Exploring Kent's Past

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Monument details

Summary

Grade I listed building. Main construction periods 43 to 1830. Parish church reconstructed circa 1075-1115 on the site of a probable Roman church, and an Early Mediaeval church. The church was altered during the 13th century with further additions taking place in the 14th and 15th century. An extension was constructed during the 19th century. The church is constructed flint, rubble, brick with a tile roof.

Monument Types

• CHURCH (Roman to Modern - 43 AD to 2050 AD)

Full description

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Description from record TR 15 NW 12 :
[TR 14735801] St Peter's Church [NAT]. (1) St Peter's Church, St Peter's Street, Canterbury, is 14th/15thc. with earlier remains. (2-3) In normal use. (4) Church of St Peter, St Peter's Street, Grade B. C14 to C15 built on the site of a probable Roman Christian church. Roman and Saxon tiles incorporated in the Bell Tower. The exterior is of flint and coursed rubble with fragments of Roman brick. Nave and two aisles date from 12thc. (5) Additional bibliography. (6-8) TR 147580. St Peter's Church, Canterbury, is not mentioned in the standard works on Anglo-Saxon architecture but the earliest work in the church belongs to the Saxo-Norman overlap between c1075 and c1115. (See plans). (9). The 11th century tower and west wall still survive. The church is still used and has a churchyard. (10) Tower 11th century as are the western bays of the arcades. Arcades otherwise are 13th century with 14th century west wall and parts of north wall. 15th century south aisle and part of north wall. Extension to north of 15th and 19th century. (11)
The earliest visible part of this church is the round-headed arch at the west end of the north arcade (see drawing in Smith (1971), 103 fig 3). This has Caenstone voussoirs and sits on plain rectangular piers with side-alternate Caenstone jambs, at the top of which are plain square imposts with a plain chamfer below. The masonry is diagonally tooled and must date from the first half of the 12th century.

A bit later in date is the small tower on the south-west. This was rebuilt and largely refaced externally in the early 14th century, but inside its east arch into the south aisle is similar to the north arcade arch, but is pointed and has some Reigate stone among its Caenstone quoins. The very large and long external quoins to the tower, which have been called 'Saxo-Norman' re surely a mixture of reused Roman blocks and new Ragstone long ties of the 14th century (compare the 'long and short' work on the north west quoin of the 14th century Lady Chapel).

Soon after the tower was built, probably in the early 13th century, the south door was built. This has jambs largely of Reigate stone, and on its east side a very worn capital and base indicate a missing shaft (no doubt a Purbeck marble column). The beginning of the moulded archway over the door (also in Reigate stone) can be seen on the east, but the rest of it has been restored with plain Caenstone voussoirs. Inside the original hooks for the double doors still survive.

There is a plain font of c.1200 with a square bowl of Bethersden marble at the west end of the nave. It has a 17th century cover and iron crane for lifting it.

During the 13th century, as is commonly found, a longer new chancel was built (confirmed by documentary evidence, which shows that in rental D (Urry, 209 and 304) of c. 1200, the eastern part of the area now occupied by the chancel was still in secular hands). The most obvious evidence for this is the wide lancet on the south-east side of the chancel, which shows that the south aisle was only extended eastwards at a later date. The two wide but plain arches on the north side of the chancel have chamfers with bar stops and comb-tooling which also suggests a 13th century date. The narrower western arch in the south arcade (opposite the south door) is also a plain 13th century arch.

In the early 14th century the tower and west wall of the church was rebuilt. The west wall was realigned, presumably to allow St Peter's Lane, which bifurcated immediately north of the church, more room. At the same time a new 3-light east window was built that has similar 'Decorated' tracery to the new west window. The tower has small single light early 14th century windows in its upper stage, and a probably comtemporary (but now restored) crenellated parapet. Inside the top stage of the tower is a (probably 14th century) timber bell-frame. It was heightened and enlarged for 3 bells in the early 17th century and restored in 1968 when 4 bells were hung there (including a treble, recast in 1903, from St Margaret's Church). There are still two medieval bells in the tower, one of which (the tenor) was cast by William le Belyetere in the early 14th century. The other by William Wodewarde is a bit later (c. 1400).

