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Construction of St Peter’s began in 1880 on an acre of common land at the top of the hause. The main financial backing for the building came from Anthony Parkin of Sharrow Bay and W.H. Parkin of Ravencragg who were both local residents. The architect was J.B. Cory and the builder was Edward Peel of Patterdale who utilised the stone from the surrounding fells to construct the church in the Early English Style. The church which was consecrated on January 6, 1882 consists of nave, chancel with vestry, bell tower and an entrance porch facing south-west.
Apart from the east windows, the majority of the stained glass in the church dates from 1975 and was made by the artist Jane Gray of Shrewsbury who designed 15 windows in conjunction with the then Vicar, the Reverend Charles Barrand. The windows are in a modern style and include the St Cecilia window in the Sanctuary which is a memorial to Reverend Barrand and the Passion window which depicts the chalice used in the church. However, the most noteworthy window is situated to the right of the nave and is dedicated to Saint Nicholas, patron saint of sailors, and is in memory of Lieutenant Commander W.H. Parkin and the officers and men of HMS Glorious which was sunk by German battleships in the North Sea in June 1940.The window shows an airman’s view of the aircraft carrier at full steam.
On the way back from Oxfordshire, I thought about stopping off somewhere to take some church shots.
I'm sure Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey and Sussex have fine churches just off the motorway, but one had stuck in my head, back in Kent, and that Hever.
What I didn't realise is how hard it was to get too.
I followed the sat nav, taking me off the motorway whilst still in Sussex, then along narrow and twisting main roads along the edge of the north downs, through some very fine villages, but were in Sussex.
Would I see the sign marking my return to the Garden of England?
Yes, yes I would.
Edenbridge seemed quite an unexpectedly urban place, despite its name, so I didn't stop to search for an older centre, just pressing un until I was able to turn down Hever Road.
It had taken half an hour to get here.
St Peter stands by the gate to the famous castle, a place we have yet to visit, and even on a showery Saturday in March, there was a constant stream of visitors arriving.
I asked a nice young man who was directing traffic, where I could park to visit the church. He directed me to the staff car park, meaning I was able to get this shot before going in.
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Near the grounds of Hever Castle, medieval home of the Bullen family. Sandstone construction with a nice west tower and spire. There is a prominent chimney to the north chapel, although this is not the usual Victorian addition, but a Tudor feature, whose little fireplace may be seen inside! The church contains much of interest including a nineteenth-century painting of Christ before Caiphas by Reuben Sayers and another from the school of Tintoretto. The stained glass is all nineteenth and twentieth century and includes a wonderfully evocative east window (1898) by Burlisson and Grylls with quite the most theatrical sheep! The south chancel window of St Peter is by Hardman and dated 1877. In the north chapel is a fine tomb chest which displays the memorial brass of Sir Thomas Bullen (d. 1538), father of Queen Anne Boleyn. Just around the corner is a typical, though rather insubstantial, seventeenth-century pulpit with sounding board.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Hever
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HEVER.
SOUTH-EASTWARD from Eatonbridge lies Hever, called in the Textus Roffensis, and some antient records, Heure, and in others, Evere.
This parish lies below the sand hill, and is consequently in that district of this county called The Weald.
There is a small part of it, called the Borough of Linckbill, comprehending a part of this parish, Chidingstone, and Hever, which is within the hundred of Ruxley, and being part of the manor of Great Orpington, the manerial rights of it belong to Sir John Dixon Dyke, bart. the owner of that manor.
THE PARISH of Hever is long, and narrow from north to south. It lies wholly below the sand hills, and consequently in the district of the Weald; the soil and face of the country is the same as that of Eatonbridge, last described, the oak trees in it being in great plently, and in general growing to a very large size. The river Eden directs its course across it, towards Penshurst and the Medway, flowing near the walls of Hever castle, about a quarter of a mile southward from which is the village of Hever and the parsonage; near the northern side of the river is the seat of Polebrooke, late Douglass's, now Mrs. Susannah Payne's; and a little farther, the hamlets of Howgreen and Bowbeach; part of Linckhill borough, which is in the hundred of Ruxley, extends into this parish. There is a strange odd saying here, very frequent among the common people, which is this:
Jesus Christ never was but once at Hever.
And then he fell into the river.
Which can only be accounted for, by supposing that it alluded to a priest, who was carrying the bost to a sick person, and passing in his way over a bridge, sell with it into the river.
Hever was once the capital seat and manor of a family of the same name, whose still more antient possessions lay at Hever, near Northfleet, in this county, who bore for their arms, Gules, a cross argent. These arms, with a lable of three points azure, still remained in the late Mote-house, in Maidstone, and are quartered in this manner by the earl of Thanet, one of whose ancestors, Nicholas Tuston, esq. of Northiam, married Margaret, daughter and heir of John Hever of this county. (fn. 1)
William de Heure. possessed a moiety of this place in the reign of king Edward I. in the 2d of which he was was sheriff of this county, and in the 9th of it obtained a grant of free warren within his demesne lands in Heure, Chidingstone, and Lingefield.
Sir Ralph de Heure seems at this time to have possessed the other moiety of this parish, between whose son and heir, Ralph, and Nicholas, abbot of St. Augustine's, there had been, as appears by the register of that abbey, several disputes concerning lands in Hever, which was settled in the 4th year of king Edward I. by the abbot's granting to him and his heirs for ever, the land which he held of him in Hever, to hold by the service of the fourth part of a knight's fee.
William de Hever, in the reign of king Edward III. became possessed of the whole of this manor, and new built the mansion here, and had licence to embattle it; soon after which he died, leaving two daughters his coheirs; one of whom, Joane, carried one moiety of this estate in marriage to Reginald Cobham, a younger son of the Cobhams of Cobham, in this county; (fn. 2) whence this part of Hever, to distinguish it from the other, acquired the name of Hever Cobham.
His son, Reginald lord Cobham, in the 14th year of that reign, obtained a charter for free warren within his demesne lands in Hever. (fn. 3) He was succeeded in this manor by his son, Reginald lord Cobham, who was of Sterborough castle, in Surry, whence this branch was stiled Cobhams of Sterborough.
The other moiety of Hever, by Margaret, the other daughter and coheir, went in marriage to Sir Oliver Brocas, and thence gained the name of Hever Brocas. One of his descendants alienated it to Reginald lord Cobham, of Sterborough, last mentioned, who died possessed of both these manors in the 6th year of king Henry IV.
His grandson, Sir Thomas Cobham, sold these manors to Sir Geoffry Bulleyn, a wealthy mercer of London, who had been lord mayor in the 37th year of king Henry VI. He died possessed of both Hever Cobham and Hever Brocas, in the 3d year of king Edward IV. leaving by Anne, his wife, eldest sister of Thomas, lord Hoo and Hastings, Sir William Bulleyn, of Blickling, in Norfolk, who married Margaret, daughter and coheir of Thomas Boteler, earl of Ormond, by whom he had a son and heir, Thomas, who became a man of eminent note in the reign of king Henry VIII. and by reason of the king's great affection to the lady Anne Bulleyn, his daughter, was in the 17th year of that reign, created viscount Rochford; and in the 21st year of it, being then a knight of the Garter, to that of earl of Wiltshire and Ormond; viz. Wiltshire to his heirs male, and Ormond to his heirs general.
He resided here, and added greatly to those buildings, which his grandfather, Sir Geoffry Bulleyn, began in his life time, all which he completely finished, and from this time this seat seems to have been constantly called HEVER-CASTLE.
He died in the 30th of the same reign, possessed of this castle, with the two manors of Hever Cobham and Brocas, having had by Elizabeth his wife, daughter of Thomas Howard, duke of Norfolk, one sonGeorge, executed in his life time; and two daughters, Anne, wife to king Henry VIII. and Mary, wife of William Carey, esquire of the body, and ancestor of the lords Hunsdon and the earls of Dover and Monmouth.
On the death of the earl of Wiltshire, without issue male, who lies buried in this church, under an altar tomb of black marble, on which is his figure, as large as the life, in brass, dressed in the robes of the Garter, the king seised on this castle and these manors, in right of his late wife, the unfortunate Anne Bulleyn, the earl's daughter, who resided at Hever-castle whilst the king courted her, there being letters of both extant, written by them from and to this place, and her chamber in it is still called by her name; and they remained in his hands till the 32d year of his reign, when he granted to the lady Anne of Cleves, his repudiated wife, his manors of Hever, Seale, and Kemsing, among others, and his park of Hever, with its rights, members, and appurtenances, then in the king's hands; and all other estates in Hever, Seale, and Kemsing, lately purchased by him of Sir William Bulleyn and William Bulleyn, clerk, to hold to her during life, so long as she should stay within the realm, and not depart out of it without his licence, at the yearly rent of 931. 13s. 3½d. payable at the court of augmention. She died possessed of the castle, manors, and estates of Hever, in the 4th and 5th year of king Philip and queen Mary, when they reverted again to the crown, where they continued but a short time, for they were sold that year, by commissioners authorised for this purpose, to Sir Edward Waldegrave and dame Frances his wife; soon after which the park seems to have have been disparked.
This family of Waldegrave, antiently written Walgrave, is so named from a place, called Walgrave, in the county of Northampton, at which one of them was resident in the reign of king John, whose descendants afterwards settled in Essex, and bore for their arms, Per pale argent and gules. Warine de Walgrave is the first of them mentioned, whose son, John de Walgrave, was sheriff of London, in the 7th year of king John's reign, whose direct descendant was Sir Edward Waldegrave, who purchased this estate, as before mentioned. (fn. 5) He had been a principal officer of the household to the princess Mary; at the latter end of the reign of king Edward VI. he incurred the king's displeasure much by his attachment to her interest, and was closely imprisoned in the Tower; but the king's death happening soon afterwards, queen Mary amply recompensed his sufferings by the continued marks of her favour and bounty, which she conferred on him; and in the 4th and 5th years of that reign, he obtained, as above mentioned, on very easy terms, the castle and manors of Hever Cobham and Brocas; and besides being employed by the queen continually in commissions of trust and importance, had many grants of lands and other favours bestowed on him. But on the death of queen Mary, in 1558, he was divested of all his employments, and committed prisoner to the Tower, (fn. 6) where he died in the 3d year of queen Elizabeth. He left two sons, Charles, his heir; and Nicholas, ancestor to those of Boreley, in Essex; and several daughters.
Charles Waldegrave succeeded his father in his estates in this parish; whose son Edward received the honour of knighthood at Greenwich, in 1607, and though upwards of seventy years of age, at the breaking out of the civil wars, yet he nobly took arms in the king's defence, and having the command of a regiment of horse, behaved so bravely, that he had conferred on him the dignity of a baronet, in 1643; after which he continued to act with great courage in the several attacks against the parliamentary forces, in which time he lost two of his sons, and suffered in his estate to the value of fifty thousand pounds.
