If you are looking for a holiday rental in Clayworth and are interested in church art or canal history, there are two specific places to explore: St Peter's Church and the structures on the Chesterfield Canal. The church brings together medieval features, a 19th-century restoration and a rare ensemble of wall paintings. The canal forms Clayworth's southern boundary; Otter's Bridge 68 and Gray's Bridge add two distinct building histories to the church art.

St Peter's Church: Art and Building History

St Peter's Church is a Grade I listed parish church with features dating from the 12th to the 15th centuries. John Oldrid Scott restored it in 1874–1875. The medieval features and the 19th-century restoration therefore belong to different periods in the church's history.

The Traquair Murals by Phoebe Anna Traquair cover all four walls of the chancel. This ensemble of wall paintings is one of only two that Traquair executed in England. A well-preserved 13th-century stone rood screen is considered rare for a village church. St Peter's Church thus brings large-scale wall paintings together with a distinctive medieval stone feature.

Another specific detail is the chest tomb of Humphrey Fitzwilliam, who died in 1556. It is located beneath the easternmost arch of the north chancel arcade. The wall paintings, rood screen and tomb differ in scale and date, offering several points of interest in the church's art and architectural history.

More Building History in Clayworth

The Old Chapel is also part of Clayworth's building history. It is a former Methodist chapel dating from 1824. Chronologically, this date falls between the medieval features of St Peter's Church and its restoration in 1874–1875. The dates show different periods without implying that the chapel and parish church are one and the same.

Bridges on the Chesterfield Canal

Otter's Bridge 68 near Clayworth is an original hump-backed red-brick bridge on the Chesterfield Canal and is still in use. It is listed as a Grade II building. The bridge therefore combines a specific form of construction with a documented listed status.

Gray's Bridge is also near Clayworth, on the Chesterfield Canal. The bridge dates from 1771–1777 and is still in use; however, only its foundations are original. Comparing the two bridges reveals a difference in the surviving original fabric: Otter's Bridge is an original brick bridge, while only Gray's Bridge's foundations are original.

Practical Information

St Peter's Church is listed as open daily from 09:00 to 17:00 in 2026. Check these hours before your trip. This gives you a specific time to bear in mind when planning a visit to the church.

Visitor moorings are sometimes available at the Retford & Worksop Boat Club in Clayworth; there is also a water point. If you are travelling by boat, check mooring availability in advance. This makes clear that moorings are available only occasionally, while the water point is another practical detail for boaters.

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For the main travel overview: Nottinghamshire.