Description

DUNCHURCH THE SQUARE
SP4871 (North side)
11/48 Church of St. Peter
06/10/60
GV II*
Church. Late C12/early C13 origins; largely rebuilt C14; tower early C15. Mid
C19 chancel north aisle; mid/late C19 vestry has some old work. Restored 1908.
Sandstone ashlar. Chancel has C12/C13 south wall of limestone rubble with
sandstone plinth and cornice. Tile roofs have coped gable parapets with
kneelers, some with weatherings. Aisled nave, chancel and north aisle, west
tower and south vestry. Decorated and Perpendicular styles. 2-bay chancel, 3-bay
nave. Splayed plinths. Diagonal and other buttresses of 2 offsets throughout.
Moulded cornices. Windows, mainly renewed, have hood moulds. Chancel has moulded
plinth. Limestone 3-light east window with curvilinear tracery. South window has
Y-tracery with inner trefoiled lancets. Small chamfered low-side window. Chancel
aisle has 3-light east window with reticulated tracery. North side has large
gabled buttress. Door in roll-moulded segmental pointed arch. Gothick wall
monument above has inscriptions to William Smith, 1810, and Ann Smith 1827.
Small chamfered straight-headed north-east light. 2 windows have Y-tracery
similar to chancel. North aisle has 3 buttresses. North-west doorway, said to be
early C14, of 3 moulded orders with hood mould continued across wall. Mid C19
ribbed door. Two 2-light windows have curvilinear tracery with central mullion.
West window has cusped Y-tracery. South aisle has 2 south 2-light windows with
curvilinear tracery. South-west buttress continued up into C19 octagonal stack
with cornice. West end has small plank door in angle. Small quatrefoil window
high up. Wall monument of 2 slate panels with sandstone cornice, urn, volutes
etc. has inscriptions to Mary Johnson 1828 etc. Vestry has south gable with
gablet kneelers. 2-light window with reticulated tracery. West door.
Perpendicular tower of 3 stages has south-east stair turret and moulded string
courses. Double-leaf west door in elaborate but eroded doorway of 3 orders with
inner moulded order, multi-cusped arch and outer arch with alternating trefoil
and trefoiled lancet panelling. Deep-set 3-light window above has splayed sill
and remains of panelling to jambs. Hood mould continued as string course. Second
stage has remains of small ogee canopy. 2 small ogee lancets under straight head
with hood mould flank clock face. Third stage has remains of carvings to
buttresses. Deep-set renewed paired 2-light bell openings have blind tracery
below and continuous hood mould. One opening only to north. Frieze of
quatrefoils. Moulded embattled parapet has octagonal south-east stair turret
rising above. Interior: chancel east window has rere arch of 3 chamfered orders.
Moulded trefoiled C12/C13 piscina. Cl9 panelled wagon roof has moulded ribs. Mid
Cl9 two-bay Early English style north arcade has composite piers. C19 chancel
arch of 2 chamfered orders, the inner with foliage corbels, the outer dying into
the wall. Remains of old carved corbels. Nave has 3-bay arcades with C12/C13
square bases and angle spurs and octagonal shafts. C14 Decorated south arcade
has moulded capitals with castellated abaci: eastern capital also has ballflower
ornament. Impost to west only has remains of foliage corbel. C15 Perpendicular
north arcade has moulded capitals. West impost, possibly C12/C13, has cowled
woman's head. C19 queen post roof. High tower arch of 3 chamfered orders. Tower
arch, window and door have jamb with trefoiled lancet panelling. Plaster
quadripartite rib vault with decorated bosses. Mid C19 internal porch. Chancel
aisle has crown post wagon roof Arch of moulded and chamfered orders. Aisles
have C19 panelled ceilings with moulded ribs. South aisle has remains of ogee
piscina. Fittings: elaborate mid C19 Gothic reredos and altar table. Reredos has
triptych painting. Mid/late Cl? octagonal alabaster pulpit has blind tracery
etc. Mid C19 stalls. Octagonal font of 1848 has blind tracery to bowl and stem.
Monuments: tower south wall: Margarit Hixon 1632. Painted wood monument of
triangular section with moulded frame. Above north aisle door: Thomas Newcomb
1681. Alabaster. Diptych form with open doors, moulded round arch, scroll
pediment and cartouche crest, volutes, finials and drops and moulded shelf with
winged head. Newcomb was printer to Charles II, James II and William III, and
founder of the Almshouses (q.v.). Stained glass: chancel east 1908 by Charles
Kempe; south east c.1895. South aisle c.1917 and 1919.
(V.C.H.: Warwickshire, Vol. VI, pp.83-85; Buildings of England: Warwickshire,
pp.286-287).

Listing NGR: SP4861771266

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17550889

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

• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)
• 
  Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, and Peterborough (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Maintaining and Repairing Old Houses: A Guide to Conservation, Sustainability and Economy
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Specifications for Building Conservation: Volume 1: External Structure: Practical Examples v. 2
• 
  Surrey (The Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)