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"St. Peter's is the older of the two remaining medieval parish churches in the City of Hereford. The bespired tower is late 13th century and was christened, soon after its erection, with a fall from the top of Walter de Lacy. The building sits in the square of the same name, now picturesquely adjoining the 'Old House' Museum.
Internally, there is a carved Royal Arms of William & Mary, but the church's main feature are the 15th century quire stalls, brought from St. Guthlac's Priory (on Castle Green) at the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The misericords show carved roses. St. Peter's also has its own cowled ghost which can walk through solid doors. It is thought to be a medieval monk who was killed by the marauding Welsh."
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"Parish Church of St. Peter stands on the N. side of St. Peter's Square. The walls are of rubble or ashlar, all of local sandstone; the roofs are covered with slates. The oldest part of the existing church is the Chancel which is of late 12th or early 13th-century date. The Tower with a chapel to the E. of it was added in the second half of the 13th century. The Nave was re-built c. 1300 and the North and South Aisles added; early in the 14th century the South Chapel was re-built and probably enlarged. The church was restored in 1793, and a further extensive restoration took place about 1880–85, when the nave, S. aisle and S. porch were reconstructed. The S. chapel and tower were restored in 1905.
The church has been too much restored to be of much architectural interest, but among the fittings the stalls are noteworthy.
Architectural Description—The Chancel (59¼ ft. by 22¼ ft.) is of late 12th or early 13th-century date and has clasping buttresses at the eastern angles. The much restored late 13th-century E. window is of five pointed lights in a two-centred head. In the N. wall are two windows, the eastern is perhaps an original lancet-light, but almost completely restored except the external sill; it is now of one trefoiled light; the much restored western window is of early 14th-century date and of three trefoiled ogee lights with tracery, above the side lights, in a two-centred head. In the S. wall are two arches, the eastern is of the 14th century, two-centred and of two chamfered orders with a moulded label; the responds, of the same section as the arch, have moulded imposts and a moulded base to the W. respond, perhaps re-cut early in the 16th century; the western arch is of the second half of the 13th century; it is two-centred and of two chamfered orders; the responds are chamfered and have each an attached and filleted shaft with moulded capital and base. The early 14th-century chancel-arch is two-centred and of two chamfered orders, the outer continuous on the W. face, and the inner springing from attached semi-octagonal shafts with moulded capitals; the N. respond has been partly cut away for the 15th-century rood-loft doorway, which has a shouldered head; the upper doorway is square-headed.
The South Chapel (32¼ ft. by 14¾ ft.) has been largely refaced externally. The much-restored early 14th-century E. window is of three pointed lights in a segmental-pointed head. In the S. wall is a two-light window completely restored except perhaps the splays; farther W. is a completely restored doorway.
The South Tower (15¼ ft. by 12¾ ft.) is of late 13th-century date, and of three stages (Plate 5) with a modern parapet and pinnacles. The ground stage has in the E. wall a doorway with chamfered jambs and two-centred head. In the S. wall is a window, all modern except the splays and rear-arch. The W. wall originally stood free of the church and contains a doorway, formerly external, with chamfered jambs and two-centred head. The second stage has in the E. and S. walls a partly restored window of two trefoiled lights in a two-centred head with a blank spandrel. The bell-chamber has in each wall a partly restored window of two trefoiled lights in a two-centred head of four orders, with a moulded label. The spire was probably added early in the 14th century; it is octagonal with ribbed angles and rises from within the parapet; the cardinal faces have each a much-restored window of two pointed lights with a pierced spandrel in a two-centred head, capped by a gable with a trefoiled spandrel; each window is flanked by pinnacled buttresses.
The Nave (67¼ ft. by 31 ft.) has a N. arcade of c. 1300 and of four bays, with two-centred arches of two chamfered orders, struck from well below the springing, with a label on the S. face and defaced head-stops over the responds; the columns are of quatre-foiled plan with small rolls in the angles and have moulded capitals and modern bases, except for a few stones; the responds have attached half-columns. The S. arcade is similar in all respects to the N. arcade but was entirely reconstructed in 1884–86, when the stones were either re-tooled or renewed. The W. wall is completely modern externally and contains a modern window.
