St Peter's Parish Church, Church Street, Inverkeithing

St Peter's Parish Church, Church Street, Inverkeithing

St Peter's is a substantial parish church combining a 14th century tower with a 19th century nave and later interior remodelling. The building comprises a 4-stage tower dating from the late 14th century, a rectangular-plan two-storey Gothic revival nave designed by James Gillespie Graham in 1826, and a spire added in 1852. The interior underwent significant additions and alterations in 1900 by Peter Macgregor Chalmers, with minor extensions to the north and east added in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The external walls employ coursed rubble for the tower and south and east elevations, while the north and west elevations and the east vestry are finished in ashlar. The geometric tracery of the tower contrasts with perpendicular tracery to the east and west windows. Crowstepped gables punctuate the roofline, and the spire is crowned with four Gothic revival pitched-dormered clock faces featuring trefoil and decorative finials, topped by a gilt metal weathervane.

The west elevation features the principal entrance, a corbelled 4-stage square-plan tower with stepped buttresses. The entrance itself is a central Tudor arched door with hoodmould. Lancet windows light the 2nd and 3rd stages, while the 4th stage (belfry) contains bipartite geometric traceried windows with partial louvering. A corbelled parapet sits beneath the slated dormered spire. To the right stands a 3-stage octagonal stair turret with a plain door, a lancet window to the 2nd stage, and an arrow slit to the 3rd, topped by a conical stone roof. The single-storey flanking aisles have transomed and mullioned bipartite pointed-arched perpendicular windows with hoodmoulds, banded eaves courses, and crowstepped gables. An early 20th century single-storey flat-roofed vestry to the north obscures part of the north aisle.

The south elevation shows 5 plain Tudor arched windows to the single-storey aisle, which steps slightly below the two-storey nave level.

The east (rear) elevation is dominated by a central single-storey three-bay castellated vestry with the central bay recessed. Three pointed arched windows light the vestry, with a door to the right return. A low-walled rectangular-plan crypt fronts the vestry. A large transomed and mullioned hoodmoulded pointed-arched perpendicular window lights the nave, with similar but smaller windows to the stepped-back flanking aisles. The composition is tied together by a banded eaves course and crowstepped gables, with a crucifix finial crowning the gablehead.

The north elevation mirrors the south but sits on a deep rubble base course on ground that slopes slightly to the northeast. A single-storey flat-roofed vestry extension to the right carries a pointed traceried window. Throughout, windows feature square leaded panes, and roofs are finished in grey slate.

The interior is richly detailed. The porch displays exposed masonry and timber beams with terracotta floor tiles laid in herringbone pattern with a black border. Dark stained timber panelled and glazed doors lead to the nave, while pseudo four-centred arches frame the north and south vestry doors (former entrances), and a three-centred arch frames the low boarded door to the stair turret. Above the double doors into the nave an inscribed lintel reads "THE LORD LOVETH THE GATES OF ZION / MDCCCC".

The tower contains a narrow stone turnpike stair in its southeast corner. Original timber beams remain, supplemented by late 20th century beams, while timber floorboards have been renewed at each stage. Wide arched openings frame the lancet windows, and a large cast-metal bell hangs in the upper stage.

The nave and aisles are articulated by 10 paired ashlar Doric columns (with 2 engaged columns at east and west), between which run moulded pointed plaster arches. The nave is roofed with curved braces and plaster, while the aisles have timber brackets. The interior is fitted with stained pine pews, including a box pew with carved panel decoration to the southeast. A timber tongue-and-groove dado runs throughout.

The chancel is a low staged space featuring a central rectangular timber-panelled communion table with blind Gothic tracery. The reredos, also of 1900, is timber panelled with pierced tracery gallery and Gothic style finials, and carries central gilded crucifixes. To the left of the altar stands a carved stone hexagonal baptismal font, heraldic decoration suggesting a date of circa 1398. The font has a scalloped stone basin supported by 5 short filleted shafts with enriched capitals, separated by angular projections and resting on an octagonal plinth. Angels support armorial shields on each face. The basin is surmounted by a large roll supported by a head and embattled at each angle. A commemorative pewter lid from 1945 covers the font. An oak-panelled pulpit with blind Gothic tracery stands on an octagonal stone base, also dating from 1900.

The stained glass is largely late 19th and 20th century in date. The south window of 1920 commemorates World War I with biblical scenes, accompanied by a bronze plaque for World War II memorial on the window ledge. The southeast windows of 1905 are memorials to James Thrift Smith and Ann Laing, depicting saints. The east window, dated 1856-7, features blue and red geometric stained glass with stylised foliage. The northeast window by A Ballantyne & Gardiner (1900) memorializes John Chalmers with a Resurrection scene. The north window by Christian Shaw (1994) commemorates 750 years of St Peter's Church and Rev John Johnston. Memorial plaques include a shouldered architraved stone plaque in green marble to Rev William Stephen (1946), plaques to John G Robertson (1895) and Col James Cunninghame (1793). A cast-metal bell with the Latin inscription "TO GOD'S GLORY ALONE MICHAEL BURGERHUYS MADE ME 1641" hangs in the belfry chamber.

The churchyard contains predominantly 18th to mid-19th century tombstones, though some earlier graves exist to the south, including that of John Halliday dated 1606. A Tudor arched memorial to Capt James Scott (1767-1850), superintendent of the Queensferry Passage from 1810-1839, is set in the south boundary wall. A coped random rubble crypt enclosure fronts the east of the nave.

The boundary walls date from the 18th century and consist of coped deep channelled and droved ashlar forming a screen wall to the street, with base and band courses. Three apses project from the north of the tower and one from the south. Large segmental-arched gateways with cast-iron gates flank the tower to north and south.