His great grandson, Sir Henry Waldegrave, in 1686, in the 1st year of king James II. was created a peer, by the title of baron Waldegrave of Chewton, in Somersetshire, and had several offices of trust conferred on him; but on the Revolution he retired into France, and died at Paris, in 1689. (fn. 7) He married Henrietta, natural daughter of king James II. by Arabella Churchill, sister of John duke of Marlborough, by whom he had James, created earl of Waldegrave in the 3d year of king George II. who, in the year 1715, conveyed the castle and these manors to Sir William Humfreys, bart. who that year was lord mayor of the city of London. He was of Barking, in Essex, and had been created a baronet in 1714. He was descended from Nathaniel Humfreys, citizen of London, the second son of William ap Humfrey, of Montgomery, in North Wales, and bore for his arms two coats, Quarterly, 1st and 4th, sable, two nags heads erased argent; 2d and 3d, per pale or and gules, two lions rampant endorsed, counterchanged.
He died in 1735, leaving by his first wife, Margaret, daughter of William Wintour, of Gloucestershire, an only son and heir, Sir Orlando Humfreys, bart. who died in 1737, having had by Ellen, his wife, only child of colonel Robert Lancashire, three sons and two daughters; two of the sons died young; Robert, the second and only surviving son, had the castle and manors of Hever Cobham and Brocas, and died before his father possessed of them, as appears by his epitaph, in 1736, ætat. 28.
On Sir Orlando's death his two daughters became his, as well as their brother's, coheirs, of whom Mary, the eldest, had three husbands; first, William Ball Waring, of Dunston, in Berkshire, who died in 1746, without issue; secondly, John Honywood, esq. second brother of Richard, of Mark's-hall, who likewife died without issue, in 1748; and lastly, Thomas Gore, esq. uncle to Charles Gore, esq. M.P. for Hertfordshire; which latter had married, in 1741, Ellen Wintour, the only daughter of Sir Orlando Humfreys, above mentioned.
They, with their husbands, in 1745, joined in the sale of Hever-castle and the manors of Hever Cobham and Hever Brocas, to Timothy Waldo. He was descended from Thomas Waldo, of Lyons, in France, one of the first who publicly opposed the doctrines of the church of Rome, of whom there is a full account in the Atlas Geograph. vol. ii. and in Moreland's History of the Evangelical Churches of Piedmont. One of his descendants, in the reign of queen Elizabeth, to escape the persecution of the duke D'Alva, came over to England, where he and his descendants afterwards settled, who bore for their arms, Argent a bend azure, between three leopards heads of the second; of whom, in king Charles II.'s reign, there were three brothers, the eldest of whom, Edward, was knighted, and died without male issue, leaving two daughters his coheirs; the eldest of whom, Grace, married first Sir Nicholas Wolstenholme, bart. and secondly, William lord Hunsdon, but died without issue by either of them, in 1729. The second brother was of Harrow, in Middlesex; and Timothy, the third, was an eminent merchant of London, whose grandsons were Edward, who was of South Lambeth, esq. and died in 1783, leaving only one daughter; and Timothy, of Clapham, esquire, the purchaser of this estate, as above mentioned, who was afterwards knighted, and died possessed of it, with near thirteen hundred acres of land round it, in 1786; he married, in 1736, Miss Catherine Wakefield, by whom he left an only daughter and heir, married to George Medley, esq. of Sussex, lady Waldo surviving him is at this time intitled to it.
The castle is entire, and in good condition; it has a moat round it, formed by the river Eden, over which there is a draw bridge, leading to the grand entrance, in the gate of which there is yet a port cullis, within is a quadrangle, round which are the offices, and a great hall; at the upper end of which, above a step, is a large oak table, as usual in former times. The great stair case leads up to several chambers and to the long gallery, the cieling of which is much ornamented with soliage in stucco; the rooms are all wainscotted with small oaken pannels, unpainted. On one side of the gallery is a recess, with an ascent of two steps, and one seat in it, with two returns, capable of holding ten or twelve persons, which, by tradition, was used as a throne, when king Henry VIII. visited the castle. At the upper end of the gallery, on one side of a large window, there is in the floor a kind of trap door, which, when opened, discovers a narrow and dark deep descent, which is said to reach as far as the moat, and at this day is still called the dungeon. In a closet, in one of the towers, the window of which is now stopped up, there is an adjoining chamber, in which queen Anne Bulleyn is said to have been consined after her dis grace. The entrance to this closet, from the chamber, is now by a small door, which at that time was a secret sliding pannel, and is yet called Anne Bulleyn's pannel.
In the windows of Hever-castle are these arms; Argent, three buckles gules, within the garter; a shield of four coasts, Howard, Brotherton, Warren, and Mowbray, argent three buckles gules; a shield of eight coats, viz. Bulleyn, Hoo, St. Omer, Malmains, Wickingham, St. Leger, Wallop, and Ormond; and one, per pale argent and gules, for Waldegrave. (fn. 8)
It is reported, that when Henry VIII. with his attendants, came to the top of the hill, within sight of the castle, he used to wind his bugle horn, to give notice of his approach.
There was a court baron constantly held for each of the above manors till within these forty years, but at present there is only one, both manors being now esteemed but as one, the circuit of which, over the neighbouring parishes, is very extensive.
SEYLIARDS is an estate here which extends itself into the parishes of Brasted and Eatonbridge, but the mansion of it is in this parish, and was the antient seat of the Seyliards, who afterwards branched out from hence into Brasted, Eatonbridge, Chidingstone, and Boxley, in this county.
The first of this name, who is recorded to have possessed this place, was Ralph de Seyliard, who resided here in the reign of king Stephen.
Almerick de Eureux, earl of Gloucester, who lived in the reign of king Henry III. demised lands to Martin at Seyliard, and other lands, called Hedinden, to Richard Seyliard, both of whom were sons of Ralph at Seyliard, and the latter of them was ancestor to those seated here and at Delaware, in Brasted. (fn. 9)
This place continued in his descendants till Sir Tho. Seyliard of Delaware, passed it away to John Petley, esq. who alienated it to Sir Multon Lambarde, of Sevenoke, and he died possessed of it in 1758; and it is now the property of his grandson, Multon Lambarde, of Sevenoke, esq.
Charities.
A PERSON gave, but who or when is unknown, but which has time out of mind been distributed among the poor of this parish, the sum of 10s. yearly, to be paid out of land vested in the churchwardens, and now of that annual produce.
The Rev. JOHN PETER gave by will, about 1661, the sum of 10s. yearly, to be paid for the benefit of poor farmers only, out of land vested in the rector, the heirs of Wm. Douglass, and the heirs of Francis Bowty, and now of that annual produce.
The Rev. GEORGE BORRASTON, rector, and several of the parishioners, as appears by a writing dated in 1693, purchased, with money arising from several bequests, the names of the donors unknown, except that of WILLIAM FALKNER, to which the parishioners added 15l. a piece of land, the rent to be distributed yearly among the poor of the parish, vested in the rector and churchwardens, and of the annual produce of 3l. 12s.
Rev. THOMAS LANCASTER, rector, gave by will in 1714, for buying good books for the poor, and in case books are not wanting for the schooling of poor children at the discretion of the mimister, part of a policy on lives, which was exchanged for a sum of money paid by his executor, being 20l. vested in the minister and churchwardens.
SIR TIMOTHY WALDO gave by will in 1786, 500l. consolidated 3 per cent. Bank Annuities, one moiety of the interest of which to be applied for the placing of some poor boy of the parish apprentice to a farmer, or some handicraft trade, or to the sea service, or in cloathing such poor boy during his apprenticeship, and in case no such poor boy can be found, this moiety to be distributed among such of the industrious poor who do not receive alms. The other moiety to be laid out in buying and distributing flannel waistcoats, or strong shoes, or warm stockings, among such of the industrious or aged poor persons inhabiting within this parish, as do not receive alms, vested in the Salters Company.
HEVER is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Rochester, and being a peculiar of the archbishop, is as such within the deanry of Shoreham. The church, which stands at the east end of the village, is a small, but neat building, consisting of one isle and two chancels, having a handsome spire at the west end of it. It is dedicated to St. Peter.
Among other monuments and inscriptions in it are the following:—In the isle is a grave-stone, on which is the figure of a woman, and inscription in black letter in brass, for Margaret, wife of William Cheyne, obt. 1419, arms, a fess wavy between three crescents.—In the chancel, a memorial for Robert Humfreys, esq. lord of the manor of Heaver, only son and heir of Sir Orlando Humfreys, bart. of Jenkins, in Effex, obt. 1736. Against the wall is a brass plate, with the figure of a man kneeling at a desk, and inscription in black letter for William Todde, schoolmaster to Charles Waldegrave, esq. obt. 1585.—In the north chancel, an altar tomb, with the figure on it at large in brass, of Sir Thomas Bullen, knight of the garter, earl of Wilcher and earl of Ormunde, obt. 1538. A small slab with a brass plate, for ........ Bullayen, the son of Sir Thomas Bullayen.—In the belsry, a stone with a brass plate, and inscription in black letter in French, for John de Cobham, esquire, obt. 1399, and dame Johane, dame de Leukenore his wife, and Renaud their son; near the above is an antient altar tomb for another of that name, on which is a shield of arms in brass, or, on a chevron, three eagles displayed, a star in the dexter point. These were the arms of this branch of the Cobhams, of Sterborough-castle. (fn. 10)
This church is a rectory, the advowson of which belonged to the priory of Combwell, in Goudhurst, and came to the crown with the rest of its possessions at the time of the surrendry of it, in the 7th year of king Henry VIII. in consequence of the act passed that year for the surrendry of all religious houses, under the clear yearly revenue of two hundred pounds. Soon after which this advowson was granted, with the scite of the priory, to Thomas Colepeper, but he did not long possess it; and it appears, by the Escheat Rolls, to have come again into the hands of the crown, and was granted by the king, in his 34th year, to Sir John Gage, to hold in capite by knights service; who exchanged it again with Tho. Colepeper, to confirm which an act passed the year after. (fn. 11) His son and heir, Alexander Colepeper, had possession granted of sundry premises, among which was the advowson of Hever, held in capite by knights service, in the 3d and 4th years of king Philip and queen Mary; the year after which it was, among other premises, granted to Sir Edward Waldegrave, to hold by the like tenure.
