Church of Saint Peter

Church of Saint Peter

A parish church of rubble stone with tooled limestone quoins, constructed with a nave, chancel, transepts and western bellcote. The bellcote is a plain square structure with two segmental pointed openings and a ridged flat top. The church is built of rubble stone with purple Caerbwdy stone tracery throughout. Slate roofs were renewed in 1987.

The western elevation features a pointed, traceried two-light window with Y-tracery and trefoils above the main lights. The north side of the nave has a flat-headed traceried single-light window and a pointed doorway with a ledged door and strap hinges.

The north transept contains a similar single-light window to the west and east, with a two-light window to the north featuring ogee tracery and a coped gable. A squint to the chancel has a small rectangular light. The chancel itself has a north flat-headed two-light traceried window. The east wall was rebuilt in 1875 with rebated angles, a coped gable, a cross finial, and fine ogee reticulated tracery to a three-light east window. The chancel south has a small single light and a squint with a small rectangular single light.

The south transept has a coped gable with similar windows to the north transept, comprising an east single light and a south two-light. A stone chimney with a pyramid cap stands in the northwest angle; its brick base was formerly hidden by a lean-to boiler house. The nave south has a flat-headed two-light traceried window.

Interior

The interior has whitewashed plastered walls with a whitewashed chamfered pointed chancel arch featuring a broad step on each side and broach stops to the arch and barred broach stops to the chamfered jambs. A rood loft corbel projects to the left. The chancel has a whitewashed plastered pointed tunnel vault.

On the south side is a small square-headed piscina with a round bowl, and the south window-sill has been brought down as a seat. The chancel arch contains a square recess on the northeast side. The north squint has an uneven roof, probably stone vaulted, while the south squint has a broad shallow arch from the chancel; both have rough cambered arches into the transepts. The transept arches are plain pointed plastered structures.

A fine 13th-century stone font with scalloped decoration and chamfered angles stands on a round shaft with a ring base on a square plinth. Dating from 1875 to 1877 are the rafter roofs with deep-arch bracing to create a tunnel-vault profile, patterned tile floors, and plain pitch pine pews. Also of this period is an oak five-sided pulpit with blind tracery to the main panels under pierced panels of four quatrefoils, with a stone moulded base, stone steps, and wrought iron rail. The chancel contains simple but well-designed oak stalls with incised circular motifs to the upper angles and elbows.

Four brass oil lamps on twisted brass stems, dated 1893 and made by Jones & Willis, are mounted in the chancel. The sanctuary floor paving is more elaborate, featuring encaustic tiles and some marble, with rails having iron branching uprights.

Stained glass includes a nave north single-light window by John Petts from 1990 depicting Christ walking on the water, and a south two-light window from 1911 depicting Saint Peter.

Monuments and Fittings

The north transept contains a three-colour marble plaque to William Allen of Fobston (died 1758) with panelled pilasters, arch and cornice, and a two-colour marble memorial with a steep triangular top and incised roundels and triangles to Margaret Allen of Fobston (died 1778). The north wall has a memorial to Richard Runwa of Hook (died 1766) with a finely carved trumpeting angel in a semi-circular top panel, an oval plaque to Ann Davies of Crabhall (died 1775), and an east wall slate plaque with a cherub head to Martha Allen (died 1734).

At the nave west end is a carved 17th-century chest lid or panel with three saints and three grotesques. Beneath the nave northwest floor is a total immersion font installed in 1884.