St Peter's Church is the parish church of

Yaxham Yaxham is a village and civil parish in centre of the English county of Norfolk. The parish includes the village of Yaxham, together with the neighbouring community of Clint Green. Together, they lay some south of Dereham and west of Norwich. ...

in Norfolk, England, in the

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

of Mattishall and the Tudd Valley, and in the Diocese of Norwich."Yaxham St Peter: More information"
''A church near you''. Retrieved 8 April 2024. It is a

round-tower church Round-tower churches are a type of church found mainly in England, mostly in East Anglia; of about 185 surviving examples in the country, 124 are in Norfolk, 38 in Suffolk, six in Essex, three in Sussex and two each in Cambridgeshire and Berkshi ...

, dating mostly from the medieval period. The building is

Grade I listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History and description

The earliest part of the church is the banding of

carstone Carrstone (or carstone, also known as Silsoe, heathstone, ironstone or gingerbread) is a sedimentary sandstone conglomerate formed during the Cretaceous period. It varies in colour from light to dark rusty ginger. Used as a building stone it can be ...

at the base of the tower, which probably predates the Norman conquest. The rest of the tower dates from the late 11th or early 12th century, with the upper part dating from the 14th century, with four bell-openings, each of two lights, and a post-medieval crenellated parapet. Most of the rest of the building is of the 14th and 15th centuries. There is a nave with a south aisle and four

clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...

windows, and a chancel. There is a late-medieval south porch."Yaxham St Peter"
''The Round Tower Churches of Europe''. Retrieved 8 April 2024."St Peter's Church, Yaxham"
''Norfolk Heritage Explorer''. Retrieved 8 April 2024.

Interior

The 14th-century south arcade has four bays, with alternating

foiled ''Foiled'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Blue October, released on April 4, 2006, by Universal Records. The album debuted at number 29 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, marking the band's first entry on the chart. The album was cer ...

and octagonal piers. The octagonal font, carved with blind tracery and with crocketted

finial A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature. In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...

s, is of the 15th century. There is a medieval piscina in the south aisle, and a later piscina in the chancel. There was restoration in the 19th century; the stained-glass windows are from this period. The ends of the pews, of the 19th or 20th century, are decorated in the south aisle with carvings of birds and animals.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yaxham, Saint Peter's Church Grade I listed churches in Norfolk Church of England church buildings in Norfolk Round-tower churches