Church Directory

Short, plain tower with a pyramid roof and a projecting stair turret. A charming interior of various periods. The early twelfth-century chancel arch is flanked by a thirteenth-century niche and a squint with fourteenth-century tracery. The south arcade is thirteenth-century. A nave roof beam has a restoration date of 1635. On the end of a front pew is a carved bishop’s head and in a south aisle window a sixteenth-century Throne of Mercy image.

An aisleless nave with a 13th century Chancel south doorway and an external stair to the rood screen on the north side of the nave. Inside, you can see a nave hammer beam roof.

St Peter’s has a round Norman tower, one of only two in Cambridgeshire. The nave clerestorey and six bay hammer beam roof is 15th century with richly carved figures of bishops and priests. The church was much restored in 1878 by Richard Reynolds Rowe, a clerk of works at Ely Cathedral. The Chancel, niches, east window, pulpit and chancel screen are all attributed to him. He was attempting to “improve” the church and had no concerns about introducing new materials, see the font for example.

Whilst there are 12th century origins, (such as at the west end of north arcade), All Saints is mostly from the 15th century. It was restored in 1854-6 by Gilbert Scott, and greatly embellished by Ninian Comper in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Note his organ screen and statues on the arcade brackets. His original high altar is now in the south aisle; the present high altar reredos dates from 1899. The dog toothed double piscina in the south aisle has similarities with the font at the west end and both could be from the 12th century, when the town’s renowned cloth fair made it wealthy. The elaborate 15thc west door with tracery and flanking niches has carvings of a rabbit’s head on one door and the tail end of a rabbit on the other. The spire has been replaced four times; three times after storm damage and most recently, in 1924, after an aircraft accident in which the pilot was sadly killed.