Church of St Peter

Details

SP 02 28 WINCHCOMBE GLOUCESTER STREET (north side) 4/33 Church of St Peter 4.7.60

- I

Anglican parish church. c.1458 to 1468. Patrons were Abbot William de Winchcombe followed by Ralph Boteler, Lord Sudeley. Squared Cotswold lime- stone often in large blocks to plain crenellations concealing lead roofing. A very regular church, all of one brief construction period, with west tower, nave, north and south aisles incorporating organ chamber and lady chapel respectively, 2-storey south porch, and chancel. Tower in 4 stages, diago- nal buttresses with 4 offsets and plinth, stair vice to north-east and large gargoyles to each buttress, good plank door under stopped drip and 4-foil spandrels, 4-light window over, then, above continuous drip, a small 2-light below large 4-light with transome, all in Perpendicular. Aisles have 3- light Perpendicular between buttresses with offsets and under continuous drip mould with large coarsed gargoyles; the clear-story lights each 2 x 2-light under square heads and similar string below crenellation; diagonal pinnacles remain only to south aisle roof, elsewhere bases only. In Sanc- tuary one 4-light each side of altar, and low 7-light eash window. Octa- gonal rood stair turret north side. Upper parts of chancel including crenellation replaced 1872 by John Drayton Wyatt, having been modified, with a steep-pitched roof in 1690. South Porch with 2-light window over a figure of St.Peter in niche with pinnacles, 2-light windows east and west, and deep hollow-mould-surround to outer door in stopped drip with spandrels, a pair of fine C18 inner doors in similar surround, and fan-vault to ground floor. Interior: a consistent and simple interior, lofty tower arch, fan- vault to tower, 6-bay nave with octagonal piers to 4-centre arcade, flat pitched compartmental timber ceiling on cambered beams to plain corbels and decorative spandrels to arch braced; aisles with flat beam roof with 'ridge' and plates richly moulded. At bay 6 rebuilt mediaeval screen, and above this a Cl9 openwork timber 'chancel arch'; beyond screens aisles con- tinue as organ loft and chapel, but clear-story windows in these 2 bays have cusped transomes. Chancel with plain walls except at Sanctuary, sedi- lia with 'nodding ogee' heads, possibly earlier than rest of church and piscina with canopy over; C19 reredos. Roof as nave, but carried on angel corbels. All floors C19 red, black and cream tiles. Pews and fittings generally part of 1870 restoration, some mediaeval glass fragments in win- dow 8 to south aisle and in lady chapel including east window, otherwise series of consistent and well coloured C20 designs. At west end of north and south aisles two stone coffins associated with the St Kenelm legends. Brasses in south aisle to Margaret CRUMPE, 1647; Bridget SLAUGHTER, 1652; above these a large slate slab beautifully inscribed to John Warren de Great, not dated; other brasses to Elizabeth Harvey, 1685; Richard CAELEBS, 1670; Christopher MERRETT, 1624. Brasses in north aisle include John MOUNTLOW, 1693; Elizabeth DAUNCE, 1727; Thomas MARKLEY, 1671; and a fine incised stone slab to Michael BROADWAY, 1723. In tower arch large Royal Arms, time of Geo III, John Burnham and Thomas Fisher recorded as church-wardens. A fine alms chest on a pillar in bay 2 of north aisle. This is a remarkably con- sistent, but restrained design replacing a decayed earlier fabric: for a brief period in the C15 the parishioners worshipped in the nave of the immediately adjacent Abbey (now completely destroyed). (Donaldson, D N, A Portrait of Winchcombe, 1978.)

Listing NGR: SP0230428229

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

133931

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Donaldson, D N, A Portrait of Winchcombe, (1978)

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.