Charles Waldegrave, esq. in the 12th year of queen Elizabeth, alienated this advowson to John Lennard, esq. of Chevening, and being entailed to his heirs male, by the last will of Sampson Lennard, esq. his eldest son, under the word hereditament possessed it, and it being an advowson in gross, was never disentailed by Henry, Richard, or Francis, lords Dacre, his descendants, so that it came to Thomas lord Dacre, son of the last mentioned Francis, lord Dacre, afterwards earl of Sussex, in 1673, and at length sole heir male of the descendants of John Lennard, esq. of Chevening, above mentioned; and the same trial was had for the claim of a moiety of it, at the Queen's-bench bar, as for the rest of the earl's estates, and a verdict then obtained in his favour, as has been already fully mentioned before, under Chevening.
The earl of Sussex died possessed of it in 1715, (fn. 12) whose two daughters, his coheirs, on their father's death became entitled to this advowson, and a few years afterwards alienated the same.
It then became the property of the Rev. Mr. Geo. Lewis, as it has since of the Rev. Mr. Hamlin, whose daughter marrying the Rev. Mr. Nott, of Little Horsted, in Sussex, he is now intitled to it.
In the 15th year of king Edward I. this church of Heure was valued at fifteen marcs.
By virtue of a commission of enquiry, taken by order of the state, in 1650, issuing out of chancery, it was returned, that Hever was a parsonage, with a house, and twelve acres of glebe land, which, with the tithes, were worth seventy-seven pounds per annum, master John Petter being then incumbent, and receiving the profits, and that Francis lord Dacre was donor of it. (fn. 13)
This rectory was valued, in 1747, at 1831. per annum, as appears by the particulars then made for the sale of it.
It is valued, in the king's books, at 15l. 17s. 3½d. and the yearly tenths at 1l. 10s. 8¾d. It is now of the yearly value of about 200l.
¶The priory of Combwell, in Goudhurst, was endowed by Robert de Thurnham, the founder of that house, in the reign of king Henry II. with his tithe of Lincheshele and sundry premises in this parish, for which the religious received from the rector of this church the annual sum of 43s. 4d.
Taken in 1975.
St. Peter's Square from the front of St. Peter's itself, looking eastward toward the Egyptian obelisk. Berninin's brilliant colonnade is all around the square, and the scale of the place is indicated by the size of the people at its furthest reaches.
St Peter's at Thorington is a lovely place and one that feels very welcoming to visitors. Its round tower is a delight and one of the earliest and most attractive of its kind, early Norman with hints of Saxon design in the blind arcading of its lower parts. The building beyond is a neat two cell structure of nave and chancel, the latter rebuilt in the Victorian period, but this church retains its ancient atmosphere regardless.
Within the Victorian chancel with its colourful glass draws the eye but the medieval nave with its oak roof and quaint carvings (which appear post-medieval but nevertheless rustic) speaks of earlier times along with the fine medieval font situated below the tower, making its lower part a baptistry. The bowl of the font is 13th century but the more ornate stem is 15th century and adorned with entertaining carved beasts.
Atop the font I found a selection of juices presented for the benefit of travellers like myself which was a lovely thoughtful touch by the good people of Thorington (and on a baking hot day like the one I visited on it was hugely appreciated!). I indulged and put money in the honesty box accordingly. A charming church open to all where strangers are clearly welcomed.
Another of the abandoned churches of the Lincolnshire Wolds. This is St Peter's in Asterby, dating back to the 14th Century. The church is in a state of disrepair, although now no longer owned by the church authorities so the repairs are a bit hit and miss.
St Peter at the Waterfront, St Peter's Street, Ipswich
In 2008, I wrote: St Peter is a landmark church on the north side of Stoke Bridge, overlooking a busy junction. When the church was built, the river was wider, and this must have been a waterside church. It is the first of a line of three medieval dockside churches about 150m each apart. Its fine west tower makes it seem much bigger than it actually is, and the great view when approaching from the south or west is a modern, unfamiliar one; until 20 years ago, this church was surrounded by urban clutter. St Peter's tower has not been seen from a distance like this for hundreds of years, and perhaps never, because this has always been an urban, industrial parish. Indeed, because this is the oldest part of Ipswich, and Ipswich is England's longest continually occupied town, this is perhaps England's longest continually occupied urban parish.
Views from the east, however, are dismal and more typical. After this church was declared redundant in the early 1970s, it fell into a terrible state, at the time the most pitiful of all Ipswich churches. When St Peter was made redundant this was a far less busy area, and it was easy for vandals to break in and cause damage. This church was important enough for George Gilbert Scott to have been responsible for the considerable 1870s restoration of the nave and chancel, but this Victorian work seemed to be nearing the end of its structural life. The land here is very soft, and although St Peter doesn't suffer the problems that caused the closure of adjacent St Mary at Quay, there were cracks in the nave walls that have had to be urgently addressed.
As at St Stephen and St Lawrence, the main entrance is from the west, and there are elaborate niches flanking the doorway. This view has benefited greatly from the late 1990s restoration, of which more in a moment. To the east, the factory has been demolished, and this whole area is now part of Ipswich's biggest regeneration programme since the 1960s, the Waterside development. Soon, St Peter's neighbours will include an apartment block more than 20 storeys high, and the dockside silos and factories are being replaced by designer flats, bars and hotels. The wet dock itself is now a large marina. One day, this may well be a wonderful setting for the church. For now, it is still a bit of a building site.
Coming here in 2006 was a slightly distressing experience. Inside, the damage caused by vandalism, settlement and weather were readily apparent. The east window was still partly boarded up (at one time, they all were) and the paint had peeled from the walls. Virtually all the fixtures had gone, and so there was a poignancy about the way the altar and pulpit were dressed. But when I had first seen it, in the early 1990s, it had been much worse than this. The Ipswich Historic Churches Trust, which took over the care of St Peter, allowed it to be used by a model railway club for nearly 20 years. The nave was tightly packed with model train layouts, the arcades draped with electric cables, making a proper appreciation of the integrity of the interior impossible. This church was terribly uncared for, and it all seemed a shame.
This church was only open on the Historic Churches bike ride day, (unless, of course, you joined the model railway club), but a visit was always desirable, because St Peter has one great treasure. It has the finest black Tournai marble font in England. There are only 9 others, including St Peter's near-twin in Lincoln Cathedral. It is a mystery why the Anglican diocese allowed this to remain in such a vulnerable building when so much else - organ, benches, fittings - had been removed.
When a church falls redundant, the font is often the first thing to go, pressed into service at some other church. But here, the massive black square block remained, brooding, with its primitive carvings of lions. Once seen, this 12th century art treasure is never forgotten. And yet, for 364 days a year, the town's most important early-medieval artifact was locked away with the train-sets and the damp. Few decisions could have been more short-sighted. But it survived, of course, and has no doubt survived much worse over the centuries, and sits just to the east of the soaring tower arch.
St Peter's other treasure is the so-called 'Wolsey's gateway', a watergate which is all that remains of the school planned by Cardinal Wolsey as a feeder to his Oxford college. The school was never completed, its stone taken for use elsewhere in the town. The gateway itself, built into St Peter's south churchyard wall, is of mild interest, I suppose, its crest and brickwork eaten away by acidic fumes from the thousands of cars that pass within a few feet everyday. I don't suppose the Victorian factory fumes did it much good either.
The five medieval churches of Ipswich town centre which were declared redundant in the 1970s and 1980s were handed to the Borough Council, who established the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust to look after them. It was something of a poisoned chalice for those who became the churches' stewards, for there was little money available to be spent on them. Indeed, it sometimes appeared as if the financial problem was deliberately intended as a spur for the Trust to find fully commercial uses for the buildings.
In 1999, there was a chance of a business use for St Peter. Acorn Office Supplies, an established office equipment firm out on one of the industrial estates, were looking for a town centre showroom. The model railway club were sent packing, and the building was given an extensive (and essential) programme of restoration, revealing superb exterior flintwork, as bubbly as lace. Planning permission was obtained to convert St Peter into offices and a showroom for Acorn.
The firm was full of promises about allowing access to the font, which would have been a great thing for the town. Unfortunately, when John Blatchly of the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust wrote to me in November 2001 it was to say that Acorn Office Equipment had withdrawn. This is a great disappointment to us, he wrote, for the public were to have had access to much of the building during office hours, there would have been no permanent changes to the fabric of the building, and significant improvements would have been made to the building’s facilities and decorative state.
There had never been a satisfactory commercial reuse of a medieval church in Ipswich, and it wasn't going to happen this time. Chastened perhaps by the possible ultimate cost of the conversion, Acorn remained on their industrial estate. And, of course, they were correct to do so, because nowadays who in their right mind would go into a town centre to look at office furniture, when there is a perfectly good supplier on the edge of town?
And therein lies the problem. As planning laws have loosened, and buildings can be constructed swiftly with cheaper materials, no commercial organisation in its right mind was going to spend the seven figure sum required to bring a redundant medieval building up to standard. The early years of the new millennium really were dark days for the redundant town centre churches, because it really looked as if a quarter of a century's neglect might lead to their ultimate demise.
When I last wrote about this church in 2006, I asked a simple question. What should happen to St Peter? In this redevelopment area, everything was up for grabs; a borough that can give planning permission for a 23 storey block beside a medieval church is presumably capable of doing more or less anything to the church itself. St Peter's tower has become a landmark, an essential part of the townscape, and the font is a national treasure. I suggested then that perhaps the best way forward was to primarily consider the conservation of these two features, perhaps by demolishing the rest of the structure and turning it into a garden, perhaps entered through Wolsey's gateway. The font could then be enclosed beneath the tower by a glass atrium to east of the elegant tower arch. This may have sounded radical, but this is an area where radical ideas were being enthusiastically implemented, andwas in any case no more radical than the Brooke Report of the 1960s, which advised that redundant medieval churches should be demolished and the land sold.
There are many differences between the Britain of thirty years ago, when St Peter became redundant, and the Britain of today. Primarily, of course, we are now a rich country, and can afford the luxury of maintaining our priceless heritage more than we could then - unless we plan to cash in the family silver and spend the proceeds on the bombing of Middle Eastern countries, of course.
Secondly, a vast heritage industry has grown up in that time; people are now obsessed with the past, and historically themed villages and electronically enhanced 'experiences' cater for their hunger. There's nothing we like so much these days as a wander through a Viking town, or watching a medieval cobbler at work, or various troops of the Civil War beating seven shades out of each other.
Thirdly, there is a hunger for a sense of the numinous; people are searching for something that they didn't seem to want thirty years ago. Sometimes this is satisfied by New Age mysticism, but the Churches still have a lot to offer - the Church of England seems to have at last begun to grasp that most people don't want to attend Sunday services, but they may still want to wander into a church and look around, and to sit and to meditate. People go into a church when they want to pray or if they only want a good cry. They won't necessarily come back on Sunday - although, of course, they might - but the church building itself offers them a spiritual shelter, at least if it is open during the day, which most in Ipswich town centre are.
