St Peter's Church, Hockwold

St Peter's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Hockwold cum Wilton in Norfolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building,[1] and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.[2]

St Peter's, Hockwold
A stone church seen from the southeast with a chancel, nave with clerestory, south aisle and porch and a tower
St Peter's Church, Hockwold is located in Norfolk
St Peter's Church, Hockwold
Location in Norfolk
52°27′46″N 0°32′15″E / 52.4628°N 0.5376°E / 52.4628; 0.5376
OS grid referenceTL 7249188015
LocationHockwold cum Wilton, Norfolk
DenominationAnglican
WebsiteChurches Conservation Trust
Architecture
Functional statusRedundant
Heritage designationGrade I
Designated8 July 1959 (1959-07-08)
Specifications
MaterialsFlint with ashlar dressings

History

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St Peter's was formerly the parish church of Hockwold, before that village joined with neighbouring Wilton to form Hockwold cum Wilton. The nave and the tower date from the mid-14th century.[1] A chancel was added in the 15th century.[1] The church underwent restoration in 1857.[1] Up until the 17th century, the parishes of St Peter, Hockwold, and St James, Wilton were separate but from 1666 they shared a rector and services alternated between the two churches.[3] Eventually, St Peter's became redundant. In 1959 the church was designated a Grade I listed building by English Heritage. The Grade I listing is for buildings "of exceptional interest, sometimes considered to be internationally important".[4] It is now cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust.[2]

Architecture

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Exterior

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The church is constructed in flint with ashlar dressings; the roofs are slate.[1] Its plan consists of a nave with a south aisle, chancel, south porch and south-west tower.[5] The tower is of two stages with stepped angled buttresses.[1] It is decorated with freestone quoins.[5] There are two-light belfry windows and the window in the west wall of the tower also has two lights and is reticulated.[1] The bell-ringing chamber has rounded lancets.[1] In 1805, the tower contained three bells.[5] The church windows include three-light clerestory windows with supermullions and a three-light east window in the Perpendicular style below a quatrefoil oculus.[1]

Interior

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The south arcade of St Peter's church

Internally, the nave measures approximately 14 metres (46 ft) by 11 metres (36 ft).[5] The roof has alternating tie beams and false hammer beams.[1] The south aisle is separated from the nave by a four-bay arcade which has octagonal piers and double chamfered arches. The aisle contains a bench sedile and a piscina.[1] The chancel measures approximately 11 metres (36 ft) by 7 metres (23 ft).[5] The south wall has three stone ogeed arches indicating the position of sedilia for the bishop, priest and deacon.[1][5] There is also an ogeed piscina; both these features of the chancel date from the 19th century.[1] To the left of the east window is a wall monument to Sir Cyril Wyche who died in 1780.[1] Sir Cyril was one of the first members of the Royal Society.[2]

Churchyard

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The churchyard of St Peter's contains a monument which has been given a Grade II listing by English Heritage. Lying 3 metres (9.8 ft) south of the church tower, the monument is a square headstone of ashlar.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Historic England, "Church of St Peter, Hockwold (1306877)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 April 2015
  2. ^ a b c "St Peter's Church, Hockwold, Norfolk", Visit Churches, Churches Conservation Trust, retrieved 9 December 2016
  3. ^ White, William (1836), William White's History, Gazetteer, and Directory of Norfolk
  4. ^ Listed Buildings, Historic England, retrieved 10 April 2015
  5. ^ a b c d e f Blomefield, Francis (1805), "Hundred of Grimeshou — Hockwold", An Essay towards a Topographical History of the County of Norfolk, vol. 2, British History Online, pp. 177–187, retrieved 15 January 2011
  6. ^ Historic England, "Monument 3 Metres South of Tower of Church of St Peter, Hockwold (1077728)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 10 April 2015

Further reading

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