St Peter's Church, Allexton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Allexton
St Peter's Church, Allexton, from the southeast
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OS grid reference	SK 817 004
Location	Allexton, Leicestershire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Website	Churches Conservation Trust
History
Dedication	Saint Peter
Architecture
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Designated	29 December 1966
Architectural type	Church
Style	Norman, Gothic
Groundbreaking	12th century
Completed	1863
Specifications
Materials	Stone, Welsh slate roofs

St Peter's Church is a very old Anglican church in the small village of Allexton, Leicestershire, England. It is a special building, listed as Grade II*, which means it's very important and protected. The Churches Conservation Trust looks after it today. One of the most interesting parts of the church is its Norman north arcade, which was built around 1160.

Discovering St Peter's Church History

The oldest parts of St Peter's Church were built around the mid-1100s. Imagine, that's over 850 years ago! The church tower was added much later, in the 1400s.

Changes Over Time: Rebuilding the Church

The side sections, called aisles, were taken down in the 1500s. But don't worry, they were rebuilt during a big repair project in 1862–63. This type of repair is often called a Victorian restoration. During this work, the old north arcade, which was getting worn out, was also fixed up. The church became part of the Churches Conservation Trust on April 27, 2000. This group helps to protect important old churches.

Exploring the Church's Design

St Peter's Church is built from stone, and its roofs are made of slate from Wales. The church has a main area called a nave, with side sections (aisles) on the north and south. It also has a chancel (the area near the altar) and a tower at the west end.

Outside the Church: Key Features

The church tower has two main levels. It has strong supports called buttresses on its west side. A small staircase sticks out from the south side of the tower. At the top, the tower has a battlemented edge, which looks like the top of a castle wall. A small pointy roof, called a spirelet, sits on top with a weathervane.

The windows in the north aisle have a special design called plate tracery. The chancel has two-light windows on both sides. The large east window has Decorated tracery, a fancy stone pattern. The south aisle has a doorway and a window with three sections. You can also see two dormer windows sticking out from the roof above the south aisle. Next to the doorway, there are two old stone statues of lions.

Inside the Church: What to See

The Norman north arcade has two sections, called bays. It has round columns, known as piers. The arches above these columns are carved with a cool zigzag pattern. The south arcade also has two bays, but its arches are pointed and sit on eight-sided piers.

The font, where baptisms take place, is from the 1400s. On the south wall of the chancel, there's a piscina, which is a stone basin used for washing sacred vessels. One of the windows in the north aisle still has some medieval stained glass, which is very old! The stained glass in the east window was added in the 1800s.

The church has a set of four bells. The two oldest bells were made in 1597 and 1640. The other two were made in 1930 by a company called John Taylor & Co in Loughborough.

Churchyard Features

In the churchyard, you can find the tomb of Thomas Hotchkin, who passed away in 1774. It's a table tomb, meaning it looks like a stone table. It has small columns, called balusters, at its corners. On top, there's a decorative pot, or urn, with leaves and flowers, and a flame-shaped decoration called a finial. This tomb is also a listed building, protected as Grade II. Thomas Hotchkin was a wealthy person from that time.

See also

• List of churches preserved by the Churches Conservation Trust in the English Midlands
• St Botolph's Church, Wardley, in neighbouring parish in Rutland, also in care of the CCT