Fourthly, there is a huge passion in North America and Australia for tracing ancestral roots. Look at the visitors book in any East Anglian village church; a large proportion of the names will be of people returning to the village that their ancestors left perhaps centuries ago. They always make for the church. This wasn't the case thirty years ago.
Fifthly, television and books have created a fascination with art and architecture that most people did not tap into before. Programmes about churches and castles have unbelievably large followings. People can tell you what a clerestory is and what a hammerbeam was for in a way that they couldn't in the past.
It seemed to me that all these points needed to be taken into account when considering the future of redundant medieval churches. At the time I wrote that, the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust still seemed stuck in the 1980s, pursuing commercial solutions to the problem of finding new uses for its empty churches. But as a member of the IHCT committee confided in me, this is not going to happen; not at St Peter, and not at most of the other redundant churches. No business is going to pour cash into old buildings with poor service access, when there are now so few restrictions on building afresh on brownfield and even greenfield sites.
I finished my 2006 polemic by stating what I firmly believed to be true: there will never be a commercial use for this building. But I also believed that the future for St Peter, if it exists, must be a sustainable one. I asked what could be done to make people actually want to go to St Peter, and to persuade us that it is worth paying for, through our taxes or even through our pockets?
Even as I was typing that, plans were afoot to actually do something about St Peter. Now, I hope it doesn't sound too immodest of me to point out that my suggested future for the redundant nearby church of St Lawrence has come almost exactly true, so I am happy to report that here, at St Peter, the planners did not take me up on my suggestion of demolishing the nave and chancel. However, once it became clear that there was no possible commercial future for the building, people with energy started getting clever, and finding out about grant-funding and public sector finance. This was a sea-change in thinking, and an extremely important one, because today in England, only the public sector can afford to take on projects of this type. Here at St Peter, the church has been transformed into a concert space which will be home to the Ipswich Hospital Band, one of the best of its kind in the country.
The transformation has been a gentle one. A raked stage has been built up within the chancel, the floor has been replaced, the walls have been decorated, and the stained glass restored. It is simply and pleasingly done, and cost a good deal less than the £1.2 million required at St Lawrence. The Ipswich Millennium Tapestries are on permanent display, there is a local history exhibit, and the building is open every day for visitors.
At the turn of the Millennium, only one of the five churches had any sustainable future. Now, all five of them have a secure life ahead, and four of them are already in use - only St Clement waits to see what the Waterfront will make of it. For anyone who knew these churches twenty years ago, it is a most heart-warming experience to visit them now.
St Peter, Bolton, Greater Manchester, 1867-71.
South Aisle Window.
By Shrigley & Hunt, c1918.
Detail.
Dedicated to the memory of Leonard Wild 1910, aged 84 Eliza Wild 1918, aged 88 by their children
Hudson, Shrigley & Co were originally church decorators in Lancaster. In about 1871 they employed Arthur Hunt as the company manager. He was from Hertfordshire and had trained as a stained glass maker with Heaton, Butler & Bayne. Within 8 years, Hunt had taken over control of the company, employing talented artists like Carl Almquist and Edward Jewitt. Almquist became the company's chief designer in 1873 and from 1879 was working mainly from their new London studio. Most of the company's work can be found in the North of England but they were one of the pre-eminent manufacturers of stained glass in the 19th century. They worked with many of the major architects of the day. The company ceased trading in 1982.
It is the weekend. Again.
And with Jools suffering a relapse in her chesty cough, we slept late and I said I'd go to Tesco first thing, before coffee, and she could get dressed in her own time.
So I grabbed my coat, the shopping bags and shopping list, put them in the car and drove to Tesco. First up was to fill the car with petrol, then drive round to park up, get a trolley and head into the store, grabbing a scanner on the way in.
Apart from the weekly things, I got some stuffing mix and more blocks of butter for Christmas. Meaning that apart from the fruit and veg and milk, we are all abut done here.
Yay us.
Back home for coffee, unload the car and put shopping away, before finally having breakfast 1 of fruit then bacon butties and brews for breakfast 2.
That's better.
The plan for the day was for some local churchcrawling. After some internet research I had the name of the keyholder at Bekesbourne, I called but was told she was out but would be back "soon". OK, in which case we would visit some other nearby churches and go there last.
Not far to Barham from Chez Jelltex, just along the A2, overtaking lorries and slow cars until we turned off at Wootton, down past the filling station and into Barham, stopping on the road beside the church.
Barham is always open, I thought, no worries here. As I got out all my camera gear and lugged it over the road and through the churchyard.
Round on the north side, we arrive at the porch and I find the door is locked after all. No news of a keyholder, but next week there is a coffee morning. If we feel OK after our COVID booster, we might go along.
Its a short drive along the Elham Valley to Bridge. And yes there is really a place called Bridge, and it does have a bridge. A bridge in Bridge, which takes the old Watling Street and high road over the bed of the Nailbourne.
Bridge never lets us down. And indeed it was open, door ajar, and soon a warden came and put all the lights on so snapping was easier. I'd not missed much on previous visits, but with a new-ish lens, it was always worth in redoing shots. I did have the big lens with me, great for details of carvings and in stained glass windows, which I photograph enthusiastically.
From Bridge, its a five minute drive to Patrixbourne.
I wanted to come back here to take close up details of the Tympanum and rose window from the outside, so it wasn't too much of a loss that the door was locked after all.
So, I set about getting my shots and rattle off a couple of hundred.
Back to the car, and next village along is Bekesbourne, where I had called earlier. The keyholder lives in a "large while building opposite the church", the website said. Yes, it's a palace.
An actual palace.
So, there was scruffy me shambling up the large door, ringing the bell and asking if the church keyholder was in.
She wasn't.
And her husband wasn't too keen on letting me have it.
Now I know how to get it, there'll be plenty of other times.
I leave, but on the way back to the main road, a large Audi passes us, and pretty much the only place she could be going was the palace: should we go back?
No, there'll be other times.
We head home, back along the A2, but calling in at Jen's to do some admin. That done it was back home, all back by one, and ready for some more World Cup action from the sofa.
Lunch was pizza and beer, done in ten minutes and easy as anything, so the main task of the day was to fight my heavy eyelids that threatened to send me to sleep.
Argentina beat Mexico in a bad tempered game, then France beat Denmark 2-1, by which time it was nine and time for bed.
Phew.
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LOCATION: Situated on Upper Chalk (just above the Nailbourne floodplain) at about 90 feet above O.D. with the main Roman road to Dover immediately to the north-east. Bridge Place is about a ¼ mile to the south-west, and its mother-church of Patrixbourne is about ¾ miles to the north-east. Canterbury is just under 3 miles to the north-west.
DESCRIPTION: Unfortunately the church was disastrously over-restored in 1859 by Scott (John Newman, B.O.E. (N.E. and Kent 3rd ed. 1983), 159, says it was 'done with grotesque insensitivity'). However, with the help of Glynne's description (of 1846), and various early 19th century views, as well as the few surviving medieval features, it is possible to work out something of the architectural history. Externally it has been completely refaced with heavy knapped flint, and Bathstone dressings, but the core of all the main walls, except the Vestry on the north-east and the tower stair-turret must be medieval. The west end of the north aisle also appears to have been extended westwards in 1859.
There had been an earlier small-scale repewing in 1836, followed by a restoration by Scott in 1857. The complete rebuilding took place in 1859-60, with most of the money coming from Mrs Gregory of Bridge Hill.
From the surviving remains, there is no doubt that the nave, chancel, south aisle and tower-base all date from the 12th century. It is also possible that the nave itself dates from the late 11th century, but there is no visible evidence for this. The west doorway to the nave is of a mid- to later 12th century date, and unlike virtually everything else on the outside of the church was not totally renewed in 1859. There is a decorated round-headed archway with water-leaf capitals, and much original Caenstone survives. The internal north jamb to the doorway is also mostly of original diagonally-tooled Caenstone blocks. On the north-east side of the chancel is a round-headed (c. mid-12th century) window, which was unblocked in 1859. Glynne in 1846 refers to two 'closed' windows on the north side of the chancel, and 'on the south a fine doorway and two windows, now closed; the former has fine chevron mouldings'. This doorway was reset on the east side of the north-east vestry in 1859, but its fine chevroned arch, over scalloped capitals, is still visible as an entrance to the vestry lobby. The south aisle and south-west tower seem to have been added in the later 12th century. The arcade had already gone by 1846, but part of a respond (with nook-shafts) still survives at the extreme east end. Just beyond this, in the east wall, a fragment of the north jamb of a 12th century window survives. This south aisle had a low southwall until 1859, and its steep-pitched roof continued the line of the main nave roof. The tower at the west end of this aisle has 1859 round-headed arches, on the north and east in a 'decorated Romanesque' style (? designed by Scott). Glynne tells us that originally they were 'very rude semicircular arches'. The south and east windows into the ground floor of the tower may be based on earlier 12th century ones.
During the earlier 13th century, a north transept chapel and north aisle were added. Glynne tells us that 'the north aisle is very low and narrow, divided from the nave by three rude pointed arches with large wall piers having no capitals or impost mouldings'. The pointed arches survive, though a fourth has been added on the west, as well as three extraordinary double piers. The eastern respond is mostly original, however, with bar-stopped chamfers. Another original arch (with bar-stopped chamfers) divides the north aisle from the north-east transept chapel. Glynne also says that there was a lancet at the west end of this aisle. The north-east chapel still has a pair of original lancets on the north (restored externally), and earlier there was apparently a hagioscope from this chapel into the chancel. The upper stage of the tower may be 13th century.
The one later medieval feature that survives is the 3-light early perpendicular window in the west wall of the nave. This too still contains quite a lot of original masonry, and may date from the late 14th century. The 2-light east window, now rebuilt, was probably early 14th century ('poor Middle Pointed' according to Glynne). The early 19th century views show a pair of two-light late perpendicular windows with square hoods on the south side of the chancel.
The chancel still contains some early 16th century fittings, and a roodloft was documented as being made in 1522 (see below). On the north side of the sanctuary are two low rectangular niches which contain the two halves of the effigy for Macobus Kasey (ob. 1512). Above and just to the west of this is some relief sculpture (also ? early 16th century) in a tympanum panel. Was this set originally inside a 12th century doorway? Above this is an early 17th century painting of Robert Bargrave (ob. 1649). On the chancel south wall (at the west end) are fragments of a relief memorial to a vicar, Malcolm Ramsey (ob. 1538). He was vicar of Patrixbourne and Bridge for 44 years. These include part of an inscription.
The tower appears to have been given brick south-east and south-west buttresses in the 17th or 18th century. These were removed in 1859 when a south-east stair-turret was added to the tower. This was apparently restored in 1891.
BUILDING MATERIALS: (Incl. old plaster, paintings, glass, tiles etc.): Virtually the whole of the church has Bathstone dressings, with heavy knapped flint on the exterior. Some 12th century and later Caenstone does, however, survive.
