Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Exton

The Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul stands in Exton, Rutland, within the grounds of Exton Hall. It is a large medieval church, separated from the village itself. The building is Grade I listed and holds an outstanding collection of monuments. Joseph Nollekens contributed one of these works. The church’s exterior dates from the 13th century, though most of the interior was rebuilt in the 19th century. The church contains monuments from the 14th to the 18th centuries, many linked to the Noel family. A marble monument by Grinling Gibbons shows Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden, with his fourth wife and nineteen children. John Piper created a print of this tomb in 1954, later adapted for fabric. The south transept holds the Keilway monument, featuring effigies of Robert Keilway, his daughter Anne, and her husband John Harington. A Jacobean wall monument and the tomb of Nicholas Grene, dating from the 14th century, also stand in the chancel. Visitors find a spacious medieval church with Victorian interior details. The 14th-century font, carved with faces, remains in use. Armorial banners and funerary monuments of the Noel family line the walls. The church appeared in the 1980 film Little Lord Fauntleroy as the parish church of Dorincourt. Its tranquil setting within Exton Hall’s park adds to the sense of quiet reflection.