St Peter's Church is a

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ca ...

Belton-in-Rutland Belton-in-Rutland is a village and civil parish in the county of Rutland in the East Midlands of England. The population at the 2001 census was 345 increasing to 348 at the 2011 census. It is situated about six miles (9.6 km) southwest o ...

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

. It is a Grade II* listed building.

History

The south arcade, dating from the early thirteenth century, is the oldest part of the church along with the stonework in the lower part of the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

walls. There could have been a north aisle but, according to local tradition, this was burnt in the 14th century. The pillars are still slightly reddish from the flames. The church also caught fire in 1776 when a servant girl threw hot coals out a window. It was extinguished as it reached the church. The

piscina A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, or else in the vestry or sacristy, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. For Roman ...

in the south aisle has a bowl carved with a head with donkey ears. The south porch dates from the 16th century. The west tower, which has a frieze situated below the battlements decorated with gargoyles, was added in the 14th century. There are some stone effigies built into the stone wall between the church and the road.

References

Belton Belton {{England-church-stub