Church of St Peter, Thundersley (EHER 7082)

Parish church with the nave, and north and south aisles dating to about 1200, and a 15th century bell turret. There is a 20th century south porch incorporating old timbers. The former chancel of unknown date was demolished and a larger 1966 building by Donald Insall and Associates erected in its place. The original church is plastered stone rubble, flint, and brick, with a red plain tiled roof, and shingle spire. There are Roman bricks in the church fabric.

Monument description derived from merging EHER 7082, 7083, 7084, 7085, and 27501. Original HER entry merged with NRHE data import: The church has ragstone rubble walls with flint, Roman brick and puddingstone. The dressings are limestone, the roofs are tiled. The date of the chancel is uncertain but the nave, with the aisles to north and south, was built in about 1200. The bell-turret was added in the 15th century. The nave arcades have interesting early 13th century foliage carving. Features and fittings include: the chancel south wall has a round-headed doorway and a square-headed window, both cement-covered but probably old; the nave has a 15th century west window and west doorway; the north aisle has a 14th century doorway; the south aisle has two 15th century windows; the nave roof is 15th century, continuing over the aisles; the font is of doubtful antiquity; there is 15th century glass in the south aisle windows; there is a moulded bracket or corbel of 13th century date in the north aisle. The south porch is an 18th century addition. The church was restored in modern times when the chancel was rebuilt and the organ chamber added. One of the bells is said to be of 1558. The nave has a 16th or 17th century funeral helm and later sword on the south wall. The plate includes a cup and cover paten of 1569. Roman brick in church. <1> - <4> The font is perpendicular and the chancel is of 1885. <5> The chancel has been demolished and a modern building erected. The chancel, of uncertain date, was demolished and replaced in about 1966. The church has 19th-20th century windows. <6> <7> Personal communication from Mr A. Woodwood regarding notes written by the vicar about 1900 regarding the presence of a possible tiled Roman floor beneath the graveyard area and beyond, during work carried out workers reported seeing the image of a woman holding a disc in the floor tiles. Mr S. Chapman in a report of 1989 reported that he had been told that in 1928 a grave digger found solid stone, at a depth of about six feet, in the north-west corner of the churchyard. The stone work was removed and later examined by the British Museum. The stones were built up in two cone-like structures about six feet apart and four feet high. An official from the museum likened these stones to a Roman Gateway. Much more stonework was found but was used as hardcore for the new path rather than considered of archaeological value. There is a stone in the churchyard with two large oval holes or sockets known locally as the 'skull stone'. <8>