History

The church has Norman origins with the first mention of it in 1254, but any remaining C13 fabric has been much rebuilt. The original church was the nave, with the chancel being added in the C14. The church was partly rewindowed and refitted in the early C16 and it had a full Victorian restoration in 1873-5, by A W Maberly, architect of Gloucester and again by Eric Francis, in early C20. The altar top, font and screen which had all been removed during the Commonwealth, were returned in 1873.

Exterior

The church consists of nave with integral chancel, west bellcote and north porch. The masonry is mostly in local fine grained pale grey and cream limestone with some coarse red sandstone, the dressings are largely of sandstone and conglomerate, with coarse sandy yellow Bath limestone for some of the Victorian replacements. Coursed rubble predominates, but the north wall of the nave and the east wall of the porch are in herringbone work and are probably of Norman date. The nave and chancel are in line and the same width. The north wall has, from the left, a 2-light Y-tracery window which was fitted in 1874 and may be the original east window; a stepped buttreess of 1874; a single light trefoil headed C13 window; and the gabled porch which has no particularly datable feature other than the herringbone work and is probably a late medieval rebuild; it has an elaborate trefoiled niche over the inner door. The west gable has a blocked doorway which was found in the restoration and a slit window above, Victorian bellcote on the gable above this. The south wall, from the left, has three 2-light Perpendicular windows with flat headed dripmoulds, the central one is medieval, the others are Victorian; a Norman type priest's door with chevron frieze and ropemould, which may be wholly Victorian work; finally the south window of the chancel which is rectangular headed containing trefoil tracery of uncertain date, probably early C20. The east gable has a Victorian 3-light window with intersecting tracery and dripmould over. Coped gable with cross finial.

Interior

There is a probably early C16 (said to date from 1467) rood screen with battlemented cresting. This has been much restored, and given a C20 dado, and only a proportion of the timber is medieval. The medieval part consists of a central doorway with 4-centred head supported on slim shafts with moulded caps and bases, and with carving of intersecting arches and trefoil heads in the spandrels, and on either side three bays, each of two trefoil lights with quatrefoils between the heads and pierced and cusped spandrels. The font has a medieval bowl mounted on a Victorian base, and there is a medieval altar slab set on a rebuilt base. There are also two medieval grave slabs set in the floor of the chancel, one is supposedly Urien of St. Pierre, with a lion's head carving built into the south wall. The other internal fittings are Victorian. Pews with carved ends. Chandeliers. Some good C18 wall monuments to the Lewis family of St Pierre. Arch braced collar beam roof which may be C16.

Reasons for Listing

Included as a medieval church which underwent a full Victorian restoration in 1873-4 and as a key element in the historic ensemble of St Pierre.

External Links

• Cadwr Listing
• Wikidata Q26196894

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

• 
  Old House Handbook: A Practical Guide to Care and Repair by Hunt. Roger ( 2008 ) Hardcover
• 
  Drawing up a Local Listed Building Consent Order: Historic England Advice Note 6
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Building Small Projects (New Best of Fine Woodworking)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  Harrow on the Hill: A photographic portrayal of listed buildings and structures (Historic Buildings Picture Guides)