Church of St Peter and St Paul

Details

EYE

TM1473 CHURCH STREET 585-1/7/74 (East side) 15/06/51 Church of St Peter and St Paul

GV I

Church. Mainly early C14, replacing C13 church. Heightened and re-roofed late C15, tower and south porch late C15. Restored 1869 by JK Colling. Flint with ashlar dressings and brick. Aluminium aisle roofs, remainder of cedar shingles. PLAN: west tower, nave, aisles, chancel and north and south chancel chapels. EXTERIOR: 4-stage tower supported by diagonal polygonal buttresses stepping down in size at each stage. West face completely faced with flushwork of tall cusped panels. Base frieze with shields. West doorway with undercut moulded arch set within square frame, in the spandrels of which is carving. Frieze of quatrefoils above, one statuary niche right and left. 4-light transomed west window with panel tracery. One 2-light Dec window to each of two stages above, the upper one beneath clock face. Belfry stage with two 2-light Perpendicular openings to each face. Double crenellated stone parapet with arcades of tracery panels; polygonal corner pinnacles. South parapet with coat-of-arms of de Pole family. East, north and south faces of plain knapped flint and some ashlar. Tower ground stage with proto-fan vaulting consisting of 4 bays of tierceron vault converging to a central roundel, supported on colonnettes at each corner. 2-storey south porch with polygonal panelled buttresses flanking entrance. Close flushwork panelling to east and west faces, the flint replaced C18 with great brick. One 2-light square-headed window to each flank. C13 inner south doorway with crocket capitals to single order of shafts. Four 3-light Perpendicular panel tracery aisle windows separated by stepped buttresses (5 windows to north aisle). Flushwork crenellated parapets. Five 3-light clerestory windows with stepped tracery. 2-bay chancel chapels with crenellated brick parapets and two and 3-light Perpendicular windows. South chapel with priests' door cut through buttress. 5-light Perpendicular chancel east window of 1869, when east and south chancel walls rebuilt. 6 2-light Perpendicular chancel clerestory windows north and south. INTERIOR: 5-bay nave arcade: octagonal piers with moulded

polygonal capitals beneath hollow and chamfered arches. Tall tower arch with circular responds to a triple-hollow-moulded arch. Timber west gallery. Canted west bay of arcade with, in south-west corner, a 4-centred tower stair doorway. Polygonal responds to chancel arch and double chamfered arch. Late C15 nave roof extensively restored 1869. Alternate principals drop to moulded wall posts supported on carved timber head corbels, all of 1869. Arched longitudinal braces to secondary principals: false hammerbeams in form of carved crowned figures, all 1869. Boarded and moulded ashlaring. Principals with arched braces to king post. One tier moulded butt purlins. Large rosette bosses at junctions. East bay over screen is painted. Aisle roofs of principals and rafters, renewed 1869. Late C15 chancel screen consists of 4 principal bays either side of 2-bay opening. Opening with cusped and sub-cusped arch, carved 3 tiers deep. Dado with painted saints, kings and bishops. Paintings set within ogee and crocketed arches, 2 to each principal bay. 9 figures to north of central opening, 6 to south. Lierne-vaulted canopy. Rood and rood figures added 1925 by Sir Ninian Comper. 2-bay chancel arcade on high polygonal bases opening into chapels to north and south. Quatrefoil piers and chamfered arches: north arcade double chamfered; south arcade arch triple chamfered and the pier lobes with fillets. Chancel roof of principals with arched braces to ridge piece. Braces terminate at wall posts on angel corbels. 2 tiers of moulded butt purlins. Vestry door to north with moulded jambs without capitals under hood mould with fleurons. Tomb recess (north aisle): c1340. Wide ogee recess, cusped and sub-cusped and terminating in crocketed finial. Crocketed side pinnacles. MONUMENTS: wall monument (south chancel) to John Brown, died 1732. Marble. Predella panel depicting parable of Good Samaritan in high relief. Putti head below. Inscription panel above. Cornice in form of scrolled open pediment. Altar tomb to Nicholas Cutler, 1568 (north aisle): stone. Rectangular tomb-chest with 3 shields in lozenges. Canopy supported by two columns with vestigial Ionic capitals. Canopy with frieze of encircled quatrefoils below brattished cresting. Altar tomb to William Honyng, 1569 (south chapel) is copy of the Cutler tomb. Font and seating: 1869 by JK Colling. Font cover 1932 by Sir Ninian Comper. (Paine C: The History of Eye: Diss: 1993-: 10; Brown C, Haward B & Kindred R: Dictionary of Architects of Suffolk Buildings 1800-1914: Ipswich: 1991-: 79; Jones D & Salmon J: Eye Church: Norwich: 1980-).

Listing NGR: TM1489073797

Legacy

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

Legacy System number:

468327

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Brown, , Kindred, , Dictionary of Architects of Suffolk Buildings 1800-1914, (1991), 79
Paine, C, The History of Eye, (1993), 10
Jones, D, Salmon, J, Eye Church, (1980)

End of official list entry

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