EXCEPTIONAL MONUMENTS IN CHURCH: - see above
CHURCHYARD AND ENVIRONS:
Size, Shape: Large Rectangular area around with church, but with the north-east side cut off by the main (Roman) road to Dover (Bridge Hill). Large new extension to the south - ? Late 19th century.
Condition: Good
Apparent extent of burial: Burial in churchyard from at least 1474.
Boundary walls: To road on north-east, with gateway with brick piers and iron arch.
Ecological potential: ? Yes - many fastigiate yews (and other trees) in southern part of churchyard.
HISTORICAL RECORD (where known):
Earliest ref. to church: 13th century.
Late med. status: Vicarage (with Patrixbourne).
Patron: Goes with Patrixbourne church to which it was a chapel. After the Reformation, the patron was the owner of nearby Bifrons.
Other documentary sources: Hasted IX (1800), 289-290. Test. Cant. (E. Kent, 1907), 35-6 mentions the Holy Cross (Rood) light, as well as lights of Our Lady, St. Nicholas, St. Erasmus, the Trinity, St. Loye, St. Trunion, as well as St. Peter (? in the chancel). The Eastern Sepulchre mentioned in 1535, and 'the painting of the High Cross in the Roodloft in 1504 - also 'to the making of the Roodloft, 1522'.
SURVIVAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL DEPOSITS:
Inside present church: ? Good, except under east end of south aisle, where there is a sunken boiler house.
Outside present church: Good, but perhaps disturbed by the 1859 refacing and rebuilding.
Quinquennial inspection (date\architect): MAY 1993 A. CLAGUE
ARCHAEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT:
The church and churchyard: A 12th century nave, chancel, south aisle and south-west tower base, with an added earlier 13th century north aisle and north-east transept chapel, which was very heavily restored and refaced externally in 1859-60.
The wider context: One of a group of medieval parish churches, which was technically only a chapel-of-ease (to Patrixbourne, in this case).
REFERENCES: For the vicars, see W.A. Scott Roberton 'Patricksbourne church, and Bifrons' Arch. Cant. 14 (1882), 169-184. (A list of vicars, by T.S. Frampton (1900) is on the S.W. side of the nave). S.R. Glynne Churches of Kent (1877), 131-2 (he visited in 1846).
Plans and early drawings: Petrie view from S.W. in 1807, and views from S.W. and S. in 1828 in Victoria and Albert Museum. Also view of church from S.W. in oil (? early 19th cent.) and Watercolour of church from S.E. (June 1869) in the vestry and plan of graveyard (new part) in 1942 (also in vestry).
DATE VISITED: 21st February 1994 REPORT BY: Tim Tatton-Brown
www.kentarchaeology.org.uk/01/03/BRI.htm
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BRIDGE
LIES the next adjoining parish to Patrixborne southward, being written in old deeds, Bregge, and taking its name from the bridge, which was antiently over the stream which crosses it. This parish was in early times so considerable, as to give name both to the hundred and deanry in which it is situated.
IT IS SITUATED about two miles and an half eastward of Canterbury, on the high Dover road, formerly the Roman Watling-street way, which appears high and entire almost throughout it; in the valley on this road stands the village of Bridge, with the church and vicarage in it, a low moist situation, the bourn or stream of the Little Stour crossing it under a stone bridge, built a few years ago by the contributions of the neighbouring gentlemen. At a small distance southward is Bridge place, now inhabited by lady Yates, widow of the late judge Yates, and of Dr. Thomas, late bishop of Rochester. The hills, form which there is a most pleasing prospect, are wholly chalk, as are in general the other upland parts of it, towards the south especially, where the country is very barren, with heathy ground and woodland, and much covered with stones. In this part of the parish is Gosley wood, once belonging to St. Augustine's monastery, afterwards granted to Thomas Colepeper, esq. It belongs now to Mr. Beckingham.
The MANOR OF BLACKMANSBURY, alias BRIDGE, claims over the greatest part of it, and the manor of Patrixborne over that part of this parish on the north side of the Dover road. There are two boroughs in it, viz. of Blackmansbury and of Bridge.
The MANOR OF BLACKMANSBURY, alias BRIDGE, was parcel of the possessions of the abbey of St. Augustine, belonging to the sacristie, as appears by the registers of it, in which frequent mention is made of this manor, with the free tenants belonging to it, in Honpit, Rede, and Blackmansbury. In which state this manor continued till the suppression of the abbey in the 30th year of king Henry VIII. when it came into the king's hands, (fn. 1) where it remained till the 36th year of that reign, when this manor, with divers lands in Houndpit and Blackmanbury, was granted to Henry Laurence, to hold in capite by knight's service, and he that year held a court here; and in his descendants it continued till the 18th of queen Elizabeth's reign, when it was alienated by fine levied, by John Laurence, to William Partherich, esq. whose arms were, Vaire, argent and sable, on a chief of the second, three roses of the first. His grandson Sir Edward Partherich, of this place, passed it away in 1638 to Sir Arnold Braems, descended of a family originally out of Flanders, where his ancestors were opulent merchants. Jacob Braems, his ancestor, was of Dover, merchant, and built the great house now the Custom house there, where he resided. Sir Arnold Braems above-mentioned, bore for his arms, Sable, on a chief, argent, a demi lion Tampant, gules. He built a spacious and magnificent mansion on the scite of the antient court-lodge here, which he named BRIDGE-PLACE, in which he afterwards resided, as did his son Walter Braems, esq. till his death in 1692; but the great cost of building this seat so impoverished the estate, that his heirs, about the year 1704, were obliged to part with it, which they did by sale to John Taylor, esq. of Bisrons, who soon afterwards pulled down the greatest part of this mansion, leaving only one wing of it standing, the size and stateliness of which being of itself full sufficient for a gentleman's residence, cannot but give an idea of the grandeur of the whole building when entire. He died in 1729, since which this manor and seat has continued in his descendants, in like manner as Bisrons abovedescribed, down to his great-grandson Edward Taylor, esq. the present possessor of them. There is not any court held for this manor.
BEREACRE, now called Greatand Little Barakers is another manor in this parish, which in the 21st year of king Edward I. was in the possession of Walter de Kancia, as appears by an inquisition taken that year, at his decease; not long after which it has passed into a family of its own name. After this name was become extinct here, it came into the possession of the Litchfields, who owned much land about Eastry, Tilmanstone, and Betshanger, and in this name it continued till the 22d year of Edward IV. and then Roger Litchfield passed it away to Richard Haut, whose only daughter and heir Margery carried it in marriage to William Isaac, esq. of Patrixborne, from whose descendant Edward Isaac, about the latter end of king Henry VIII. it was sold to Petyt and Weekes, who joined in the sale of it to Naylor, of Renville, from which name it was alienated to Smith and Watkins; after which it was conveyed by sale to John Taylor, esq. of Bisrons, in whose descendants it has continued down to Edward Taylor, esq. the present owner of it.
Charities.
SIR HENRY PALMER, of Bekesborne, by will in 1611, gave 10s. to be yearly paid out of his manor of Well-court, towards the relief of the poor of it.
The poor constantly relieved are about eighteen, casually the same.
BRIDGE is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of its own name.
¶The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter, consists of three isles, a high chancel, and a north sept or chancel in the middle of the north isle. It has a spire steeple at the south-east corner, in which are three bells. In the high chancel, within the altar-rails, is a monument for Jane, second daughter of Walter Harslete, of Bekesborne, first wife of Sir Arnold Braems, ob 1635, and lies buried in St. Mary's church, in Dover; and for Elizabeth, (second daughter of Sir Dudley Diggs) his second wife, obt. 1645, and lies in the middle of this chancel. Against the north wall is a painted portrait of Robert Bargrave, gent. of Bridge, obt. 1649. Under a circular arch in the same wall are two rows of small imagery, carved in stone, the uppermost repre santing God the Father, with several figures on each side; the lower one, figures taken from the history of the Old Testament. Underneath these, in the hollow of the wall, is the figure of a man lying at full length, in robes, with his two hands joined and uplifted, having on his head seemingly a full perriwig. A memorial for John Hardy, esq. of Bridge-place, obt. 1779. On the east side of the south window is a hollow in the wall, and under it an inscription for Macobus Kasey, vicar of Patrixborne, obt. m.v.c.i.xii. and of his being vicar there xxi years. On the opposite side of the window is carved the figure of a scull, with a snake entering in at one eye, and the end of it out at the other, and a hand with a finger pointing up to it, as if it had been the cause of the person's death, and several bones are interspersed about it. The north chancel is made use of for a school, by voluntary contributions. On the south side of the chancel is a circular arched door-way, with Saxon ornaments. In the register are many entries, from the year 1580 to 1660, of the family of Bargrave, alias Bargar, residents in this parish, and one for Thomas, son of John Cheney, gent. who died in 1620.
The church of Bridge, which is a vicarage, was always esteemed as a chapel to the church of Patrixborne, and as such is included in the valuation of that vicarage in the king's books, the vicar of which is instituted and inducted into that vicarage, with the chapel of Bridge annexed to it. (fn. 2)
The parsonage of this parish therefore, as an appendage to that of Patrixborne, is the property of Edward Taylor, esq. of Bifrons. In 1588 here were eightynine communicants, in 1640 one hundred and twenty.
The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome. (2/25/2019)
The tower seen here dates to 1970.
As is the case with many churches in this part of Europe, it was damaged by war and fire, most recently on June 29, 1941, when the church was severely damaged by artillery fire. Consequently, it is difficult to know the age of the stonework seen in this photo.
More about the church from Wikipedia:
Conservation and restoration began 1954 with research by architect Pēteris Saulītis. The work was carried out from 1967 to 1983 under the direction of Saulītis and architect Gunārs Zirnis.
Renovation began with the metal tower frame. A rooster – a precise reproduction of the previous rooster and the seventh rooster in all – was placed atop the steeple 21 August 1970. The renovated tower clock began to show time in July 1975. According to tradition, it has only an hour hand.
The bell music began in 1976; it plays the Latvian folk melody "Rīga dimd" five times a day and bells ring at the top of every hour. The tower has an elevator installed that allows visitors a view of Riga from a height of 72 metres (236 ft).
Renovation of the interior of the church ended in 1984. The polish company "PKZ" restored the main facade and portals in 1987–91. The St. Peter's Latvian Lutheran congregation resumed services in the church 1991, and the church was returned to the ownership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia on 4 April 2006.
During World War II, the church lost an important object of cultural heritage - an impressive bronze candelabrum made in 1596 - which was taken to the town of Włocławek by Germans from Riga, resettled during "Heim ins Reich" action to annexed Polish territories.
The 310 cm high and 378 cm wide candelabrum, previously called a standing lantern, was ordered by the City Council of Riga from the metal founder Hans Meyer’s Riga foundry.
