Church of St Peter and St Paul South Petherton, England

Text courtesy of Historic England. © Crown Copyright, reprinted under the Open Government License.

SOUTH PETHERTON CP WEST STREET (East side) ST4316 7/172 Church of St Peter and St Paul

19.4.61

GV I

Anglican Parish Church. Saxon origins; C13 crosswing, remainder mostly C15, major restorations in late C19/early C20 by A. Blomfield, and Sedding and Wilson. Ham stone ashlar, some rubble work; chancel and south porch have plain clay tiled roof with ornamental ridge, behind parapets; remainder lead sheeting behind parapets. Cruciform with aisles; 2-bay cancel, crossing, single-bay south and 2-bay north transepts, wide 4-bay nave and side aisles; single-storey south porch, 2- storey north porch. Chancel has chamfered plinth, eaves string and simple parapet, full-height corner buttresses: east window C15, a 4-light sub-arcuated with cusped transome, no label, plain gable vents over; to north a 2-light Geometric traceried window with headstop label and a 3-light C15 window in hollowed recess; matching windows to south, with moulded pointed-arched doorway between. South transept similar, but offset corner buttresses; matching 3-light C15 window in east wall and transomed 4-light in south gable with Perpendicular tracery. North transept has angled corner buttresses, battlemented parapet; 5-light early C15 flat-arched window with reticulated tracery and deep label to east, north window a 5-light reticulated pointed-arched with plain label. Both aisles have double plinths, string course, plain parapet, bay buttresses and offset corner buttresses; rather wide C15 traceried 3-light windows in hollowed recesses without labels, with west windows to match. South porch possibly a C19 rebuild; angled corner buttresses; late C13 style moulded arch with bell capitals to shafts; sexpartite ceiling vault; inner doorway late C13, with possibly earlier corbel brackets flanking, and statue niche over. North porch C15, built with aisle, angled corner buttresses, moulded pointed outer arch set in rectangular recess with quatrefoil- carved spandrils and deep square label; 2-light flat-arched window in recess over, and stoup in north-west corner; inner doorway plain, Nave seen only with west window, 5-light Perpendicular traceried with cusped transome, over a blocked simple doorway. Tower an irregular octagon on plan, wider on east- west axis, with 2 stages above roofline; string courses, battlemented parapets, angle gargoyles, stair turret to same height on south-west corner, small lead-covered spirelet with wrought-iron weathervane; 2-light transomed flat-arched window in recesses, with stone frets, to north and east stage 1, with lancets below on north and south sides, and smaller lancets higher on south and west faces; pointed-arched 2-light C15 windows in hollowed recesses to all faces stage 2. Spacious interior: chancel has 1882 ceiling by Blomfield; rere-arches with shafts to east window, and C20 statues on east wall; cinquefoil cusped piscina, blocked squint to north transept. Fine triple-order C13 crossing arches with bell capitals and octopartite tierceron vault. Nave arcades C15 shaft-and-hollow columns; ceilings fine quality late C19: aisles have hafts for projected vaulting. Fittings most good quality C19 and C20 work, but oak altar table of 1698, cusped piscina and C15 credence stand in north transept. Early C20 painting on canvas over nave crossing arch. Many fine monuments, including to William Ayshe, died 1657, of 3 kneeling figures in coloured marble surround having Ionic caps, pediment with cartouche; tablets to Samuel Cabel1, died 1699, and to Jacob Aysshe, died 1626, all in north transept; effigy of Sir Philip De Albine, died 1294 set in wall arch, and chest tomb with Purbeck stone top and inlaid brasses to Sir Giles Daubeney, died 1445, and his wife, in south transept. EIIR hatchment over south aisle joorway. Some early C20 stained glass by Nicholson. Aviet, the priest here 1086: Thomas Coke was curate here 1772-77 before becoming a leading Methodist. (VCH, Vol III, 1974: Pevsner, N., Buildings of E