Tony Garofalo
St Peter's Church at Burnley
Surrounded on three sides by a loop in the River Brun (“Brown River”), the parish church of St. Peter is the oldest Christian place of worship in the East Lancashire town of Burnley (“Woodland Clearing by the River Brun”). It was on this site in fact that the town first started to develop, way back in the time of the Saxons. The loop in the river would have protected the town from thieves and wild animals and on the undefended east side of the settlement the inhabitants would probably have erected a sturdy fence that ran from riverbank to riverbank.
Before the present church of St. Peter was built, the site was occupied by an earlier church that is known to date back to at least 1122. Although there are no existing records, it is tempting to speculate that a church was founded here to commemorate the events of 937, when King Athelstan (grandson of King Alfred the Great) defeated the Danes at the battle of Brunanburh and took possession of the town. It has even been suggested that the battle took place on the moors above Burnley, although this is hotly contested and many think it was fought on the Wirral peninsular. The oldest part of the present church is the base of the tower which was erected between 1400 and 1500, during the years of the Perpendicular style of architecture. The tower has been modified many times over the centuries and the top was only added in 1803, when the height was raised to carry eight new bells. The old church was largely rebuilt in the 1530s by Thomas Sellars and Nicholas Craven and the nave and the north aisle date back to that period. The south aisle was remodelled in 1789 and in 1802 the north aisle was modified to match. Features of interest inside the church include the timber nave roof and the stone font, which both date back to the 1530s, the 14th century tombstone of Oliver de Stansfield in the Stansfield Chapel, and the Victorian painted roof over the chancel. St. Peter’s church is a Grade II* listed building.
An interesting tale is associated with the construction of St. Peter’s church that has been commemorated by carving the likeness of a pig on the south side of the church tower. Apparently it was originally intended to construct the church a little further east, towards the bottom of what is now Ormerod Road. Each night, however, all the building materials and the builders’ tools were mysteriously moved to the site where the church now stands. The builders somehow became convinced that all this nocturnal tomfoolery was being committed by a herd of pigs under the influence of Satan so they eventually gave up and built the church in its current location.
St Peter's Church at Burnley
Surrounded on three sides by a loop in the River Brun (“Brown River”), the parish church of St. Peter is the oldest Christian place of worship in the East Lancashire town of Burnley (“Woodland Clearing by the River Brun”). It was on this site in fact that the town first started to develop, way back in the time of the Saxons. The loop in the river would have protected the town from thieves and wild animals and on the undefended east side of the settlement the inhabitants would probably have erected a sturdy fence that ran from riverbank to riverbank.
Before the present church of St. Peter was built, the site was occupied by an earlier church that is known to date back to at least 1122. Although there are no existing records, it is tempting to speculate that a church was founded here to commemorate the events of 937, when King Athelstan (grandson of King Alfred the Great) defeated the Danes at the battle of Brunanburh and took possession of the town. It has even been suggested that the battle took place on the moors above Burnley, although this is hotly contested and many think it was fought on the Wirral peninsular. The oldest part of the present church is the base of the tower which was erected between 1400 and 1500, during the years of the Perpendicular style of architecture. The tower has been modified many times over the centuries and the top was only added in 1803, when the height was raised to carry eight new bells. The old church was largely rebuilt in the 1530s by Thomas Sellars and Nicholas Craven and the nave and the north aisle date back to that period. The south aisle was remodelled in 1789 and in 1802 the north aisle was modified to match. Features of interest inside the church include the timber nave roof and the stone font, which both date back to the 1530s, the 14th century tombstone of Oliver de Stansfield in the Stansfield Chapel, and the Victorian painted roof over the chancel. St. Peter’s church is a Grade II* listed building.
An interesting tale is associated with the construction of St. Peter’s church that has been commemorated by carving the likeness of a pig on the south side of the church tower. Apparently it was originally intended to construct the church a little further east, towards the bottom of what is now Ormerod Road. Each night, however, all the building materials and the builders’ tools were mysteriously moved to the site where the church now stands. The builders somehow became convinced that all this nocturnal tomfoolery was being committed by a herd of pigs under the influence of Satan so they eventually gave up and built the church in its current location.