After the war, it was displayed in Włocławek's Basilica Cathedral of the St. Mary of Assumption.
On 1 March 2012 this piece of the Late Renaissance art returned to its ancient home, as a result of an agreement on the repatriation of cultural properties. The statue of the rooster on the top of the church weighs 158 kg and 140 grams of gold were used to gold plate the statue. [6][7]
For even more about the church, click here:
Other than being a medieval creation from the 14th or 15th century, it's hard to see how St Peter's could have been further improved by Sir George Gilbert Scott in 1858. The church, a replacement for a genuinely medieval one, was commissioned by Rev. John Lucy and designed by Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson. It was consecrated in 1826 and then almost 30 years later, John Lucy decided that the apse could be improved, and gave Scott the commission. The stained-glass windows by Willement were altered so they would fit and presumably all the wonderful vaulting was added (or extended) at that point. It must have been a draughty few years while the work took place (Scott also added a new porch at the other end), and one wonders what the population of Hampton Lucy thought as the church, already much larger and grander than warranted by the size of the village, effectively became a cathedral.
Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano
St. Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri; Italian: Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano) is a Late Renaissance church located within Vatican City.
Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and remains the largest church in the world. While it is neither the mother church of the Catholic Church nor the Catholic Roman Rite cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".
By Catholic tradition, the basilica is the burial site of its namesake Saint Peter, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus and, also according to tradition, the first Pope and Bishop of Rome. Tradition and strong historical evidence hold that Saint Peter's tomb is directly below the altar of the basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St. Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica, replacing the Old St. Peter's Basilica of the 4th century AD, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage, for its liturgical functions. Because of its location in the Vatican, the Pope presides at a number of services throughout the year, drawing audiences of 15,000 to over 80,000 people, either within the Vatican Basilica, or in St. Peter's Square. St. Peter's has many strong historical associations, with the Early Christian church, the papacy, the Protestant Reformation and Counter-reformation, and with numerous artists, most significantly Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. St. Peter's is one of the four churches of Rome that hold the rank of Major Basilica. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral as it is not the seat of a bishop; the cathedra of the Pope (as Bishop of Rome) is located in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.
Westchester Avenue, the Bronx
My father was born near this church in 1905,
the year Robert Louis Bracklow took the photo.
Collection of the New-York Historical Society
St Peter, Kingerby, Lincolnshire.
Declared redundant in 1981, now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
Ref:100-IMG_1919am
Although building work started in 1858, St Peter's was not consecrated until 1862. The top of the spire is 208 feet above the ground, and is topped with two keys pointing upwards. Because of its impressive presence, the church is sometimes affectionately known as 'The Cathedral Of The Valley'.
The Church of St Peter was begun in the 12th century and added to many times down the years.
The writer Lewis Caroll lived nearby during his teens as his was the rector of the church.
The area is said to have inspired many of his stories including the Jabberwocky which is thought to have been drawn from the local legend of the Sockburn Worm.
An image from the personal portfolio of one of Greater Manchester Police’s photographers.
View our gallery album below for more non-police related images taken by the Force's photographers.
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The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, or simply St. Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri; Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome.
Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture and one of the largest churches in the world. (wikipedia)
"St. Peter's Seminary, located at 1040 Waterloo Street is situated on the east side of Waterloo Street, to the south of the Thames River, in the City of London. The property consists of a stone seminary building that was constructed between 1925 and 1926 including the Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, constructed in 1930.
The property was designated by the City of London in 2000 for its historic or architectural value or interest under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law L.S.P. – 3319-198).
St. Peter's Seminary was built on land originally owned by Sir Phillip Pocock, who donated it to the Catholic Church. Located within Sunshine Park in North London, the land is reminiscent of a large, sprawling campus and features breathtaking views of the north branch of the Thames River, a Canadian Heritage River. Sir Phillip is notable for having made many significant contributions to the Catholic Church and other charities, and for receiving a papal knighthood for his efforts.
St. Peter's Seminary was originally founded in 1912 by Bishop Michael Francis Fallon, with the intention to provide a place to educate students in the sacred sciences and to provide ecclesiastical training for clerical students of the Diocese of London. The Seminary moved from the old Bishops' Palace to the larger Waterloo Street location in 1926. Today, the Seminary is affiliated with King's University College at the University of Western Ontario.
St. Peter's Seminary was designed in the Collegiate Gothic architectural style by the Windsor architectural firm of Pennington and Boyde, with associate J.W. Leighton as the lead and Pigott Construction Company of Hamilton as the builders. The building is comprised of four wings adjoining a central tower. Typical of the Collegiate Gothic style, the Seminary features a steeply pitched roof punctuated by gabled dormers. Also of note is the two-leaf front entry, which includes rich gothic-inspired carvings in Tyndall stone, a transom forming the characteristic Gothic lancet arch, delicate tracery and a carved border of grape clusters. The rotunda forms an impressive entrance lobby to the Seminary, with its travertine construction and Verde marble floors. Intricate carvings, areas for religious statues and commemorative plaques are evident throughout the interior of the Seminary.
The Chapel of St. Thomas Aquinas, located within St. Peter's Seminary, is a fine example of the English Gothic style of architecture. Typical of this style, the interior of the Chapel features intricate wood carvings and tableaux and stained glass. An inscription of Bishop Fallon's motto, “Peace and Justice”, and his coat of arms in the gallery of the Chapel stand as reminders to the bishop's significant contributions to the Seminary." - info from Historic Places.
"St. Peter's Seminary is a Roman Catholic seminary located in the Diocese of London, Ontario, Canada. The seminary is a fully accredited member of the Association of Theological Schools of the United States and Canada. St. Peter's Seminary is the major seminary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of London in Ontario. It is affiliated with King's University College, a Catholic affiliate of the University of Western Ontario. The current rector of St. Peter's Seminary is Denis Grecco.
St. Peter's Seminary is Canada's oldest English-speaking Roman Catholic diocesan seminary. Since it was founded by the Diocese of London in 1912, the seminary has produced more than 1,000 priests (including 23 who became bishops) and has educated permanent deacons and lay graduates.
London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River and North Thames River, approximately 200 km (120 mi) from both Toronto and Detroit; and about 230 km (140 mi) from Buffalo, New York. The city of London is politically separate from Middlesex County, though it remains the county seat.
London and the Thames were named after the English city and river in 1793 by John Graves Simcoe, who proposed the site for the capital city of Upper Canada. The first European settlement was between 1801 and 1804 by Peter Hagerman. The village was founded in 1826 and incorporated in 1855. Since then, London has grown to be the largest southwestern Ontario municipality and Canada's 11th largest metropolitan area, having annexed many of the smaller communities that surround it.
London is a regional centre of healthcare and education, being home to the University of Western Ontario (which brands itself "Western University"), Fanshawe College, and three major hospitals: Victoria Hospital, University Hospital and St. Joseph's Hospital. The city hosts a number of musical and artistic exhibits and festivals, which contribute to its tourism industry, but its economic activity is centered on education, medical research, manufacturing, financial services, and information technology. London's university and hospitals are among its top ten employers. London lies at the junction of Highways 401 and 402, connecting it to Toronto, Windsor, and Sarnia. These highways also make the Detroit-Windsor, Port Huron-Sarnia, and Niagara Falls border crossings with the United States easily accessible. The city also has railway stations and bus stations and is home to the London International Airport." - info from Wikipedia.
Late June to early July, 2024 I did my 4th major cycling tour. I cycled from Ottawa to London, Ontario on a convoluted route that passed by Niagara Falls. During this journey I cycled 1,876.26 km and took 21,413 photos. As with my other tours a major focus was old architecture.
Find me on Instagram.
The striking square and its imposing colonnade lead to the greatest basilica of the Christian world: St Peter's Basilica (Basilica San Pietro).
It also represents the core of the Vatican City, the smallest state in the world.
In the origins, the square used to be the place where Nerone Circus and Gardens where located, and where many Christians, including Saint Peter, suffered from martyrdom.
The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome. (2/25/2019)
St Peter's at Thorington is a lovely place and one that feels very welcoming to visitors. Its round tower is a delight and one of the earliest and most attractive of its kind, early Norman with hints of Saxon design in the blind arcading of its lower parts. The building beyond is a neat two cell structure of nave and chancel, the latter rebuilt in the Victorian period, but this church retains its ancient atmosphere regardless.
Within the Victorian chancel with its colourful glass draws the eye but the medieval nave with its oak roof and quaint carvings (which appear post-medieval but nevertheless rustic) speaks of earlier times along with the fine medieval font situated below the tower, making its lower part a baptistry. The bowl of the font is 13th century but the more ornate stem is 15th century and adorned with entertaining carved beasts.
Atop the font I found a selection of juices presented for the benefit of travellers like myself which was a lovely thoughtful touch by the good people of Thorington (and on a baking hot day like the one I visited on it was hugely appreciated!). I indulged and put money in the honesty box accordingly. A charming church open to all where strangers are clearly welcomed.
St Peter Mancroft towers over the modern market in the centre of the city. The brutalist City Hall, to it's left, the Norman Keep to the right beyond the shops of Gentleman's Walk and Back of the Inns, and on the other side of the market is the flint Guildhall.
I wanted to return to to St Peter to look again at the font canopy, and the wonderful glass in the Chancel.
I approached the church just after one, I was hot and the walk from the Cathedral had made me hotter.
I walked to the glass door, and a hundred faces turned to look at me, as there was an organ recital going on. Should I stay or go?
I stayed in the cool of the church, even if I did overheat for ten minutes.
In front of me, a video screen showed the organist's hands and feet as he put the instrument through its paces. I learned from this the pedals on the floor didn't just make the organ loud or quiet, they played a melody too. So he played with all four limbs, and the music filled the church.
Yes, I wanted to get on to get my shots, but I needed this to make me stop and consider the space and what I should do with the rest of the day.
The concert ended at quarter to two, I rushed round to get my shots, before hoping to get to the station for the three o'clock train back to London.
-------------------------------------------
Norwich is a fine city. Or so the signs say on every road into it. But, and there can be no denying it, it is a jewel in the Norfolk countryside.
For me it is “just” Norwich Where used to go for our important shopping, for football and later for concerts. We, and I, would take for granted its cobbled streets, Norman cathedral and medieval churches by the dozen. Also it’s a pub for every day, the ramshackle market, and the Norman castle keep looking down on the city sprawled around.
Just Norwich.
Later, it also became where I bought new records from Backs in Swan Lane, and searched for punk classics in the Record and Tape Exchange.
Norwich is lucky that the industrial revolution passed by the city leaving few changes, the character and history intact. World War II did damage, some churches were abandoned, some rebuilt, but many survived.
