In the Victorian era, church restorations are the height of fashion. The PCC, under Rector James Hutchinson, commissions a new renovation programme from renowned Gothic Revival architect William Butterfield. The restoration happens in stages, beginning in 1870 and ending in the early 1880s. Among many alterations, Butterfield raises the roof of the south transept to its original pitch, and removes Wyattville’s crumbling exterior plaster and re-faces the exterior walls with flint. Within the building, he re-floors the nave, demolishes an adjoining vestry building, installs new oak benches, replaces the west end gallery, and knocks down interior dividing walls to remove both the fire engine garage and the south porch. Ancient medieval paintings of saints are uncovered beneath whitewash on the pillars, but they are removed, losing some ancient adornments in the church.
