Church Of St Peter

Description

This information is taken from the statutory List as it was in 2001 and may not be up to date.

BISHOPS WALTHAM ST. PETER'S STREET SU 55 17 9/7 Church of St. Peter 6.3.67 II*

Parish Church. Building on earlier site by Henry de Blois 1136, chancel C15 (William of Wickham), south-west tower 1584, north aisle 1637, south aisle 1652, restorations of 1849 (west end of nave), 1868, and by Sir Thomas Jackson of 1897 Walls of flint with stone dressings, also ashlar stonework (of stone quarried from the ruins of the nearby Bishops Palace), some of chequer pattern with flint, later walls of squared knapped flint. Tile roof, separate roofs to the aisles. Nave with 4-bay arcade, aisleless chancel, tower at the west end of the south aisle, a gallery to the extended nave and north aisle, south porch (1613). The elevations of Perpendicular style have stepped buttresses, diagonal at the east ends, windows of Perpendicular tracery and coupled lights in square frames. The interior has a north arcade of c1200, resting on plain circular shafts (1897) and a similar south arcade (1897) with round and octagonal columns, chancel arch (Early English) of 1897. Norman (possibly Saxon) font, unearthed 1933 and returned to the church, fine panelled pulpit of 1626 (the gift of Bishop Lancelot Andrewes) with matching C19 sounding board. Communion rail of c1600 with turned rails, main west gallery of 1733 with panelled font supported on thin cast-iron columns, a carved stone coat of arms of Thomas Longton (1493), and decorative stone fragments from the Norman church. Wall monuments include two hatchments, a Royal Coat of Arms of Charles II, small wall monuments to Thomas Ashton (a bust in a classical frame) 1629 and Ann Cruys 1624, other monu- ments to Mary Kerly 1716, Richard Biggs 1749, Jane Wright 1753, and several wall monuments in the chancel of the C18 and early C19. The church is noted for its post-reformation alterations, in a late-Perpendicular or Elizabethan Gothic style with a classical plinth moulding to the south aisle, built during the interregnum.

Listing NGR: SU5546817576

Content

This is part of the Series: IOE01/1294 IOE Records taken by Peter MacLeod; within the Collection: IOE01 Images Of England

Rights

© Mr Peter MacLeod. Source: Historic England Archive

This photograph was taken for the Images of England project