Description

TM 26 SW
1/48

CRETINGHAM
THE STREET (West side)
Church of St Peter

16/3/66

GV
II*
Church. c.1300 and C15. Rubble front and knapped flint with ashlar
dressings and colourwashed render with a slate and plain tile roof. Nave,
chancel, western tower, south western porch. Tower: west face: diagonal
buttresses at either side with panels of flushwork to the lower body, now
mostly replaced with brick. Central blocked doorway with moulded ashlar
surround and hood mould and brick voussoirs. Above this is a 2-light
window with trefoil heads. Lancet above this with round arched head,
cusped at the level of the springing. Band below the belfry opening which
is Perpendicular and has 2 trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil to the
apex. String course below the battlemented parapet which has flushwork
tracery panels. South face: staircase turret in the angle with the right
hand angle buttress. Blocked window, filled with brick to the lower body
and single-light round-arched lancet and similar belfry opening. North
face: similar save for lack of staircase turret. East face: abutts the
nave to its lower body and has similar belfry opening. Nave: south face:
porch at left of centre with a steep gable above a shallower gable, now
raised, the upper gable now rendered and colourwashed. The lower body has
arched niches at either side of a central doorway and above it, all cusped.
The central door surround is double-chamfered. At left of this is a 2-
light window with wooden glazing bars but with the original Perpendicular
surround and hood mould. Two Perpendicular windows at right of the porch
each of 3 lights with panel tracery, that at right a C20 replacement
following the original form. To far right a lean-to projection for the
rood screen staircase. North face: partially of colourwashed brick with a
shoring buttress at right of centre. Perpendicular window surround at far
left with wooden glazing bars. To right of centre is a blocked doorway
with double-chamfered ashlar surround. To far right is a 2-light
Perpendicular window. Chancel: north face, a shoring buttress of brick to
left and at right of this an early Decorated window with 2 lancet lights
with a quatrefoil to the apex. South face: lancet window at right with
hood mould and label stops. Two-light window at left with Y-tracery and
chamfered ashlar surround and between these a priest's door with hollow-
chamfered surround and hood mould.
Interior: Nave; hammerbeam roof of 6 bays and probably of early-C16 date.
Wall posts terminating in decorative pendant bosses of which 5 remain, the
remainder cut. Richly moulded wall posts with arched braces with decorated
spandrels connecting to the hammer beams. Further arched braces running
along the length of the wall forming 4-centered arches. The hammerbeams.
have rounded ends and brattished tops. Above these are panels of tracery
between principals and the hammer-posts. Further long arched braces
connect to the brattished collars. Two sets of purlins, both richly
decorated, and short king posts rise from the cambered collars to the
decorated ridge beam. Arched braces forming 4-centered arches also run
between the king posts. Richly decorated cornice with cavetto, roll, and
brattished mouldings with panels of blind tracery with shields.
Font: octagonal stem and bowl. Seated lions to the base and buttresses.
Angels' heads with interlacing wings to the underside of the bowl. The
side panels of the bowl have alternating rose bosses and shields and
considerable amounts of the original colouring of red, turquoise and black.
C19, high, box pews to the nave with panelled sides and backs. Raised
octagonal Jacobean pulpit on an C18 base with arched and strapwork panels
with a back panel and octagonal tester with acorn drops to the corners and
central acorn finial. Tower arch with semi-octagonal piers and moulded
bases and capitals and a chamfered inner arch and wave-moulded outer arch
with bar-broached stop. Nine pews with medieval bench ends to the body of
the nave showing tracery panels and poppyhead finials. Wall monument of
1596 to Lionel Louth; classical with arched surround enclosing kneeling
figure with rapier and helmet. To either side are panels with strapwork
arrangement and below to the apron a central shield with tablets at either
side which read: LEONULUS OBIT AD MARGARITA POSUIT MDXCVI. Coats of arms
to the spandrels at either side and central coat of arms to top with
strapwork cartouches at either side. Further monument ot Anne Cornwalleys
of alabaster and black marble of 1615. Central rectangular tablet with
scroll brackets at either side with egg and dart cornice pieces above.
Scrolled pediment coats of arms to centre of this pediment, at either side
of it and to the apron. Further monument of 1603 to Richard Cornwaleis,
ashlar, black marble and mottled marble. Central panel with strapwork
surround and pilaster strips. Pomegranites and grapes to the frieze and
coats of arms. Altar rails of later C17 with square newels and shaped
balusters.

SOURCES: Nikolaus Pevsner, Buildings of England: Suffolk, 1975
H Munro Cautley, Suffolk Churches, 1982

Listing NGR: TM2272960530

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17545857

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

• 
  London 3: North West: North West v. 3 (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  Nottinghamshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
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  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Kent: North East and East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Oxfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)