And Norwich is a friendly city. It sees warm and colourful, and on a hot summer’s day when the locals were in shorts and t-shirts, much white flesh was on display. I also take the football club for granted. I have supported it from nearly 49 years, and being away from the city means I get my news and views largely second hand, but I also forget how central the club is to the people.
Sadly, Norwich isn't really on the way to anywhere, well except Great Yarmouth and Cromer, so people don't come here by accident. So it remains something of a secret to most but locals.
Other cities would have children dressed in any one of a dozen Premier League club’s replica shirts. In Norwich yellow and green was the dominant colour, even after a chastening season that saw us finish rock bottom of the league. The local sports “superstore” has a Norwich Fan’s fanzone, and a third of the window is given to the home city club.
I knew the city like the back of my hand, so knew the route I wanted to take to provide me with views that would refresh those in my mind. I didn’t dally, pressed on to my two targets, the Anglican Cathedral and St Peter Mancroft.
This wasn’t the original plan; that was to meet two friends I used to go to the football with, Ian and Ali, but they both caught a bug in Manchester watching the women’s Euros, so couldn’t meet with me. But I had an alternative plan, maybe with a pub stop or two.
The trip happened as I got a mail offering a tempting 20% off the trip that had been selling poorly, I checked with Ian and Alison, they said they were free, but had yet to fall ill. So seats were booked, as Jools liked the sound of an afternoon in Norwich and meeting my friends.
Up at quarter to five so we could catch the first High Speed service out of Dover, so to be in London in time to catch the railtour to Norwich.
Sun had yet to light up Dover Priory when we arrived, but a few people milling around, including two still at the end of their night out.
Folkestone was light by the warm light of the rising sun, and well worth a shot as we passed over Foord Viaduct.
Later, I was hoping the calm morning meant the Medway would be a mirror, but a breeze disturbed the surface ruining the reflections I had hoped for.
Finally, emerging into Essex, the line climbs as the go over the Dartford Crossing, just enough time to grab a shot.
It was already hot in London, so we stayed in the shade of the undercroft at St Pancras, had a coffee and a pasty from Greggs before walking over to Kings Cross to see if our tour was already at the buffers.
We walked across the road to King's Cross, and find the station packed with milling passengers, all eyes trained on the departure boards waiting for platform confirmations.
Ours was due to be platform 3, and the rake of carriages was indeed there, top and tailed by class 66 freight locomotives.
We get on the train and find we had been allocated a pair of seats nearest the vestibule. This meant that they were a few inches less wide than others, meaning Jools and I were jammed in.
Almost straight away, Jools's back and Achilles began to ache, and the thought of four hours of this in the morning and another four in the evening was too much, and so she decided to get off at the first stop at Potters Bar.
In the end, a wise choice I think.
The guy in the seat opposite to us talked the whole journey. I mean filling any silence with anything: how much he paid for the components of his lunch, his cameras and then his job. In great detail. He also collected train numbers. I didn't know that was really a thin in the days of EMUs, but I helped out from time to time telling him units he had missed.
We had a twenty minute break at Peterborough because of pathing issues, so we all got out to stretch our legs and do some extra trainspotting.
An Azuma left from the next platform, and another came in on the fast line. I snapped them both.
From Peterborough, the train reversed, and after the 20 minute wait, we went out of the station southwards, taking the line towards Ely.
Now that we had done our last stop, the train could open up and we cruised across the Fens at 70mph, the flat landscape botted with wind turbines and church towers slipped by.
Instead of going into Ely station, we took the rarely used (for passenger trains) freight avoiding line, now a single track. Emerging crossing the main line, taking the line eastwards towards Thetford.
Again, the regulator was opened, and we rattled along. Even so, the journey was entering its fourth hour, and with my travelling colleague and without Jools, time was dragging.
We were now back in Norfolk, passing the STANTA training area, all warning signs on the fences telling the trainee soldiers that that was where the area ended. I saw no soldiers or tanks. My only thought was of the rare flowers that would be growing there, unseen.
And so for the final run into Norwich, familiar countryside now.
Under the southern bypass and the main line from London, slowing down where the two lines merged at Trowse before crossing the River Wensum, before the final bend into Norwich Thorpe.
At last I could get off the train and stretch my legs.
Many others were also getting off to board coaches to take them to Wroxham for a cruise on the Broads, or a ride on the Bure Valley Railway, while the rest would head to Yarmouth for four hours at the seaside.
I got off the train and walked through the station, out into the forecourt and over the main road, so I could walk down Riverside Road to the Bishop’s Bridge, then from there into the Cathedral Close.
The hustle and bustle of the station and roadworks were soon left behind, as the only noise was from a family messing about in a rowing boat in front of Pulls Ferry and a swan chasing an Egyptian Goose, so the occasional splash of water.
I reached the bridge and passed by the first pub, with already many folks sitting out in the beer garden, sipping wines and/or summer beers. I was already hot and would loved to have joined them, but I was on a mission.
In the meantime, Jools had texted me and said if I fancied getting a regular service back home, then I should. And a seed grew in my brain. Because, on the way back, departing at just gone five, the tour had to have a 50 minute layover in a goods siding at Peterborough, and would not get back to Kings Cross until half nine, and then I had to get back to Dover.
I could go to the cathedral the church, walk back to the station. Or get a taxi, and get a train back to London at four and still be home by eight.
Yes.
I walked past the Great Hospital, then into the Close via the swing gate, round to the entrance where there was no charge for entry and now no charge for photography. But I would make a donation, I said. And I did, a tenner.
I have been to the cathedral a few times, but not as a churchcrawler. So, I made my way round, taking shots, drinking in the details. But the walk up had got me hot and bothered, I always run with a hot engine, but in summer it can be pretty damp. I struggled to keep my glasses on my nose, and as I went round I knew I was in no mood to go round again with the wide angle, that could wait for another visit.
The church is pretty much as built by the Normans, roof excepted which has been replaced at least twice, but is poetry in stone. And for a cathedral, not many people around also enjoying the building and its history.
At one, bells chimed, and I think The Lord’s Prayer was read out, we were asked to be quiet. I always am when snapping.
In half an hour I was done, so walked out through the west door, through the gate and into Tombland. I was heading for the Market and St Peter which site on the opposite side to the Guildhall.
I powered on, ignoring how warm I felt, in fact not that warm at all. The heat and sweats would come when I stopped, I found out.
I walk up the side of the market and into the church, and into the middle of an organ recital.
Should I turn round and do something else, or should I stop and listen. I stopped and listened.
Everyone should hear an organ recital in a large church. There is nothing quite like it. The organ can make the most beautiful sounds, but at the same time, the bass pipes making noises so deep you can only feel it in your bones.
Tony Pinel knew his way round the organ, and via a video link we could see his hands and feet making the noises we could hear. It was wonderful, but quite how someone can play one tune with their feet and another with their hands, and pulling and pushing knobs and stoppers, is beyond me. But glad some people can.
It finished at quarter to two, and I photograph the font canopy and the 15th century glass in the south chapel. Font canopies are rare, there is only four in England, and one of the others is in Trunch 20 miles to the north. Much is a restoration, but it is an impressive sight when paired with the seven-sacrament font under it.
The glass is no-less spectacular, panels three feet by two, five wide and stretching to the vaulted roof. I can’t photograph them all, but I do over 50%.
I go to the market for a lunch of chips, for old times sake. I mean that was the treat whenever we went either to Norwich or Yarmouth; chips on the market. I was told they no longer did battered sausage, so had an un-battered one, and a can of pop. I stood and ate in the alleyway between stalls, people passing by and people buying chips and mushy peas of their own.
Once done, I had thought of getting a taxi back to the station, but the rank that has always been rammed with black cabs was empty, and two couples were shouting at each other as to who should have the one that was there. So I walked to the station, across Gentleman’s Walk, along to Back of the Inns, then up London Street to the top of Prince of Wales Road and then an easy time to the station across the bridge.
I got my ticket and saw a train to Liverpool Street was due to depart at 14:32. In three minutes.
I went through the barrier and got on the train, it was almost empty in the new, swish electric inter-city unit. I was sweating buckets, and needed a drink, but there appeared to be no buffet, instead just electric efficiency and silence as the train slid out of the station and went round past the football ground to the river, then taking the main line south.
In front of me, two oriental ladies talked for the whole journey. I listened to them, no idea what they talked about to fill 105 minutes.
I thought it would be nearly five when the train got in, but helped by only stopping at Diss, Ipswich, Manningtree and Colchester we got in, on time, at quarter past four.
I walked to the main concourse and down into the Circle Line platforms, getting a train in a couple of minutes the four stops to St Pancras. I knew there was a train soon leaving, and after checking the board and my watch I saw I had five minutes to get along the length of the station and up to the Southeastern platforms.
I tried. I did, but I reached the steps up to the platforms and I saw I had 45 seconds, no time to go up as they would have locked the doors. So, instead I went to the nearby pub and had a large, ice-cold bottle of Weiss beer.
That was better.
I was all hot and bothered again, but would have an hour to cool down, and the beer helped.
At ten past five, I went up and found the Dover train already in, I went through the barriers and took a seat in a carriage I thought would stop near the exit at Dover Priory. I called Jools to let her know I would be back at quarter to seven, and she confirmed she would pick me up.
She was there, people got off all out on a night on the town, dressed in shiny random pieces of fabric covering boobs and bottoms. I was young once, I thought.
Jools was there, she started the car and drove us home via Jubilee Way. Across the Channel France was a clear as anything, and four ferries were plying between the two shores. Take us home.
Once home, Jools had prepared Caprese. I sliced some bread and poured wine. On the wireless, Craig spun funk and soul. We ate.
Tired.
It was going to be a hot night, but I was tired enough to sleep through it. Or so I thought.
-------------------------------------------
The great urban churches of northern Europe sit on their market places, especially in Cathedral cities. It is as if they were intended as late Medieval statements of civic pride. They are a reminder of the way that the cities rose to prominence in the decades after the Black Death, as if the old order had been broken and a new one was beginning. They were a great affirmation of Catholic orthodoxy and social communion, in the years before the merchants that paid for them embraced Protestantism and capitalism. They are European culture caught on the cusp of the Renaissance, the beacons that lead us into early modern Europe.
These things are more easily sensed in the great late medieval cities of Flanders and the Netherlands, for example at Bruges. The bridges, the medieval triumph, the tourist tat shops and the foreign voices can create an illusion of being in Cambridge or Oxford, but the great Market Church and Belfry on the main square recall Norwich, where St Peter Mancroft and the medieval Guildhall have a similar juxtaposition. The Industrial Revolution would bring a new wave of cities to prominence, but in the provincial cities that were prominent in the 15th century, Norwich, and Bristol, and York, you still sense the power of those times.
