Church of St Peter and St Paul

Details

TL 62 NE BARDFIELD SALING THE STREET

1/31 Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

GV I

Parish Church. C14. Said to have been unfinished at the time of the Black Death 1348-9. Consecrated and Chancel added 1380. C17-C20 alterations and additions. Flint walls with some rendering. Stone and clunch dressings. Red plain tiled Nave and Chancel roofs that to Chancel hipped with gablet, grey slate south aisle lean-to roof. Stone parapet verge with cross to Nave. Exterior. East wall of Chancel rebuilt and plastered with no east window, after rocket damage during 1939-45 War, North and south walls each with a window of 2 trefoiled ogee lights with tracery under segmental pointed head with labels and head stops. Nave. North wall with 4 buttresses, two 2 light windows with tracery over in 2 centred heads, the eastern window with a fragment of medieval glass. North doorway now blocked with chamfered 2-centred arch with label and stops. West of this door is a stoup with pointed stone head, red brick supports and stone bowl. The circular plan west tower, ll½ feet in diameter, is of 3 stages with plain parapet. North, south and west ground floor windows each of one trefoiled light. Second stage with similar windows to south and west. Bell chamber with north, south, east and west windows each of 2 cinquefoil lights in 2-centred heads with labels. The south east stair turret with cruciform loops. Gargoyles to parapet. Nave. South wall with buttress to west angle and 2 light window adjoining. East wall window of 3 cusped lights with tracery over. Label with foliate stops. Above the Chancel arch is a chamfered window opening of one Light with a 2 centred head. South Aisle. Two buttresses and 2 restored 2- light windows under segmental pointed heads with labels and stops. South porch C19/C20 2-centred arch. The south doorway similar to north door. Above the porch is a stone arch, probably the grooving of a previous porch. Internal features. Ceiled and plastered 7 cant roofs to Nave and Chancel. The Chancel with probably C14 wall plates. The Nave with 4 plain tie beams and moulded wall plates. The Chancel arch is 2-centred of 2 orders, on the east side the moulded jambs have one semi-octagonal and 2 semi-circular shafts with moulded capitals and a chamfered plinth. South of the Chancel arch is an ogee-headed squint cut down to floor level. There is a mid-C15 indent of a man and a woman with an inscription plate on the Chancel floor. The Nave has a C18 gallery at the western end, with panelled front and 2 chamfered support columns. The gallery houses a C18 chamber organ, once the property of Sir George Elvey, for many years organist of the Chapel Royal, Windsor and dedicated in this church 1933. The floor below the gallery is tiled with medieval floor tiles. Circa 1625 wooden hexagonal Pulpit is carved with angle pilasters and arches in perspective to panels. Carved panelling in front of pulpit. Late C18 panelled pews. Late C15 octagonal Font with ogee headed panels and panelled stem. C17 oak chest. The South Arcade and Aisle of 3 bays has 2 centred arches of 2 moulded orders, moulded labels with head stops. Quatrefoil columns with keeled rolls between the foils, moulded capitals and bases. Graffiti, including 2 human figures and inscriptions John Guest 1608, P. Goodey 1782, Thos. Cross 1796 to bases of arcade columns. C14 screen at eastern end of arcade, of 2 bays, each of 4 trefoiled ogee lights with quatrefoil tracery, moulded mullions, posts and top plate. The screen was at one time used as a reredos to the main altar and the 3 frames of fine CL9 straw work at the west end of the aisle were made to fit into it. C14 Piscina in south wall with moulded trefoiled ogee head and label, no bowl. To the west of the Piscina is a crudely worked bowl with foliate decoration reputed to be part of a pillar piscina. Sedile below south east window has its cill carried down to form a seat, with splays Cut back and ornamented with cinquefoiled squinches. Part of an early wall painting and inscriptions to west of south doorway. West Tower, east doorway has chamfered jambs and a 2 centred arch of 2 moulded orders with a moulded label and head stops, above which is a window of one trefoiled light. The round tower is one of 6 remaining in Essex and is the only example in the United Kingdon of the decorated period and, therefore, apparently the last of its kind to be built in Medieval times. RCHM 1.

Listing NGR: TL6861326514

Legacy

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Legacy System number:

114934

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LBS

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