Stone carvings on Raunds church tower - geograph

St Peter's Church is an

Anglican Church Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...

and the parish church of

Raunds Raunds is a market town in North Northamptonshire, England. It had a population of 9,379 at the 2021 census. Geography Raunds is situated north-east of Northampton. The town is on the southern edge of the Nene Valley and surrounded by ar ...

. It is a Grade I

listed building 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 ...

and stands in an elevated position in Church Street. The present building is thought to be on the site of an earlier place of worship. The majority of the existing structure was erected between the 12th and 14th centuries, the walls being constructed of limestone with ashlar dressings. Though claimed to be 202 feet high, the spire height, according to a 2011 survey by architect Julian Flannery, is actually 176 feet (54 metres) high. The bowl of the 13th-century circular font is decorated with a carving of a ram's head. A brass on the floor commemorates John Tawyer (died 1470) and his wife Margaret. There is a tomb-chest dedicated to John Wales, vicar from 1447 to 1496. In the south chapel are monuments to Robert Gage (died 1606) and William Gage of

Magilligan Magilligan () is a peninsula that lies in the northwest of County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, at the entrance to Lough Foyle, within Causeway Coast and Glens district. It is an extensive coastal site, part British army firing range, part ...

, Ireland (died 1632). A number of other substantial monuments and also medieval wall paintings survive within the building. The church features a rare 'left-handed fiddler' decoration above the western entrance. Until the 15th century the dedication of the church was to St Mary but the dedication now used is to St Peter. The interior was restored in 1874 and 1878 by

Sir Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...

; this involved the removal of a west gallery and alterations to the chancel. The three-manual organ was built by Peter Conacher and was one of the largest organs by Conacher of Huddersfield. It was donated in 1893 by John King–Smith, a prominent boot manufacturer in Raunds and was most recently restored in 2006. In 2007, Raunds, Hargrave, Ringstead and Stanwick were legally united as "The 4 Spires Benefice", with each village retaining its own church.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raunds, Saint Peter Grade I listed churches in Northamptonshire 12th-century church buildings in England 14th-century church buildings in England

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

Church of England church buildings in Northamptonshire