Church of St Mary and St Peter

Church of St Mary and St Peter at Kelsale has undergone considerable changes since the 12th Century. In the 14th century a new nave was added. The new nave was as long as the old nave and chancel together, and the church was lengthened by the addition of a new chancel (rebuilt in the 1870s), perhaps at the same. The old nave was extended eastwards in the 15th century, alongside the new chancel, to form a two-bay south chapel, and a S porch was added to the aisle. An elaborate priest’s doorway was added on the South side of the new chancel chapel. Construction is of flint except for the chancel and its chapel, which are of knapped flint. The present 14th century tower has diagonal buttresses, bell openings with complex flowing tracery and an embattled parapet with flushwork decoration. There was a restoration in the 1870s, when the South aisle and the chancel were completely rebuilt. Romanesque features are on the doorways on the north side of the nave and the south of the chancel chapel. The entrance to the churchyard is through a curious Arts and Crafts lych-gate designed by E.S. Prior.
Please also see the entry for the Lych Gate.