St Peter’s Church, Benington, Herts, UK - Medieval Churches on Waymarking.com

The parish church of St. Peter, which stands to the west of the village, is built of flint with stone dressings. The nave, which is covered with ivy, is plastered externally. The chancel and south porch are roofed with tiles and the nave with lead. The tower, which is of two stages, has an embattled parapet and a pyramidal roof.

The present church, which dates from the end of the 13th or the beginning of the 14th century, originally consisted of a chancel and nave only, built by Sir John de Benstede (1323) whose arms decorate the interior. The north chapel and the south porch were added about 1330, apparently by his widow, Parnel Moyne, and early in the 15th century the west tower was built by Edward Benstede (1432), and an additional arch was inserted with his monument below it between the chancel and the north chapel. The raising of the clerestory dates from somewhat later in the 15th century. The modern work upon the fabric consists of the rebuilding in 1889 of the south and east walls of the chancel and the recent restoration of the tower.

The chancel has a modern east window of five lights with tracery in a high two-centred head. In the south wall are three windows. The north wall of the chancel is pierced by three arches, the two westernmost dating from the erection of the north chapel and the easternmost from about 1430. The middle and western arches on the north side are of extremely rich 14th-century detail. The twocentred chancel arch was widened and rebuilt early in the 15th century.

The nave is lighted by two two-light windows on either side, of early 14th-century date. The clerestory windows, three on each side, are of the 15th century, and the stonework is much decayed.

In the north-east corner of the nave is a doorway to the rood-loft stair. The south doorway leading to the south porch is of the late 14th century, and has a pointed arch in a square head. The oak door is of the 15th century. The porch has a similar entrance archway, with shafted jambs and foliated capitals, and in a canopied niche over the archway is a mutilated figure of St. George and the Dragon. The tower arch opening to the nave is of the 15th century, and has been restored. In the north-west buttress of the tower is a niche with a shield bearing the arms of Benstede and Moyne. The truss roof of the nave is of the 15th century, and rests upon carved mask corbels of that date. At the intersection of some of the beams are bosses bearing the arms of Benstede and Moyne.

Building Materials: Stone

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Date Logged Log User Rating   10/21/2017 greysman visited it