St Peter's Church, Claydon
Encyclopedia
St Peter's Church, Claydon, is a redundant
Anglican
church in Claydon
, Suffolk
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. It stands in a position overlooking the Gipping
valley.
; this dates from the 11th century. The east window is from the 14th century, and the tower was added in the 15th century. Also around this time the north porch was built and doorways and windows in the nave were replaced. A major restoration
was carried out in 1852. This was under the direction of the High Church
rector at the time, Rev George Drury, working with the architect Richard M. Phipson
. Prior to this, the church had consisted of a nave, a chancel
, a west tower and a north porch. As part of the restoration, the chancel was virtually rebuilt, and transept
s and organ chambers were added. Much of the joinery of the transept roofs and fittings was carried out by Henry Ringham. It is thought that some of the stained glass in the east window was designed by Rev Drury. The church was declared redundant in 1977 but it was not vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust until eleven years later.
, parts of which have been rendered
, with limestone
dressings. The roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a short nave with a north porch, north and south transepts, a chancel, a vestry
, and a west tower. The nave is Saxon
in style, with long-and-short quoins
at the western corners. The tower is Perpendicular, and the parts restored in the 19th century are in Decorated style. The tower has a battlement
ed parapet
on which stand seven limestone statues; there were originally eight, but one is missing. It is supported by buttress
es decorated with flushwork
. The nave contains moulded
north and south doorways. The rear arch in the south doorway is round-headed. The nave roof is in three bays
. The transept roofs contain carved bosses
. The octagonal limestone font
dates from about 1400. The rest of the fittings date from the 19th-century restoration. These include the pulpit
with its elaborate pierced tracery
. The two-manual
organ was built in 1863 by Bevington.
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
church in Claydon
Claydon, Suffolk
Claydon is a small village just north of Ipswich in Suffolk, England. The meaning of the name is 'clay-on-the-hill', though it is not much of a hill....
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, England. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. It stands in a position overlooking the Gipping
River Gipping
The River Gipping is the source river for the River Orwell in the county of Suffolk in East Anglia, England, which gave its name to the former Gipping Rural District and the village of Gipping....
valley.
History
The earliest fabric in the church is in the naveNave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
; this dates from the 11th century. The east window is from the 14th century, and the tower was added in the 15th century. Also around this time the north porch was built and doorways and windows in the nave were replaced. A major restoration
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
was carried out in 1852. This was under the direction of the High Church
High church
The term "High Church" refers to beliefs and practices of ecclesiology, liturgy and theology, generally with an emphasis on formality, and resistance to "modernization." Although used in connection with various Christian traditions, the term has traditionally been principally associated with the...
rector at the time, Rev George Drury, working with the architect Richard M. Phipson
Richard Phipson
Richard Makilwaine Phipson was an English architect. A diocesan architect for the Anglican Diocese of Norwich, he is responsible for the renovation of almost 100 churches in East Anglia.-Biography:...
. Prior to this, the church had consisted of a nave, a chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
, a west tower and a north porch. As part of the restoration, the chancel was virtually rebuilt, and transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
s and organ chambers were added. Much of the joinery of the transept roofs and fittings was carried out by Henry Ringham. It is thought that some of the stained glass in the east window was designed by Rev Drury. The church was declared redundant in 1977 but it was not vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Churches Conservation Trust until eleven years later.
Architecture
The church is constructed in flintFlint
Flint is a hard, sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as a variety of chert. It occurs chiefly as nodules and masses in sedimentary rocks, such as chalks and limestones. Inside the nodule, flint is usually dark grey, black, green, white, or brown in colour, and...
, parts of which have been rendered
Stucco
Stucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
, with limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
dressings. The roofs are tiled. Its plan consists of a short nave with a north porch, north and south transepts, a chancel, a vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
, and a west tower. The nave is Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
in style, with long-and-short quoins
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
at the western corners. The tower is Perpendicular, and the parts restored in the 19th century are in Decorated style. The tower has a battlement
Battlement
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...
ed parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
on which stand seven limestone statues; there were originally eight, but one is missing. It is supported by buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es decorated with flushwork
Flushwork
-Description:In architecture, flushwork is the decorative combination on the same flat plane of flint and ashlar stone. It is characteristic of the external walls of medieval buildings, most of the survivors being churches, in parts of Southern England, but especially East Anglia...
. The nave contains moulded
Molding (decorative)
Molding or moulding is a strip of material with various profiles used to cover transitions between surfaces or for decoration. It is traditionally made from solid milled wood or plaster but may be made from plastic or reformed wood...
north and south doorways. The rear arch in the south doorway is round-headed. The nave roof is in three bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. The transept roofs contain carved bosses
Boss (architecture)
In architecture, a boss is a knob or protrusion of stone or wood.Bosses can often be found in the ceilings of buildings, particularly at the intersection of a vault. In Gothic architecture, such roof bosses are often intricately carved with foliage, heraldic devices or other decorations...
. The octagonal limestone font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
dates from about 1400. The rest of the fittings date from the 19th-century restoration. These include the pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
with its elaborate pierced tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
. The two-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1863 by Bevington.