died 1836. On the south wall of the south arcade is a large plaque with Latin inscription commemorating Reverend Dr John Dakyn D.D., died 1558, founder of the Grammar School and Almshouses. The monument itself is of later date, bearing the inscription on the frieze below the cornice "G. DAWSON ET I. COATES. GARDIANI AD MDCCCXXIV", and is signed "Tallentire, sculp". Also relating to the Dakyn charities is a wooden press at the west end of the south aisle with 3 padlocks and the inscription "M. GLOVER, I. HENDERSON. WARDENS. 1784". Hanging on the wall nearby are Dr Dakyn's Statutes founding the charities, wood-bound and in a frame.