Description

SP 1039-1139 WILLERSEY CHURCH STREET
(north side)

14/163 Church of St. Peter
25.8.60

I

Anglican Parish Church, C12 nave with blocked S doorway. C13 N
porch. N aisle rebuilt C13. C15 tower. C19 vestry and
restoration. Nave and N aisle: coursed and squared limestone,
with angle buttresses and a racking buttress on the N. Transepts:
coursed, squared and dressed limestone. Chancel: coursed
limestone rubble with some ashlar blocks incorporated in the lower
courses. Vestry: ashlar limestone. Tower: ashlar limestone with
diagonal buttresses. Limestone slate roof with slightly stepped
gable coping and decorative upright cross finials. Plan: N aisle
entered via N porch; nave; crossing; N and S transepts; chancel
with vestry on S side. Nave: 3-light it window with Perpendicular
tracery and hood with stops. Pointed, blocked doorway to left.
Blocked Norman doorway in S wall with plain semi-circular tympanum
supported on moulded imposts. C13 porch with pointed, flat-
chamfered arch with hood. N transept: single light in W wall with
trefoil head and hood with stops in the form of heads. 3-light N
window with Perpendicular tracery and C19 hood also stops in the
form of heads. 2-light E window with ogee cusping and trefoil
over. Chancel: two C19 2-light windows in N wall, single similar
window in N wall. E window: C19 triple lancet with hood
reflecting the line of the tops of the lights. Vestry attached to
S wall of chancel has single lights with trefoil heads. Flight of
stone steps between S transept and vestry up to small plank door
giving access to multi angular corner turret giving access to
tower, S transept: C19, 2-light E window with quatrefoil, C19 2-
light S window with vesica. Single light W window with decorated
tracery: vesica flanked by 2 mouchettes, All windows have diamond
leaded panes. Perpendicular tower of 2 stages. String just above
top of buttresses, another string course with gargoyles at the 4
corners just below embattlemented parapet with 4 pinnacles. Four
2-light belfry windows with quatrefoils and limestone slate
louvres.
Interior: N door leads into narrow lean to aisle with a two bay
arcade with a third bay cut off by the insertion of the central
tower. The arcade has pointed chamfered arches on octagonal piers
with shallow capitals and moulded abaci. Large indentation at W
end of N aisle above floor height. Outline of blocked doorway
also in W wall to nave. Inlet for blocked S doorway opposite the
N door. Nave has a C19 timber arch braced roof. Similar roofs in
N and S transepts. Braces supported on projecting hammer beams
themselves supported on decorated stone corbels. Crossing bounded
by 4 pointed compound arches each of five orders. Angel projects
from each capital. Fanvault above 1859 with decorative bosses. S
transept. S wall: C14 piscina with ogee head and credence shelf
Geometric coloured tiles form floor of crossing and aisles in the
nave and S transept. N transept and chancel have limestone flag
flooring. Chancel has C19 roof as in nave and transepts but with
cusped braces supported on decorative corbels Fragments of medieval
stained glass in W window depicting two figures and 2 stags. Some
fragments in the E window of the N transept also. C19 stained
glass in the W wall of the S transept. Furniture: Norman tub
shaped font on modern pillar and plinth, in N transept. C19 pews
and pulpit. Monuments: C19 stone tablet with gold lettering on
blocking of S doorway. Royal arms of George III, right. Chancel:
two C19 marble tablets and one marble monument in the form of a
sarcophagus on the left wall. Three C18 ledger stones in floor of
sanctuary. History: the building of the chancel, transepts and
tower are thought to be associated with the Abbots of Evesham who
are reputed to have used Willersey Manor as a summer residence.
The pillars supporting the tower and vault are copies of the
pillars of Evesham Abbey, which were destroyed in the Reformation.
(David Verey, The Buildings of England: The Cotswolds, 1979).

Listing NGR: SP1070139661

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church of St Peter at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q17540280

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.

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