Building record 0066400000 - SS PETER & PAUL'S CHURCH

Dimensions - Length 39m, Width 14m.
Plan Form - Subrectangular.
Consists of nave, 2 aisles, chancel, square W tower, all embattled. S porch & N door. (Further detail) (B1- 2).
c.1860 photo (B3).
Originally late C12, altered & tower added C13, C14 aisles, clerestory added & aisles & chancel altered C15. Restored & added to 1887-8. Upper part of tower rebuilt & heightened (B4-6).
At NGR (B8).
Grade II+. Parish church. Originally late C12, altered and tower added C13, C14 aisles, clerestory added and aisles and chancel altered C15, organ chamber and vestries added to S. of chancel and church much restored 1887-8, upper part of tower rebuilt and heightened 1898. Coursed rubble stone with ashlar quoins and parapets. C19 wing and chancel have tiled roofs, remainder lead. W. tower of 3 stages has C19 battlemented parapet with carved gargoyles and corner finials, off-set buttresses and semi-octagonal stair turret at N.E. corner. Paired 2-light traceried openings to bell-chamber, 2-light traceried window to W. side with 2 C19 single lights above. Nave has C19 battlemented parapet with crocketted finials, altered gargoyles with carved stone bases, and 5-bay clerestory of 3-light perpendicular cusped windows. Aisles have similar parapet and 3 bays of similar windows. N. aisle has 2-light traceried window to E. Moulded doorways to N. and S., the latter with C19 gabled porch. N. side of chancel has short section of zig-zag drip-mould, part over early C13 lancer, a 2-light Decorated window and a low cusped lancet in W. bay. Small lean-to chamber between western windows has C19 doorway and single lights. E. window is 3-light Decorated. Similar C19 window to S. C19 wing to S. has 4 cusped lights with round window over in gable, and stair turret in angle with aisle. Interior: altered C13 tower arch is triple chamfered on jambs with semi-octagonal piers, slender shafts and stiff-leaf caps. Nave has 5 bays of C14 double chamfered arches on octagonal piers with moulded caps, and C19 roof on brackets with C15 carved wooden figures and carved stone corbels. Roof of N. aisle has moulded beams with small carved wooden angels at N. end of main ties. Cusped piscina in S. aisle. C19 organ chamber has arches to S. aisle and chancel and vestries to S. Double chamfered chancel arch. Chancel walls to N. and S. have remains of late C12 arcading with unmoulded pointed arches on small shafts with carved caps. N. wall also has arched doorway to small C12 vaulted chamber with C13 wall paintings of angels. S. wall has 2 locker recesses, one with central mullion, much restored cusped piscina, and C19 sedtlia. Fittings: C12 circular font with cable moulding; C16 screen in tower with traceried panels; C17 altar table in N. aisle; C19 and early C20 glass; other fittings C19. C16 painted plaque to Sir Richard Goddard in N. aisle. C18 and C19 memorial tablets. RCHM II p. 337 - 339 (B7).

The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul is built of stone rubble. The roofs of the South porch and chancel are tiled, that of a small chamber on the North side of the chancel is of stone, and the other roofs are covered with lead. The chancel with a small North chamber is of ca.1190, and the nave is also probably of that date. The chancel was lengthened towards the East in the early C13th, and the West tower was added in the middle of the C13th. The North and South aisles were added ca.1370. In the C15th, the chancel walls were heightened and the nave clerestory added. The South vestry and organ-chamber were built in 1887-8, when the church was extensively restored, and in 1898, the West tower was rebuilt above the level of the roof of the nave, and considerably heightened. The church is especially interesting on account of the C12th wall-arcading in the chancel, and the small vaulted chamber with wall paintings, which are probably of C13th date. The C13th carved capitals of the tower arch are also noteworthy (B6).

This record includes National Record of the Historic Environment Information provided by Historic England on 4 June 2025 licensed under the Open Government Licence.