St Peter's Church, South Somercotes
Encyclopedia
St Peter's Church, is a redundant
Anglican
church in the village of South Somercotes
, Lincolnshire
, England . It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. The church is 8 miles (13 km) to the northeast of Louth
, and to the west of the A1013 road. With its tall spire rising from a flat landscape, it has been called "The Queen of the Marsh".
, and since being vested
in the Churches Conservation Trust it has been underpinned
.
, greenstone
and ironstone
, with some red brick. The roofs are in lead and slate
, and are topped by red ridge tiles. Its plan consists of a nave
with north and south aisle
s and a south porch, a chancel
and a west tower with a spire. The tower stands on a plinth
and has diagonal buttress
es and a single string course. On the west side is a 15th-century doorway inserted into the lower part of a 14th-century window. The window has three lights containing Y-tracery
. The top stage contains some patching with brick and a two-light bell opening in each side. Above this is a coped
parapet
. The spire is recessed and octagonal. It contains a doorway on the east side and two tiers of lucarne
s, the lower tier having two lights and the upper tier a single light. In the north aisle wall is a two-light window to the west, and a doorway and two three-light windows to the east. In the north wall of the chancel is a three-light round-headed window and a blocked doorway. At the east end of the church are corner buttresses, and the east window has a round head and three lights. The south wall of the chancel has a small blocked 13th-century doorway into which has been inserted a semicircular window. To the west of this are two three-light windows. There are two more three-light windows in the south aisle wall, and a 16th-century gable
d porch. The porch is built in red brick with alternating bands of greenstone. The west window has two lights.
have five bays
with round piers
and pointed arches. In the spandrel
s of the arches are carved human heads. The chancel arch dates from the 13th century. The 14th-century screen was restored
in the 19th century. In the south wall of the chancel is a small aumbry
. The altar rails date from the early 18th century, and the choir stalls from the following century. The 15th-century font
has an octagonal bowl carved with Instruments of the Passion
. Beneath the bowl are carved human heads. It is supported by a pedestal
with molded
ribs, and stands on a square plinth. Also in the church is a monument in pink marble
dated 1906.
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 the village of South Somercotes
South Somercotes
South Somercotes is a village and civil parish 8 miles north-east of Louth and around 2 miles south of North Somercotes, Lincolnshire, England...
, Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
, 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...
. The church is 8 miles (13 km) to the northeast of Louth
Louth, Lincolnshire
Louth is a market town and civil parish within the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England.-Geography:Known as the "capital of the Lincolnshire Wolds", it is situated where the ancient trackway Barton Street crosses the River Lud, and has a total resident population of 15,930.The Greenwich...
, and to the west of the A1013 road. With its tall spire rising from a flat landscape, it has been called "The Queen of the Marsh".
History
The church dates from about 1200, with additions and alterations in each of the following three centuries. It underwent restorations in 1866 and 1896. The church has suffered from subsidenceSubsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
, and since being 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 it has been underpinned
Underpinning
In construction, underpinning is the process of strengthening and stabilizing the foundation of an existing building or other structure. Underpinning may be necessary for a variety of reasons:*The original foundation is simply not strong or stable enough....
.
Exterior
St Peter's is constructed in a mixture of limestoneLimestone
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....
, greenstone
Greensand
Greensand or Green sand is either a sand or sandstone, which has a greenish color. This term is specifically applied to shallow marine sediment, that contains noticeable quantities of rounded greenish grains. These grains are called glauconies and consist of a mixture of mixed-layer clay...
and ironstone
Ironstone
Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical repacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron compound from which iron either can be or once was smelted commercially. This term is customarily restricted to hard coarsely...
, with some red brick. The roofs are in lead and slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
, and are topped by red ridge tiles. Its plan consists of a nave
Nave
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...
with north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s and a south porch, 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...
and a west tower with a spire. The tower stands on a plinth
Plinth
In architecture, a plinth is the base or platform upon which a column, pedestal, statue, monument or structure rests. Gottfried Semper's The Four Elements of Architecture posited that the plinth, the hearth, the roof, and the wall make up all of architectural theory. The plinth usually rests...
and has diagonal buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es and a single string course. On the west side is a 15th-century doorway inserted into the lower part of a 14th-century window. The window has three lights containing Y-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 top stage contains some patching with brick and a two-light bell opening in each side. Above this is a coped
Coping (architecture)
Coping , consists of the capping or covering of a wall.A splayed or wedge coping slopes in a single direction; a saddle coping slopes to either side of a central high point....
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...
. The spire is recessed and octagonal. It contains a doorway on the east side and two tiers of lucarne
Lucarne
A lucarne is a small dormer window that is built on a spire or roof during the Gothic and Romanesque time period....
s, the lower tier having two lights and the upper tier a single light. In the north aisle wall is a two-light window to the west, and a doorway and two three-light windows to the east. In the north wall of the chancel is a three-light round-headed window and a blocked doorway. At the east end of the church are corner buttresses, and the east window has a round head and three lights. The south wall of the chancel has a small blocked 13th-century doorway into which has been inserted a semicircular window. To the west of this are two three-light windows. There are two more three-light windows in the south aisle wall, and a 16th-century gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d porch. The porch is built in red brick with alternating bands of greenstone. The west window has two lights.
Interior
The tower arch is tall and dates from the 14th century. Both arcadesArcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
have five 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:...
with round piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
and pointed arches. In the spandrel
Spandrel
A spandrel, less often spandril or splaundrel, is the space between two arches or between an arch and a rectangular enclosure....
s of the arches are carved human heads. The chancel arch dates from the 13th century. The 14th-century screen was restored
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...
in the 19th century. In the south wall of the chancel is a small aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
. The altar rails date from the early 18th century, and the choir stalls from the following century. The 15th-century 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:...
has an octagonal bowl carved with Instruments of the Passion
Arma Christi
Arma Christi , or the Instruments of the Passion, are the objects associated with Jesus' Passion in Christian symbolism and art....
. Beneath the bowl are carved human heads. It is supported by a pedestal
Pedestal
Pedestal is a term generally applied to the support of a statue or a vase....
with molded
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...
ribs, and stands on a square plinth. Also in the church is a monument in pink marble
Marble
Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite.Geologists use the term "marble" to refer to metamorphosed limestone; however stonemasons use the term more broadly to encompass unmetamorphosed limestone.Marble is commonly used for...
dated 1906.