St. Peter's Church Photos by John Wilkes of Cam near Dursley, Gloucestershire The Gloucestershire Photo Library: Page composition by Allan Taylor Vancouver, Canada http://www.allthecotswolds.com St. Peter's is a complete Perp town church - one of the great wool churches of the county. Rebuilding was undertaken 1460-70. In 1690 th chancel was partly rebuilt after storm damage and given a high roof. The nave roof was restored in 1850; and major restoration was undertaken by John Drayton Wyatt in 1870-73. The tall west tower is of three stages with diagonal buttresses. The top stage is surmounted by gargoyles, battlements and pinnacles. The gilded weatherrcock was brought from St, Mary Redcliffe, Bristol in 1874. The nave, north and south aisles, and two-storey porch all have embattled parapets, with pinnacles and a series of grotesque heads. The continuous clerestory has eight four-light straight-headed windows each side. The interior of the church has arcades with octagonal piers with simple capitals and four-centred arches with plain concave mouldings. There is a stone vault ceiling below the tower similar to the vaulted ceiling of the south porch. The font is an octagonal stone pedestal dated 1634. The bowl is a late 17th C replacement. The ornate cover is original. The east window stained glass is by Hardman 1855-56. There are also ten windows by James Powell & Sons. There is a wall-mounted memorial to Thomas Williams of Corndean who died in 1636. It is a kneeling effigy in painted stone. The figure of his wife was never added. There are some fine 18th C chest-tombs in the churchyard. Corner Cupboard Inn RETURN TO MONTAGE INDEX