St Peter's Dyrham
St Peter's Church, Dyrham is the Anglican parish church of Dyrham, South Gloucestershire, England. Originating in the mid-13th century, it is listed at Grade I for its exceptional architectural and historic interest. The church stands immediately beside Dyrham Park, with which it has long-standing historical connections and to which it is linked by a private doorway from the south aisle. Notable among its burials is the elaborate tomb of George Wynter, Clerk of the Ships and one of the investors in Sir Francis Drake's 1577 circumnavigation of the globe.
History and architecture
The oldest fabric of the church dates from the mid-13th century. The three-stage west tower and the south porch are early 15th century, and the church was altered and enlarged about 1470. The south aisle was restored after 1688 for the statesman William Blathwayt when the neighbouring mansion at Dyrham Park was rebuilt; the interior was redecorated in 1964 by E. F. Tew.Built of limestone rubble with freestone dressings and Cotswold stone-slate roofs, the plan comprises west tower, south-west porch, nave and chancel with north and south aisles. The Perpendicular tower has diagonal buttresses, a parapet with gargoyles, and a west door beneath a three-light window; the second stage has lancets and a clock on the south face, and the belfry has paired two-light openings with trefoil heads.
Fittings and monuments
Notable fittings include a late Norman font in the nave, a second 17th-century font in the south aisle, a Jacobean wooden pulpit with sounding-board, a 16th-century Flemish altar triptych, medieval encaustic floor tiles, and nine heraldic hatchments associated with the Blathwayt family.Among the monuments are large brasses to Sir Maurice Russell and his wife Isabel in the south aisle; the canopied tomb with recumbent effigies of George Wynter and his wife Anne; a hanging marble monument to Mary Blathwayt and her parents by John Harvey ; and later tablets including that to William Blathwayt by Peter Rouw’s pupil Edward Hodges Baily’s associate William Sievier. A private doorway at the east end of the south aisle gives access towards Dyrham House.