| St Peter and St Paul's Church, Mottistone | |
| Denomination: | Church of England |
| Churchmanship: | Broad Church |
| Parish: | Mottistone |
| Diocese: | Portsmouth |
| Province: | Canterbury |
| Website: | http://www.fivechurches.org.uk/?page_id=78 |
| Coordinates: | 50.6517°N 1.4272°W |
St Peter and St Paul's Church is a parish church in the Church of England in the village of Mottistone, Isle of Wight. It is a Grade I listed building.[1]
The church is medieval, dating from the 12th century,[2] by Brian de Insula, lord of Mottistone Manor.[3] Much of the current building is from the 15th.[4] The Cheke chapel was added in the 16th century, by the Cheke family who became lords of the manor in 1300.[3] The chancel was reroofed in 1862, with timber from the Bermudan barque Cedrene which was wrecked nearby.[5] The Cedrene was just 16 days old when it wrecked on the shores of the Back of the Wight.[6]
A Victorian restoration was carried out in 1863,[7] which included the reconstruction of window tracery, nave arches and piers, roofs and walls.[1]
In 2014 a publicly funded project to improve access to the church for disabled users was carried out.
Theatre and opera director Sophie Hunter, great-great granddaughter of General J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone, was married to actor Benedict Cumberbatch in the church on 14 February 2015.[8]
The parish is part of the West Wight benefice within the Anglican Diocese of Portsmouth.[9]
The stone building has a tile roof and shingle spire. It consists of a nave with aisles, chancel, north chapel and south porch. The west tower has a crenellated parapet and spire.[1]
The interior includes a font which may date back to the 12th century, however it was refashioned in the late 19th or early 20th century.[10] In 1948 John Seely, 2nd Baron Mottistone commissioned the parclose screen in the Cheke chapel in memory of his father General J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone.[11]