Church of St Peter and St Paul
CHURCH OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL, CHURCH LANE
Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places
Overview
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1269628
- Date first listed:
- 10-Jan-1951
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Peter and St Paul
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL, CHURCH LANE
Location
Location of this list entry and nearby places that are also listed. Use our map search to find more listed places.
Use of this mapping is subject to terms and conditions .
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale.
What is the National Heritage List for England?
The National Heritage List for England is a unique register of our country's most significant historic buildings and sites. The places on the list are protected by law and most are not open to the public.
The list includes:
 |
Buildings |
 |
Scheduled monuments |
 |
Parks and gardens |
 |
Battlefields |
 |
Shipwrecks |
Images of England Project
- Reference:
- IOE01/04153/08
- Rights:
- © Mr Peter C. Bewes. Source: Historic England Archive
Local Heritage Hub
Unlock and explore hidden histories, aerial photography, and listed buildings and places for every county, district, city and major town across England.
Discover moreOfficial list entry
- Heritage Category:
- Listed Building
- Grade:
- I
- List Entry Number:
- 1269628
- Date first listed:
- 10-Jan-1951
- List Entry Name:
- Church of St Peter and St Paul
- Statutory Address 1:
- CHURCH OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL, CHURCH LANE
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
The scope of legal protection for listed buildings
This List entry helps identify the building designated at this address for its special architectural or historic interest.
Unless the List entry states otherwise, it includes both the structure itself and any object or structure fixed to it (whether inside or outside) as well as any object or structure within the curtilage of the building.
For these purposes, to be included within the curtilage of the building, the object or structure must have formed part of the land since before 1st July 1948.
Location
- Statutory Address:
- CHURCH OF ST PETER AND ST PAUL, CHURCH LANE
The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.
- County:
- Norfolk
- District:
- Breckland (District Authority)
- Parish:
- Swaffham
- National Grid Reference:
- TF 82088 08999
Details
SWAFFHAM
TF8208 CHURCH LANE 809-1/8/3 (East side) 10/01/51 Church of St Peter and St Paul
GV I
Parish church. C14-C15 with C18 and C19 alterations and restorations. Flint, Barnack stone and some brick. Lead roofs. PLAN: west tower, nave, aisles, north and south transepts and chancel. EXTERIOR: 2-stage tower begun 1485, completed 1507-10 by Master Gyles. Setback stepped buttresses. Base frieze of roundels containing route tournant and shields. Arched west doorway with multiple mouldings flanked either side by a nodding ogee niche below a statuary niche. 5-light Perpendicular west window flanked by one tall canopied statuary niche right and left, set at an angle. 3-light belfry openings with Perpendicular tracery. Openwork battlements added 1533, with corner pinnacles. Gothick lantern and lead spike of 1778 by John Frost, rebuilt 1897. Aisles with 3-light Perpendicular windows, the north aisle wall rebuilt 1462. South side with flint porch entered through C20 doors within a moulded 2-centred arch under square hood, in the spandrels of which are blind tracery motifs with split cusps and shields. Gabled roof with pinnacles. Hammerbeam roof within porch of c1510: 3 bays, carved angels against hammerposts, doubled angels as ridge bosses. West aisle window with reticulated tracery. North aisle with early C14 blocked north doorway at west end, blocked mid C14 doorway at east end. Thirteen 3-light clerestory windows with Perpendicular tracery under basket arches. North side with a brick crenellated parapet. North transept lit through a 4-light C19 north window (restored 1848-51), stepped side buttresses. South transept with Decorated 3-light E window, 4-light Perpendicular south window. Stepped side buttresses. Between chancel and north transept a 2-storey vestry with library on upper floor. One 3-light Perpendicular north chancel window, 5-light Curvilinear east window of 1853, two 3-light Perpendicular chancel south windows. Diagonal corner buttresses. Chancel constructed mid C15. S aisle with projection for chapel of Corpus Christi, c1490-1500, lit by a 4-light Perpendicular window. INTERIOR: 7-bay arcade, the piers of quatrefoil section standing on circular bases and with circular capitals, except for 2 west bays constructed with the tower: polygonal bases
and capitals. Double hollow-chamfered arches. Wave- and hollow-moulded tower arch. Springers for fan vault remain to lower stage of tower. Baluster screen above to tower gallery: twisted and turned balusters, c1700. Aisle windows and doors within tall wall arches. 14-bay early C16 double hammerbeam nave roof. Moulded wall posts on angel corbels. 2 tiers of hammerbeams, each with a carved wooden angel with outspread wings bearing shields. Lower hammerbeams with traceried spandrels. Brattished and moulded ashlaring in 2 tiers and with carved decoration. Moulded cambered collars with cresting and ridge struts faced by carved angels. 2 tiers of moulded butt purlins and ridge piece. Arches from transepts to aisles and chancel: free-standing chancel arch of similar section to nave arcade. Passage-squint from north transept to chapel, and doorway into vestry. C16 6-bay arch-braced chancel roof with one tier of moulded butt purlins. FITTINGS: octagonal Caen stone font of 1851. 2 late C15 chancel stalls: to north with 2 carved figure scenes depicting a woman holding a rosary, first in a shop and then looking out of the door; to south 2 figures of a man with a pack above chained dogs. Remainder of seating of 1851. MEMORIALS: altar tomb against north chancel wall to John Botewright, d.1474: tomb chest with 4 shields bearing symbols of Passion, Trinity and Botewright's rebus: 3 boats and 3 augers. Reclining effigy in clerical dress. Cusped mid C16 canopy with tracery daggers in spandrels and brattished cornice. Wall monument to Katherine Steward, d.1590: pair of Doric columns support strapwork achievement in which is profile representation of deceased kneeling at prayer. Inscription panel below. Brass to Sir John Audley, c1530 on south transept pier.
Listing NGR: TF8208808999
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
- Legacy System number:
- 460562
- Legacy System:
- LBS
Legal
This building is listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as amended for its special architectural or historic interest.
Map
This map is for quick reference purposes only and may not be to scale. This copy shows the entry on 05-Jul-2026 at 11:59:26.
Download a full scale map (PDF)End of official list entry
All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.