Description

SJ 6227-6327
14/103

STOKE UPON TERN
Church of Saint Peter

10.2.59

GV
II
Parish church. 1874-75, on an earlier site. Red sandstone ashlar with plain tile roofs. Three bay nave and two bay chancel, three bay south aisle and two bay south chapel; tower at west end of south aisle and vestry to north of chancel. Decorated style.

Tower: two stages. Double-moulded plinth, moulded string course and parapet string and battlemented parapet with moulded coping. Angle buttresses with chamfered offsets and square stair turret to south west with chamfered rectangular openings and octagonal top stage with moulded parapet string and battlemented parapet with moulded coping. Louvered belfry openings of two trefoil-headed lights with panelled Y-tracery and chamfered reveals. Chamfered trefoil-headed lancet opening below belfry opening to west and three chamfered trefoil-headed openings below belfry opening to north. First stage south and west windows each of two trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoil in tracery and chamfered reveals. Clock below belfry openings to east and south.

Nave, chancel, aisle and chapel: coved plinth, buttresses with chamfered offsets (diagonal at corners), painted rafter ends and coped parapeted gable ends with crosses at apices.

South aisle: windows of trefoil-headed lights with quatrefoils in tracery and hollow-chamfered reveals. South doorway in left-hand bay consisting of continuously moulded arch with fillet and pair of boarded doors with elaborate strap hinges.

Timber framed gabled porch; stone plinth with coved top, chamfered timbers with broach stops, and brackets supporting gable; pairs of trefoil-headed lights with cinquefoils in spandrels above flanking chamfered archway with inserted C20 boarded doors and tympanum. Windows in side walls of 2+2+3 trefoil-headed lights. Interior of porch with three chamfered arch-braced collar trusses and side benches.

South aisle chapel: square-headed windows of two and three square-headed lights, with small trefoil above each light and hollow-chamfered reveals. Moulded Caernarvon-arched doorway to left; boarded door with strap hinges. East window of three stepped trefoil-headed lights, with small trefoils above each light, moulded reveals and hoodmould with uncarved stops.

Nave: gabled sanctus bellcote at east end with chamfered-arched opening. Windows of two trefoil-headed lights, outer two with small trefoil above each light and Y-tracery and centre one with geometrical tracery; chamfered reveals. Tall west window of two trefoil-headed lights with three quatrefoils in tracery and hollow-chamfered reveals.

Chancel: short high-up east window of five stepped trefoil-headed lights, with small trefoil above each light, moulded reveals and hoodmould with uncarved stops. Vestry to north of chancel: stack with chamfered sides and circular shaft with moulded base and cap. East and west windows consisting of a pair of trefoil-headed lights. North doorway consisting of continuously-moulded arch with fillet and broach stops, and boarded door with strap hinges.

Interior: well-proportioned and finely detailed. Three bay nave arcade consisting of octagonal piers with moulded capitals and bases, and double-chamfered arches, continuing down to the ground and partly dying into the responds to the west. Double-chamfered chancel arch, inner chamfer springing from moulded corbels. Double-chamfered vestry archway, outer chamfer continuous and inner chamfer dying into responds. Continuously-chamfered vestry north doorway. Double-chamfered south-chapel arch, inner chamfer springing from moulded corbels. Two bay arcade between chancel and chapel consisting of octagonal piers with moulded bases and capitals and double-chamfered arches, continuous to ground at each end. Continuous double-chamfered tower arch with soffit dying into responds. Caernarvon arched-boarded doorway to stair turret. Double-chamfered organ arch to north, dying into responds to right and continuous to ground to left with soffit dying into responds. Nave and aisle with hollow chamfered rear arches. Chancel and chapel with moulded rear arches. Moulded trefoiled piscina in chancel. Moulded cill string to east window of chancel.

Seven bay nave roof and five bay chancel roof with chamfered arch-braced trusses, pairs of chamfered purlins and ashlar pieces. Four bay chancel roof of a hybrid design with chamfered arch-braced trusses, trussed rafters and collar purlin. Trussed rafter roof to south chapel. Ringing chamber floor in tower with chamfered beams. Rich and complete fittings, mostly dating from 1874-75 with detail picked out in red and gold.

Carved wooden screens to vestry, south chapel and between chancel and south chapel, with pierced ogee tracery and billet-ornamented top rails. More elaborate chancel screen consisting of central opening with cusped ogee head and pierced panelled tracery, side lights with pierced cusping and traceried panels beneath, posts with crocketed pinnacles, and billet-ornamented top rail with pierced cresting; elaborately-carved wooden rood cross in the form of a tree.

Returned choir stalls with traceried panels, poppyheads and, carved handrests, including pelican, crow, lamb, fox or dog etc. Carved wooden altar rails. Plain altar with low carved wooden reredos. Carved C17 chair. Hexagonal wooden pulpit with linenfold panels, moulded top rail, and stone base. Altar and low reredos in south chapel with carved and billet-ornamented cill band above. Complete set of pews with carved Maltese cross at ends-of each. Octagonal stone font with two steps, chamfered base, stem with square fleurons, bowl with alternate carved traceried panels and circular traceried motifs, and tall wooden cover with cresting to base, traceried panels and large poppyhead finial. Parish chest dated "WM WP/CW/1681" with raised and fielded panels, carved ornament and top with moulded edge. Large organ case with crocketed finials.

Monuments: alabaster chest tomb to Sir Reginald Corbet, Justice of the King's Bench (d 1566) and his wife; 2 x 3 bays divided by twisted balusters with standing figures and heraldic ornament to sides and ends; inscription around top and a pair of recumbent effigies with traces of colour. Various late C18 and early C19 memorial tablets.

Stained glass: early work by Kempe (1876) in both east windows. There is a copy of a drawing of the old church. A church and a priest at Stoke are mentioned in the Domesday Book. The present church is an ambitious building, notable for its complete late C19 fixtures and fittings.

Listing NGR: SJ6381627979

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26306953

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

• 
  Kent: West and the Weald: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Essex: Buildings of England Series (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Central Leinster: Kildare, Laois and Offaly (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of Ireland)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas