Details
SK 1810-1910
10/78
ELFORD
Church of St Peter
GV
II*
Parish church of medieval foundation, tower of 1598 but mostly rebuilt 1848-49 by Anthony Salvin, in a style of circa 1290, additions of 1869-70 by G.E Street. Ashlar; slate and lead covered roofs with coped verges. West tower with diagonal buttresses and semi-octagonal stair turret to the south, three bay nave with south aisle and porch and two bay chancel with south and north chapels.
West tower: dated AND / 1598; four stages marked by strings; crenellated parapet with crocketed corner pinnacles, first stages has a three-light pointed west window with cusped intersecting tracery; the second stage has a rectangular loop to the west and north, the third stage has a two-light pointed west window with Decorated style tracery and returned hood mould, belfry openings of two trefoil-headed lights surmounted by a quatrefoil and beneath a semi-circular head.
Nave: 1848-49; pointed windows, those to centre and west on north side have cusped intersecting tracery, the north east window has two cinquefoil headed lights with a trefoil over, all have hood moulds terminating in heads.
South aisle: 1869-70, crenellated parapet, pointed windows, that to the south east has three lights and cusped intersecting tracery, that to south centre has Decorated style tracery, west window with three trefoil-headed lights and cusped circles in the head; gabled porch with pointed doorway, two double-ogee moulded orders on cylindrical nook shafts with moulded capitals and bases, niche above containing an angel.
Chancel: 1848-49 pointed east window of three lights and tracery above consisting of radiating mouchettes, pointed north window of two cinquefoil headed lights and Decorated style tracery.
South chapel: 1869-70; plain parapet, pointed windows with cusped intersecting tracery, door to south-west with cinquefoiled head, pointed west window of three trefoil headed lights and cusped circles over. North chapel: 1848-49; Caernarvon arch door to the west, two-light pointed window to the north with quatrefoil in the head and returned hood mould, two single-light windows to the east.
Interior: nave arcade of double hollow chamfered pointed arches on octagonal columns with moulded capitals; pointed and double chamfered tower arch; high pointed chancel arch with roll and fillet and quarter roll and fillet mouldings, on engaged columns with broad fillet moulding and moulded capitals bearing carved foliage painted gold; pointed south chapel arch with roll and fillet and quarter roll and fillet mouldings, clustered engaged columns with fillet moulded shafts and moulded capitals, hood mould terminating in leaf and flower carved stops; chancel arcade of pointed arches with deep hollow chamfer and octagonal columns with leaf carved capitals painted gold; scissor braced nave roof with braces springing from carved stone corbels; arch braced collar root to south aisle with cusping inbetween collar and principals, paired wavy wind braces, principals spring from carved stone corbels; chancel has an arch-braced collar roof, the braces springing from short cantilevered beams supported on gold painted carved brackets which are, in turn, supported on stone corbels carved as angels; arch braced collar roof to south chapel, the braces have roll and fillet moulding and carved fleurons, and spring from wooden corbels carved as angels, cusped wind braces forming circles, cusping between collar and principals.
Fittings: C19 stone font on pedestal of clustered octagonal columns with moulded capitals and bases, heavily ornamented basin carved with crocketed ogee-headed panels and angels, pinnacled tabernacle font cover; C15 wooden door to west end with blind cinquefoil headed panels; wooden pulpit, octagonal, richly carved with scenes from the life of Christ, brass hand rail and balustrade; C19 benches with carved poppy heads; late C19 communion rail, highly decorative, brass with wooden hand rail.
Monuments: restored by E. Richardson in 1848: South chapel: (Stanley chapel) Knight of circa 1370, alabaster, with bogus Gothic inscription by Richardson to Sir John Stanley, died 1474, recumbent effigy with feet on a dog, chest tomb beneath with cusped panels bearing shields; Sir Thomas Arderne, died 1391, and wife, alabaster, two recumbent figures, Sir Thomas in full armour with his feet on a lion, chest tomb with cinquefoil-headed panels with mourners and angels,. some hold shields; John Stanley, killed circa 1460 on being struck by a tennis ball, recumbent effigy of a child with his feet on a dog, the face and hair late C13 in style and inspired by the so-called effigy of Jean, son of Louis IX, at Saint-Denis; Sir William Smythe, died 1525, and two wives, three recumbent effigies, Sir William in armour with his head resting on a helmet and his feet on a lion, chest tomb heavily decorated with effigies of monks standing beneath canopies. Choir: William Staunton, circa 1450, only the upper and lower thirds are carved and are sunk, the centre is plain.
Stained glass: west window by Wailes, 1841; south aisle west circa 1525, Netherlandish; Stanley Chapel east window by Ward and Hughes, 1870.
Listing NGR: SK1852310609