Also probably of the first half of the 14th century is the new, much wider, Lady Chapel on the north east. It has one original two light window on the north, but unfortunately the east window has its tracery removed and replaced with (c. early 19th century) timber Y-tracery. Between the Lady Chapel and Chancel a fire Easter Sepulcre (with cusped and sub-cusped arches over on both sides) was inserted. Some time perhaps later in the 14th century a new wide but irregularly shaped north aisle was created west of the Lady Chapel and a new crown-post roof was erected over the whole north aisle and Lady Chapel. There is a three light window with hexofoils over at the west end of the enlarged north aisle with a square hood mould externally. However, the Petrie view from the north-west of 1801 shows only a 2 light window without upper quatre-foiled lights.

Also perhaps of the first half of the 14th century, is the rebuilt south aisle which terminated in the Chapel of St John-the-Baptist (see will of 1505). The east window is of the reticulated variety while in the south wall are 2-light, 3-light and 2-light windows all under square hood-moulds. They have all been heavily restored externally in Bathstone. There is a piscina under the eastern 2-light window with a small shelf over the damaged bowl. Between this aisle and the chancel are two contemporary plain arches with simple chamfers and (now worn) brooch-stops at the base. At about the same time the old Romanesque piers were probably demolished at the east end of the nave and two very wide but plain arches were inserted instead. The crown-post roof over the new south aisle may also be 14th century, but that over the nave is perhaps 15th century. There is also a double piscina on the south-east side of the chancel with a Perpendicular head over it, and a small window at the extreme west end of the north aisle on the north side with a simple cinque-foiled head (now into the vestry).

The only late-15th century addition to the church are probably the rood-screen and loft. The extra tie-beam here is probably part of the rood loft (a door through the south pier between the nave and chancel still survives) and the doorway from the north chapel into the late 19th century parish hall beyond. This small doorway dates from c. 1500 and presumably lead originally into a comtemporary vestry.

The major restoration of the church was in 1882, when a new parish hall to the north was built, as we have seen. Much of the external parts of the windows were restored at this time in Bathstone. (12)

The following text is from the original listed building designation:
TR 1458 SE ST PETER'S STREET
(North East Side)
Church of St Peter
2/72
3.12.49
GV I
C14 to C15 built on the site of a probable Roman Christian church. Roman
and Saxon tiles are incorporated in the Bell Tower. The exterior is of 1
storey flint and coursed rubble with fragments of Roman brick. Tiled roof
and restored lancets. The North West tower is crenellated. Thee rear elevation
has a half hipped roof. The interior has a nave and 2 aisles dating from
the C12. 4 bay nave, Windows are restored double and triple lancets. Wooden
roof. Interior has a piscira and a C13 sanctuary with an Easter Sepulohre.
Norman font with a C17 lid on a pulley attached to a wrought iron bracket.
Georgian wall monuments. Late C17 mace rest.
Nos 12, 13, 13A and the Church of St Peter form a group.
Listing NGR: TR1470257932 (13)

Historic England archive material: BF052983 ST PETERS CHURCH, CANTERBURY File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued. Copyright, date, and quantity information for this record may be incomplete or inaccurate.

<1> OS 25" 1957 (OS Card Reference). SKE48272.

<2> MHLG (944/11/A Mar 1962) 50 (OS Card Reference). SKE47041.

<3> Arch J 86 1930 249-50 (AW Clapham) (OS Card Reference). SKE36738.

<4> F1 FGA 01-FEB-65 (OS Card Reference). SKE42878.

<5> DOE (HHR) City of Canterbury Kent Sept 1973 245 (OS Card Reference). SKE40068.

<6> BOE NE and E Kent 1983 243-244 (J Newman) (OS Card Reference). SKE38225.

<7> The Arts in Early England 2 1925 447 (G Baldwin-Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE50096.

<8> Arthur's Britain 1971 171 (L Alcock) (OS Card Reference). SKE37356.

<9> Arch Cant 86 1971 99-108 illus (TP Smith) appendix (SE Rigold) (OS Card Reference). SKE35877.

<10> CBA Churches Committee Bulletin 25 1989 - compiled 1984 10 13 (T Tatton-Brown) (OS Card Reference). SKE38781.

<11> Hist Builds Survey Cant City Council/RCHME 57035 20 fo 29 (OS Card Reference). SKE43882.

<12> Diocese of Canterbury (Tim Tatton-Brown), 1992, Church Report - Church of St. Peter, Canterbury. (Unpublished document). SKE7557.

<13> English Heritage, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest (Map). SKE16160.

Sources and further reading