The Church of St Peter is the former parish church of the village of
Peterstone
Peterstone or Peterstone Wentlooge () is a small village to the south west of the city of Newport, South Wales.
Location
Peterstone Wentlooge lies six miles to the west of Newport city centre and 7½ miles east of Cardiff city centre.
It lies ...
, to the south west of the city of
Newport,
south Wales
South Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the Historic counties of Wales, historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire ( ...
.
Perpendicular
In geometry, two geometric objects are perpendicular if they intersect at right angles, i.e. at an angle of 90 degrees or π/2 radians. The condition of perpendicularity may be represented graphically using the '' perpendicular symbol'', ⟠...
in style, and dating from the fifteenth century, the church underwent two significant restorations, the first following the
Great Flood
A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys civilization, often in an act of divine retribution. Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these myths and the primeva ...
in the early seventeenth century and then in the late nineteenth century. Described by the architectural historian
John Newman as "the noblest and most beautiful Perpendicular church in the whole county", the building was listed
Grade I
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
on 3 January 1963.
History and description
The church was built in the mid-fifteenth century, under the aegis of
St Augustine's Abbey
St Augustine's Abbey (founded as the Monastery of Ss Peter and Paul and changed after its founder St Augustine of Canterbury's death) was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a mon ...
. Newman attributes the building's "ambitious, West Country character" to this. It is of grey
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
with
oolitic limestone
Oolite or oölite () is a sedimentary rock formed from ooids, spherical grains composed of concentric layers. Strictly, oolites consist of ooids of diameter 0.25–2 millimetres; rocks composed of ooids larger than 2 mm are called pisol ...
dressings. The building is large, comprising a nave with aisles and chancel, a three-stage West tower, a vestry and a porch.
The tower is three storeyed with
crocket
A crocket (or croquet) is a small, independent decorative element common in Gothic architecture. The name derives from the diminutive of the Old French ''croc'', meaning "hook", due to the resemblance of a crocket to a bishop's Shepherd's crook, ...
ted
finial
A finial () 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 dome, spire, tower, roo ...
s and has carved figures of saints on its four faces.
The nave, and its
hammerbeam
A hammerbeam roof is a decorative, open timber roof truss typical of English Gothic architecture and has been called "the most spectacular endeavour of the English Medieval carpenter". They are traditionally timber framed, using short beams proj ...
roof is fifteenth century, although restored,
while the chancel and its roof are nineteenth century.
The 19th century restoration was funded by Sir George Walker Bt. in memory of his wife, Fanny, daughter of
Lord Tredegar
Baron Tredegar, of Tredegar in the County of Monmouth, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 16 April 1859 for the Welsh politician Sir Charles Morgan, 3rd Baronet, who had earlier represented Brecon in Parliamen ...
.
Newman describes the interior as "beautifully calm and spacious".
Notes
References
*
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Wentlooge, St Peter
Wentlooge, St Peter