Church of St. Peter

Details

PALGRAVE A143 (NORTH SIDE) TM 1178 5/50 Church of St. Peter 29.7.55

GV I

Parish church. C14 origins, C15 nave and south porch, early C18 chancel, restored 1861 with addition of north aisle. Flint rubble, largely knapped, some squared, with flushwork in south porch. Ashlar dressings. Red brick plinth to chancel. Steeply pitched plaintiled roofs. Square west tower, long nave with south porch, north aisle and porch, short chancel. 3 stage C14 west tower is unbuttressed with ashlar quoining. To west lower stage 2-light Y traceried window, second stage small round opening. String course to belfry with louvred 2-light cusped openings, string course to embattled parapet with corner pinnacles. To south and north clocks just below belfry above which are gargoyles. Nave to south has 4 Perpendicular windows of 3 lights each, restored. 2 stage buttresses, that to south east with a semi-octagonal projection originally for rood stairs. C15 south porch was originally 2 storeys, upper chamber/armoury now removed. Ornate south elevation: fleurons and crowns in mouldings of pointed entrance arch, shafted inner jambs, lions stop outer moulding which encloses spandrels with reliefs of St. George and the Dragon, flanking ogee headed niches, crocketed and pinnacled with arms above, a quatrefoil frieze to upper storey with a 2-light window, panelled flushwork throughout. 3 stage diagonal buttresses. Embattled parapet has panelled flushwork, shields in octafoils flanking a central niche with pinnacled canopy, ridge cross, octagonal pinnacles at angles and returns which have 2-light Perpendicular windows. To west angle where porch meets nave a canted stair projection. North aisle and porch of 1861, fenestration follows C15 model with some flushwork on buttresses, plain parapet. Slightly lower and narrower C18 chancel is unbuttressed with ashlar quoining, offset plinth. Round headed windows with shallow chamfered reveals, C19 Y tracery, to east a blocked oculus below gable parapet with kneelers, ridge cross. To north and south coved eaves cornice. Interior: early C14 chancel arch, triple hollow moulded with triple shafted responds, ring capitals and bases. C14 tower arch has a chamfer dying into plain responds. C19 5-bay north arcade, double hollow moulded pointed arches, quatrefoil piers. Fine nave roof of 10 bays. Single hammerbeam, arched braces meeting without collars and continuing directly onto hammerbeams, braces from stone mask corbels to hammerbeams, wall plates brattished with leaf ornament. Moulded with original painted decoration throughout, tracery and star patterning. Chancel roof is a barrel vault with coving to timber cornice. North aisle lean-to roof with bosses, mask corbels. Nave south wall small piscina with chamfered round arched head. Stairs to porch upper chamber now a cupboard. Late C12 font, square limestone bowl with masks in high relief at corners, crosses on each face, octagonal stem, colonnettes at angles with scalloped capitals, ringed bases. Over south door hangs some parish armour. Royal Arms of Victoria dated 1850 over tower arch. Pews, choir stalls, pulpit and reading desk all of 1861, organ dated 1907. In south porch on west wall a tablet memorial to antiquary and historian of Thetford, T. Martin, F.A.S., d.1771, erected by Sir J. Fenn; inscribed round slate slab in square marble surround with cornice, arms below, an urn above. Late C18 and early C19 wall slabs on nave and north aisle walls, some floor slabs. Wall slabs of c.1800 on chancel external walls.

Listing NGR: TM1156278465

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

280339

Legacy System:

LBS

End of official list entry

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