Building record 4709/1/1 - St. Peter & St. Paul

The church dates from the 13th-17th centuries; it was reseated and refloored in 1886, partly restored in 1897 and further restored in 1912. Built of coursed ironstone rubble, with ironstone dressings and lead roofs. The church consists of a chancel, north chancel chapel, aisled nave, north and south porches and west tower.

{1} Church. C13-C17, reseated and refloored 1886, partly restored 1897, further restoration in 1912. Coursed ironstone rubble, with ironstone dressings and lead roofs. Chancel, north chancel chapel, aisled nave, north and south porches and west tower. 2-bay chancel has 5-light east window with late C19/early C20 intersecting tracery. Blocked priest's door to south with ogee-arched head and continuous wave moulding. 1-light low-side window to south-west with cusped head and 3-light windows to south with cinquefoil-headed lights and intersecting tracery. Blocked window to north with wave-moulded stone surround. Chancel has chamfered plinth, string course at sill level, off-set lateral buttresses to east end and plain stone-coped parapet to south only. All windows and door have hood moulds. North chancel chapel continues north aisle and has blocked low-side window to north-east with straight head and chamfered stone surround and 3-light window to north with straight head, wave-moulded stone mullions, leaded panes and hood mould. Nave has plain stone-coped parapet. Aisles have C17 3-light round-arched mullion windows with cut spandrels and hood moulds, and plain stone-coped parapets. South door has 6-panel double-leaf doors, round trefoiled head under blank round arch and hood mould. South porch has doorway with polygonal responds, wave-moulded arch and hood mould, and 2-light windows east and west with ogee-arched lights, straight heads and chamfered stone surrounds, that to west with hood mould; small blocked window above porch doorway. Chamfered north door with hood mould and 6-panel door in C19 gabled porch. 3-stage tower has many-moulded west door. 2-light window above with cinquefoil-headed lights and quatrefoil to head, 1-light windows to middle stage with cusped heads and 2-light Decorated bell-chamber openings. Windows and door have hood moulds, offset diagonal buttresses and battlemented parapets. Offset buttress between north aisle and chapel and low buttress to west angle of north aisle. Interior: chancel has fine piscina and 3-seat sedilia, all with ogee heads and crocketed hood moulds. Piscina has blank flowing tracery to head. Sedilia have fleurons to continuous chamfered surround, cinquefoil-headed lights and blank shields to spandrels. Aumbry with pair of pointed arches. Arch to chapel has polygonal responds and double-chamfered arch. Similar chancel arch. Nave has 3-bay arcades. North arcade has one octagonal pier and one circular pier, the latter with stiff-leaf carving to capital and chamfered and wave-moulded arches. South arcade has octagonal piers and single-chamfered arches. Perpendicular tie beam roof, much renewed. Plain circular tub font; conical wood cover with ball finial. Early C19 Gothick communion table at end of north aisle. Fragment of medieval wall painting with upper halves of female figures against west side of west pier of south arcade. Late C19 stain glass chancel windows to south. 4 hatchments, oil on canvas. Monuments: chest tomb with rhyming inscription to limestone base and black marble ledger stone with indents of brasses to Richard Ouseley d.1599 and family. Monument to Sir Samuel Jones d.1672 and his wife Mary, of black and white marble with large kneeling figures on base with inscription, flanked by Ionic columns with broken segmental pediment framing cartouche of arms. Attributed to William Stanton. Marble wall monument by William Cox Senior to Sir Charles Wake d.1769 with apron, Corinthian pilasters of veined marble, winged skull surmounted by canopy above inscription. Wall monument to Isla Campbell d.1837 aged 6 weeks framing soft paste porcelain model of dead child in niche behind glass. Numerous other C19 and C20 marble wall monuments to members of Wake family. (Kelly's Directory for Northamptonshire, 1936)

{9} Undated photo, also photo dated 09.12.1993;

{10} Copious notes, sketches, plans, drawings and measurements of various parts of the church, including the squint, the low side-window, the sedilia etc, also many notes on the tomb of Richard Oseley and his two wives.

{11} [Former list description] A. Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
A limestone church with ironstone dressings, plain parapets and lead roofs, consisting of chancel, nave with arcades of 3 bays, aisles, N. and S. porches, and W. tower of 3 stages. Chancel has late Decorated crocketted sedilia and piscina. N. arcade has one Transitional pier with carved cap, the remaining piers and those of S. arcade are early English. The aisles are C.16 with early C.17 windows. The tower is Early English with Decorated alterations and has diagonal buttresses and battlemented parapet. The W. door is Decorated with large window over and the other windows in lower part of tower are lancets. The monuments include a slab to Richard Owsley, Lord of the Manor, d. 1598, and an early Wake, both in N. aisle, a very elaborate Roman Ionic monument with kneeling figures to Sir Samuel Jones, 1672, the founder of the school and a wall monument to Sir Charles Wake Jones Bart. D. 1755 by Will. Cox of Northampton. The font is Norman. The church was restored in 1886, 1897 and 1912.

{12} [Former list description] Church of St Peter and St Paul. The church dates from the 13th-17th centuries; it was reseated and refloored in 1886, partly restored in 1897 and further restored in 1912. Grade 2*.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 5/38 (checked) (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), F10 (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN45262.

<3> Pevsner N.; Cherry B., 1973, The Buildings of England: Northamptonshire, p.165-6 (unchecked) (Series). SNN1320.

<4> Royal Commission on The Historical Monuments of England, 1982, An Inventory of The Historical Monuments in The County of Northampton, p.35-8 Site 2 (checked) (Series). SNN77382.

<5> Bridges J., 1791, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, p.353-55 (unchecked) (Book). SNN77325.

<6> Baker G., 1822-36, The History and Antiquities of Northamptonshire, (unchecked) (Book). SNN10400.

<7> The Victoria History of the Counties of England: Northamptonshire, p.244-46 (unchecked) (Series). SNN10247.

<8> Glynne S., 1859, Church Notes of Sir Stephen Glynne, 40 p.3-6 (unchecked) (Manuscript). SNN39492.

<9> Photographs of buildings in Courteenhall (Photographs). SNN112099.

<10> Dryden H.E.L., 1842-1895, Dryden Collection, DR/25/75/1-34 (Archive). SNN115.

<11> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, MHLG (Provisional List) Dist of Northampton Rural District, May 1961 (Report). SNN112993.

<12> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, District of South Northamptonshire, 15/3/88 (Report). SNN112993.

<13> Historic England, Undated, St Peter and St Paul's Church, Courteenhall, BF107283 (Archive). SNN116089.

Record last edited

Dec 16 2024 3:53PM