St Peter's Church, Sark
By midsummer 1821 a plain rectangular building was complete – this is the present nave, measuring 68ft by 35ft, and 20ft high at the eaves. The east wall, which was demolished in 1877 to build the chancel, had two arched windows and a ‘round’ above, matching the west end. Originally the square bell tower was quite small. Foundations for the new church were dug by Sark workmen and the walls were built 2ft 6ins thick. Cartloads of schistic and slate stone were hauled up from Port du Moulin and granite was quarried from L’Eperquerie. Outside, the dark granite quoins that mark each 12-inch course of stonework, were brought from a quarry at L’Ancresse in Guernsey.
The floor is of Purbeck flagstones shipped from Swanage. Carpentry work – framing the fir roof beams and rafters, fixing laths to bear glazed roof tiles and to support the ceiling of hair and lime plaster – was planned by Jean Tardif of Jersey and carried out by Guernsey carpenters.
On 7th August 1821 the Bishop of Winchester licensed ‘the new erected chapel’ according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England, but it wasn’t until 1829 that he finally crossed the sea to consecrate ‘Saint Peter’s’. Both Le Pelley Seigneurs who were its patrons and worked so hard to bring it into existence were named Peter.
St Peter's Church, Sark
By midsummer 1821 a plain rectangular building was complete – this is the present nave, measuring 68ft by 35ft, and 20ft high at the eaves. The east wall, which was demolished in 1877 to build the chancel, had two arched windows and a ‘round’ above, matching the west end. Originally the square bell tower was quite small. Foundations for the new church were dug by Sark workmen and the walls were built 2ft 6ins thick. Cartloads of schistic and slate stone were hauled up from Port du Moulin and granite was quarried from L’Eperquerie. Outside, the dark granite quoins that mark each 12-inch course of stonework, were brought from a quarry at L’Ancresse in Guernsey.
The floor is of Purbeck flagstones shipped from Swanage. Carpentry work – framing the fir roof beams and rafters, fixing laths to bear glazed roof tiles and to support the ceiling of hair and lime plaster – was planned by Jean Tardif of Jersey and carried out by Guernsey carpenters.
On 7th August 1821 the Bishop of Winchester licensed ‘the new erected chapel’ according to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England, but it wasn’t until 1829 that he finally crossed the sea to consecrate ‘Saint Peter’s’. Both Le Pelley Seigneurs who were its patrons and worked so hard to bring it into existence were named Peter.