Description

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

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17526387

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Cumbria: Cumberland, Westmorland and Furness (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cork: City and County (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Suffolk: East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)