The North Aisle (21½ ft. wide) is of c. 1300, and has a partly restored E. window of five pointed lights in a segmental-pointed head with an internal moulded label and one carved head-stop. In the N. wall are four windows, each of three pointed lights in a segmental-pointed head with a modern internal label and stops; the third window is partly blocked by a modern doorway and the westernmost window is entirely blocked. In the W. wall is a three-light window with a two-centred head and modern mullions and tracery.
The South Aisle (12¼ ft. wide) was entirely re-built in 1883–5.
The Roof of the chancel is possibly of early 16th-century date, and is of pointed waggon-form, boarded on the soffit and with moulded purlins, ridge and ribs, moulded and embattled wall-plates with foliated bosses. The late 15th-century roof of the S. chapel is of king-post type and of four and a half bays, with moulded main timbers; the king-posts have small curved braces to the ridge; the main spandrels of the trusses have cusped tracery. The late 15th-century roof of the N. aisle is of king-post type and of five bays with moulded main timbers and intermediate principals, foliated bosses at the intersections of the intermediates and purlins, curved braces from the king-posts to the ridge, figures with blank shields below the braces, and traceried filling in the main spandrels of the trusses.
Fittings—Bells: five and small bell, 1st inscribed "Sancta Maria" in Lombardic capitals, perhaps 14th-century; 2nd and 4th, 1648; 3rd, 1680; 5th, 17th-century; small bell in spire, 1709. Bracket: In N. aisle—on E. wall, moulded polygonal bracket of stone, 15th-century. Chair: In S. chapel—with turned front legs and stretcher, moulded rails and shaped and moulded splats to back, late 17th-century. Communion and other Tables: In chancel—with turned legs and club-feet, moulded rails, c. 1700. In S. chapel— with turned legs and moulded upper rails and top, early 18th-century. In second stage of tower— modern table incorporating four 17th-century turned legs and other portions. Cupboard: In second stage of tower—with three drawers, panelled doors, iron hinges and drop-handles, c. 1700, reconstructed. Lockers: In chancel—in E. wall, rectangular and rebated for door. In S. chapel—in E. wall, rectangular and rebated for door. In N. aisle—in N. wall, double recess with hollow-chamfered and rebated rectangular openings and pointed opening between the two recesses. All mediæval. Niche: In N. aisle—in N. wall, with ogee head, 14th-century, much defaced. Organ-case: (Plate 61) In chancel—reconstructed with old material and now of two stages, lower with plain panelling and upper in three bays and panelled, two panels filled with carved musical instruments and palm-branches, also two panels in middle bay with heads of carved foliage, side-bays finished at top with shaped cornice and a band of carved and pierced foliage and cherub-heads. Incorporated in ends some early 17th-century panelling with arabesque ornament; rest of material, c. 1700. Piscinæ: In S. chapel—in S. wall, recess with chamfered jambs and square head, cinque-foiled drain, 14th-century; in W. wall, recess with moulded jambs and cinque-foiled ogee head, hexagonal drain, 14th-century. In N. aisle—in S. wall, recess with hollow-chamfered jambs and trefoiled head, drain in mutilated corbelled projection, c. 1300. Plate: includes cup of 1713, given by Bridstock Harfford, with shield-of-arms, cover-paten of the same date with crest, stand-paten of the same date with 1713 engraved on the base and a flagon of the same date. Royal Arms: In S. aisle—over S. doorway, of William III, carved in wood. Scratchings: On stonework of tower—various masons' marks. Seating: In second stage of tower—bench, made up of 17th-century materials. Sedile: In S. chapel—in S. wall, recess with rebated and chamfered jambs and two-centred head, subsequently fitted with doors, 14th-century. Stalls: (Plate 64) In chancel—two ranges each of nine stalls, the two westernmost on each side being modern, surmounted by a continuous canopy; stalls divided by moulded and shaped arm-rests and seats with corbelled misericordes finished with carved roses; panelling at back with traceried head behind each stall; moulded cornice to canopy with a frieze of quatrefoils and pendant tracery below; desks in front with trefoil-headed panels to end-standards and panelled fronts with two ranges of trefoil-headed panels and moulded book-rest; c. 1430–50, partly restored. Miscellanea: In chancel—re-used in platform to stalls, a number of stones with quatre-foiled panels, 15th-century.
Condition—Good structurally, but much restored in parts and some external stonework much perished."
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