Church of St Peter

Cadw's description

Location

In the village centre set within a large walled rectangular churchyard with entrances at SE and SW.

History

Mostly Perpendicular masonry though the tower appears separately designed; chancel arch is earlier, probably C14. Restoration of 1890 by Kempson and Fowler included substantial work on chancel. Churchyard cleared in C19 as shown by the higher roots of the older yews.

Exterior

Large medieval parish church. Plan of W tower, long nave, short S porch, chancel, N vestry. Most masonry is random rubble with some ashlar dressings; W wall of tower is of finely jointed snecked dressed stone; slate roof with cruciform finials. W tower is sturdy with stepped corner buttresses reaching to just below the corbel table of the embattled parapet with corner gargoyles; paired louvred trefoil-headed belfry lights under hoodmould; small rectangular lights to the tower chambers below and paired lancets with hoodmould under a relieving arch above pointed moulded arched W doorway; string course below belfry and moulded plinth course at base. S porch is gabled with kneelers and slightly battered; plain chamfered pointed arched S doorway; inside the porch are stone seats and a surviving medieval roof with one arch-braced truss with moulded low ridge piece with heraldic boss and chamfered and stopped purlins; battened door with full-width hinges. S nave and chancel windows are Perpendicular, double or triple cinquefoil-headed lancets in a square frame with hood: triple either side of porch, double to light former rood screen, 2 double lights to S chancel either side of pointed arched priests' door. Three-light E window with Geometric tracery. Lean-to NE vestry with pointed-arched openings. N nave has similar opposing windows to S.

Interior

Interior is rendered. Narrow nave with roof of 6 bays of arch-braced trusses with 2 rows of purlins rising from wooden spur corbels below wallplate, low ridge piece with bosses at intersections with trusses. Wide W interior arch is moulded but with no capitals and filled with a carved oak screen in memory of the Vaughan family 1947; very small chamfered pointed staircase tower arch adjacent to S. Small octagonal later medieval font at SE with very weathered base and tall wood cover with tabernacle work of C19. Pulpit c1873. Brass lectern of an angel figure. Chancel arch is tall and pointed, with the inner chamfered order unusually dying into the jambs; to S are the pointed-arched doorways at 2 levels formerly giving access via stone steps to the rood screen; wooden chancel screen. Terrazzo floor to sanctuary up 3 steps; to left (N) of altar is a tall moulded recess now filled by an aumbry; polychrome wooden reredos. Organ of 1892. Stained glass E window of 1891 by A Savell and further stained glass in nave, possibly by Joseph Bell of Bristol and others. Some C18 stone wall monuments to local families

Reason for designation

Listed Grade II* as substantially retaining medieval character and masonry.