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St Peter's Church, Deene
A stone church with a tower and spire, seen from the southwest
St Peter's Church, Deene, from the southwest
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OS grid reference SP 951 927
Location Deene, Northamptonshire
Country England
Denomination Anglican
Website Churches Conservation Trust
History
Dedication Saint Peter
Architecture
Functional status Redundant
Heritage designation Grade II*
Designated 23 May 1967
Architect(s) T. H. Wyatt, G. F. Bodley
Architectural type Church
Style Gothic, Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking 13th century
Completed 1890
Specifications
Materials Limestone, roofs in lead and Collyweston stone slate

St Peter's Church is an Anglican church located in the small village of Deene, in Northamptonshire, England. It is a very old and important building. The church is officially recognized as a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a special historic place. The Churches Conservation Trust and East Northamptonshire Council help take care of it.

A Look at the Church's Past

This church has been around for a long time, since the 13th century. That's over 700 years ago!

Since the 1500s, the church has been connected to the Brudenell family. They bought Deene Park in 1514, and St Peter's became their family church.

In 1869, the wife of James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan asked an architect named T. H. Wyatt to rebuild parts of the church. Later, in 1890, another architect, G. F. Bodley, made the chancel (the area around the altar) look very grand and beautiful.

What Does the Church Look Like?

Outside the Church

St Peter's Church is built from limestone, a type of stone. Its roofs are covered with lead and a special kind of stone tile called Collyweston stone slate.

The church has several parts:

  • A main area called the nave.
  • Side sections called north and south aisles.
  • Smaller chapels on the north and south sides.
  • The chancel near the altar.
  • A south transept (a part that sticks out like an arm).
  • A south porch.
  • A tall tower at the west end.

The tower has three levels. It has strong corner buttresses and a small stair turret in one corner. At the bottom of the tower, there's a door and a narrow window called a lancet window. Higher up, there are more lancet windows. The top level has openings for bells. Above these, there's a decorative stone band and a flat top edge.

On top of the tower is a pointed roof called a broach spire. It has two rows of small windows called lucarnes. The large window at the east end of the chancel has five sections, with a round opening above it. The transept has a window with three sections.

The south aisle has several windows with two or three sections. The south chapel has a three-section window on its east side. The porch has a carved stone plaque above its doorway, showing crossed keys. The porch also has a pointed roof and small windows on its sides. The north aisle and north chapel have seven windows and a door for the priest. The upper part of the nave, called the clerestory, has four square windows.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has rows of arches called an arcade in the nave and chancel. The walls of the chancel have special stencil patterns designed by Bodley.

Near the altar, there's a piscina (a basin for washing sacred vessels) and a triple sedilia (seats for clergy). These have decorative pointed tops. There's also a similar niche (a small alcove) on the other side of the altar. The chancel floor is covered with tiles.

The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made around 1868 by a company called Lavers, Barraud and Westlake. There are other 19th-century stained glass windows throughout the church. The eight-sided font (used for baptisms) and the pink marble pulpit (where sermons are given) are also from the 1800s. In the south chapel, there's a reredos (a screen behind the altar) from about 1635.

The south aisle, south chapel, and transept hold many monuments to the Brudenell family. These include:

  • A monument to Sir Robert Brudenell (who died in 1531) and his two wives. It shows three stone figures lying down on a stone chest.
  • Brasses (engraved metal plates) for several other Brudenells from the 1500s and 1600s.
  • A chest tomb for Thomas Brudenell (who died in 1664).
  • A memorial to Anne, Duchess of Richmond (who died in 1722).
  • A wall tablet for the Countess of Cardigan (who died in 1826).
  • A large memorial for James Brudenell, 7th Earl of Cardigan (who died in 1868) and his wife. It features stone figures lying on a chest, with bronze sea horses at the corners. The 7th Earl of Cardigan was famous for leading the Charge of the Light Brigade in 1854.

Outside the Churchyard

In the churchyard, there are four other items that are also listed as Grade II historic buildings:

  • A headstone for Stephen Eaton from 1691.
  • A row of chest tombs for the Yorke family from the late 1700s to the 1800s.
  • A chest tomb for the Webster family from 1768.
  • Another chest tomb from 1735.

See also

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