Description

SUNDERLAND

NZ4057 SAINT PETER'S WAY
920-1/12/207 (East side (off))
08/05/50 Church of St Peter
(Formerly Listed as:
DAME DOROTHY STREET
(South side)
Church of St Peter)

GV I

Formerly known as: Church of St Peter CHURCH STREET
Monkwearmouth.
Formerly separate churches of St Peter and St Mary. Monastic
church, now parish church. 674-5 first church, of which
survive west wall and 2-storey gabled W porch which is now the
lower stages of the tower, for Benedict Biscop the founder.
Upper stages of tower before 1000. Rest of church by end C14.
Nave and chancel much altered in C19: chancel arch removed
early C19, N aisle rebuilt and E window reproduced 1875-6 by
Austin and Johnson. Interior and roof rebuilt 1985? after
fire. Rubble with quoins and C19 ashlar dressings; renewed
Lakeland slate roof with stone gable copings. Nave and N
aisle; W tower; chancel with S organ chamber.
EXTERIOR: E elevation has clasping buttresses and a central
buttress below 5-light window with decorated tracery; small
top light with ogee tracery; east front of north chancel organ
chamber has pent extension with 2-light cusped tracery in
pointed-arched window above. South chancel wall has 2
square-headed 2-light windows with tracery. South transept has
3-light window in style of east window under steep gable; nave
has dripmoulds over 4 renewed 3-light south windows; North
paired transept gables have 2 windows; north aisle has 3
3-light windows as in nave, with angle buttresses. West
elevation shows single high light half-obscured by tower
fourth stage. 5-stage tower has open-arched porch with 3
round-headed arches on impost blocks, the W arch with
balusters supporting eroded low-relief carving of
interlace-type animals. Next stage has single round-headed
opening; above this, in former gable, an eroded figure; fourth
stage a single plain arched light; belfry has 2 arched lights
with baluster mullion; small blocked roundel above.
INTERIOR: porch barrel-vaulted. West wall shows sequence of
alterations including low wide arch. Nave arcade pointed
arches on round piers. Chancel floor has ochre and terracotta
coloured tiles repeating motif of figures at west door jambs
among other medieval motifs, and inlaid bands of marble.
Exhibition panels and cases of finds from excavation displayed
in north transept. Organ chamber now with arch blocked to form
upper meeting room. Glass includes two lights by Kempe in
north transept; other glass by LC Evetts.
Ground to south of church a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
(Corfe T and Milburn G: Buildings and Beliefs: Sunderland:
1984-: 4-5; Medieval Archaeology: Cramp R: Article: 24-42).

Listing NGR: NZ4016857783

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Peter's Church at Wikipedia
• St Peter's Church official website
• Wikidata Q7595266

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

• 
  England's Post-War Listed Buildings
• 
  Somerset: South and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Bristol (Pevsner Architectural Guides: City Guides)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Pevsner's Architectural Glossary (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Introductions)