Looking at St Peter, the sophistication of its Perpendicular architecture feels a geological age away from the coarse, brutal Norman castle on the far side of the Main Croft ('Mancroft'), which is understandable. Four hundred years had passed since the Norman invasion, and St Peter Mancroft is as close in time to the Industrial Revolution as it is to the Normans. That is true of all late medieval churches, of course, but seeing the architecture in a city you get a sense that it looked to the future more than to the past. St Peter Mancroft feels entirely at home with the clean, Scandinavian lines of the adjacent 1930s City Hall, and perhaps even more so with the retro-Modernism of the new Forum, whch reflects it back to the city. The Forum was built to replace the Norwich City library, tragically destroyed by fire in 1994, but in style it echoes the confidence of a great 19th century railway station, the roof a triumph of engineering. You are reminded of Cologne, where to leave the railway station and step into the shadow of the west front of the great Cathedral is to merely move from one statement of civic pride to another.
The influence of Flanders and the Netherlands is familiar in East Anglia, of course, but it is only at Norwich you sense this sense of civic bullishness. Utilitarian, practical Ipswich demolished St Mildred on the Cornhill in the 19th century - the French Baroque town hall now stands on the site. In Cambridge, the market place has been skewed so that today St Mary the Great sits with its east window facing the stalls, as if keeping them at a distance. Worse, it now styles itself the 'University Church'. The great north side of St Peter Mancroft, its massive tower and clerestory like eternal truths rising above the deckchair jollity of the stall canopies, is a constant presence. You can never ignore it.
We know that the present church was begun by 1430, and was consecrated on St Peter's Day, 1455. That is, it is all of a piece. In the nave and chancel there are echoes of near-contemporary Holy Trinity, Long Melford, in Suffolk. The tower is something else again; idiosyncratic, a symbol of power and wealth. There's nothing else quite like it. Pevsner thought it more rich than aesthetically successful, and this is not helped by Street's spirelet of 1881, a flighty thing. There was a massive Victorian restoration here. Before the Streets, pere et fils, came along, diocesan architect Richard Phipson had given it a going over, and there is a sense of the grand 19th century civic dignity of his St Mary le Tower in Ipswich. Of course, hardly anything of these restorations is visible from the outside, apart from a mid-20th century meeting room down in the south-east corner, a jaunty Festival of Britain affair, now a parish tea room.
A processional way runs beneath the tower, and there is another beneath the chancel, the land sloping steeply away towards the east. You enter from either the north or south sides, through surprisingly small porches which lead into the aisles. Again, a sense of civic confidence pervades as the interior unfolds before you.
There is no chancel arch. The arcades run the full length of the church, the great east window is echoed by that to the west, and if you stand in the middle of the church and look to either end, only the west end organ tells you easily which direction you are facing. The furnishings are pretty much all Phipson's, uneasily heavy under the delicate fluting of the columns. How good modern wooden chairs would look in here! There are civic memorials the lengths of the aisle walls, but because the windows are full of clear glass they are not oppressive here as they are, say, at St Stephen.
At the west end of the north aisle sits the font on its pedestal. You can see at a glance that it was one of the seven sacraments series, and that all of its reliefs have been completely erased, as in the great churches of Southwold and Blythburgh in Suffolk. At Wenhaston, we know that this happened in the 19th century - could the same thing be true here? Above the font is the famous font canopy. Now, font canopies are so rare - there are only four of them, and they are all so different - that it is not particularly useful to compare them. Certainly, that here reflects the rather grander example at Trunch, some twenty miles away. Since the other two are either post-Reformation (Durham) or made of stone (Luton), it might make sense to think of the Norfolk two as a unique pair. Here at St Peter Mancroft, much of the upper part is a 19th century restoration, and there seems to have been some attempt to copy Trunch. The lower part is more interesting, with its niches and canopies. It must have been spectacular when the font was intact.
Pevsner tells us that the gilded reredos in the sanctuary is by JP Seddon, but that Ninian Comper restored and enlarged it in the early 1930s. It is not exciting, but that is probably as well, for above it is one of the greatest medieval treasures of East Anglia. This is the medieval glass that survives from the first few decades of the existence of the church. Some of it was probably in place that first Petertide. It has been moved around a bit since then; the whole east side was blown out by an explosion in 1648, and the glass has been removed on several occasions since, most recently during the Second World War. After East Harling, it is the finest expanse of Norwich School glass of the 15th century.
Books have been written about the glass at St Peter Mancroft, and there is neither time nor space to go into too much detail here. Suffice to say that this is the work of several Norwich workshops, probably working in the Conesford area of the city along what is today King Street. It is obvious that some other glass in East Anglia is from the same workshops using the same or similar cartoons, notably North Tuddenham in Norfolk and Combs in Suffolk, and of course most obviously, East Harling. Indeed, by comparison with East Harling in the 1920s, the historian Christopher Woodforde was able to deduce some of what was missing here, and what there.
There are several sequences, most notably the Story of Christ from the Annunciation to the day of Pentecost. This extends into a Marian sequence depicting the story of the Assumption. There are also scenes from the stories of St Peter and St John, and other individual Saints panels, including St Faith, a significant cult in late medieval Norwich. The panel of St Francis suggests that it was also once part of a sequence. The lower range depicts the donors, some of whom are identified. The central spine is largely modern glass by Clayton and Bell for the Streets in the 1880s. Some of the missing glass is now at Felbrigg Hall.
In any other church, the 1921 glass by Herbert Hendrie in the south chapel aisle chapel would be considered outstanding. It is in the style of Eric Gill, but feels rather heavy handed next to the extraordinary delicacy of its medieval neighbours.
While I was here, I stopped taking photographs for the one o'clock prayers. One of the custodians stood at the lectern and read very eloquently from the Acts of the Apostles, and said prayers for the city and its people. Apart from me, there were only two other listeners in the vast space. It was tenderly and thoughtfully done, but I couldn't help thinking that it is the exterior of this wonderful structure which is the Church's true act of witness in central Norwich now.
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichstpetermancroft/norwichs...
Photos of St Peter's Church, one of Jersey's 12 parish churches. Located on Rue de l'Eglise, the church is close by to the airport and features a red warning light at the top of the steeple.
Continuing the theme, one of the stained glass windows also features the airport heavily inside the church.
Find me online!
It is the weekend. Again.
And with Jools suffering a relapse in her chesty cough, we slept late and I said I'd go to Tesco first thing, before coffee, and she could get dressed in her own time.
So I grabbed my coat, the shoppings bags and shopping list, put them in the car and drove to Tesco. First up was to fill the car with petrol, then drive roud to park up, get a trolley and head into the store, grabbing a scanner on the way in.
Apart from the weekly things, I got some stuffing mix and more blocks of butter for Christmas. Meaning that apart from the fruit and veg and milk, we are all abut done here.
Yay us.
Back home for coffee, unload the car and put shopping away, before finally having breakfast 1 of fruit then bacone butties and brews for breakfast 2.
That's better.
The plan for the day was for some local churchcrawling. After some internet research I had the name of the keyholder at Bekesbourne, I called but was told she was out but would be back "soon". OK, in which case we would visit some other nearby churches and go there last.
Not far to Barham from Chez Jelltex, just along the A2, overtaking lorries and slow cars until we turned off at Wootton, down past the filling station and into Barham, stopping on the road beside the church.
Barham is always open, I thought, no worries here. As I got out all my camera gear and lugged it over the road and through the churchyard.
Round on the north sade, we arrive at the porch and I find the door is locked after all. No news of a keyholder, but next week there is a coffee morning. If we feel OK after our COVID booster, we might go along.
Its a short drive along the Elham Valley to Bridge. And yes there is really a place called Bridge, and it does have a bridge. A bridge in Bridge, which takes the old Watling Street and high road over the bed of the Nailbourne.
Bridge never lets us down. And indeed it was upen, door ajar, and soon a warden came and put all the lights on so snapping was easier. I'd not missed much on previous visits, but with a new-ish lens, it was always worth in redoing shots. I did have the big lens with me, great for details of carvings and in staned glass windows, which I photograph enthuiastically.
From Bridge, its a five minute drive to Patrixbourne.
I wanted to come back here to take close up details of the Tympanum and rose window from the outside, so it wasn't too much of a loss that the door was locked after all.
So, I set about getting my shots and rattle off a couple of hundred.
Back to the car, and next village along is Bekesbourne, where I had called earlier. The keyholder lives in a "large while building opposite the church", the website said. Yes, it's a palace.
An actual palace.
So, there was scruffy me shambling up the large door, ringing the bell and asking if the church keayholder was in.
She wasn't.
And her husband wasn't too keen on letting me have it.
Now I know how to get it, there'll be plenty of other times.
I leave, but on the way back to the main road, a large Audi passes us, and pretty much the only place she could be going was the palace: should we go back?
No, there'll be other times.
I have an idea to go to Swingfield on the way. I mean its just off the main road.
Swingfield has very strong links with the Knights Templar, and the Cammandary in the village is somewhere I have been trying to get into for a decade.
More on that another time.
But there is also a church, now in the care of the CCT, set down a narrow lane off what counts as the main road through the village, to Swingfield Street, as the signpost says.
St Peter is a large church, but it has hardly any monuments, and really only one fairly new window.
Despite being just a few miles outside Dover, Jools has never been here, or knew the village was here.
We're only here because of the mania of mine for churchcrawling.
I get my shots and we leave for home.
We head home, back along the A2, but calling in at Jen's to do some admin. That done it was back home, all back by one, and ready for some more World Cup action from the sofa.
Lunch was pizza and beer, done in ten minutes and easy as anything, so the main task of the day was to fight my heavy eyelids that threatened to send me to sleep.
Argentina beat Mexico in a bad tempered game, then France beat Denmark 2-1, by which time it was nine and time for bed.
Phew.
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This church is built in flint and rubble construction and the west tower has a remarkably wide stair turret. As one enters through the south porch one can see the remains of two mass dials made redundant by the construction of the porch itself. By the pulpit is a most unusual feature - the south-east window of the nave has had its sill cut away to provide space for a wooden ladder to give access to the rood loft. This window now contains a lovely stained glass representation of the Crucifixion with a charming little sun and moon at the top. At Swingfield the nineteenth-century north aisle detracts from the thirteenth-century nave; its scale, materials and lumpy effect do nothing to complement this charming church. It is currently (2005) under threat of conversion to a house.
www.kentchurches.info/church.asp?p=Swingfield
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SWINGFIELD.
WRITTEN in antient deeds both Swynefelde and Swinfield, lies the next adjoining parish eastward from Acrise.
THIS PARISH lies in a very lonely and unfrequented country, most of it is upon high ground. The church stands in the north-east part of it, having a small village near it. On the eastern side of the minnis is Foxhole, late belonging to Mr. James Hammond, of Dover; and Smersole, formerly belonging to a family of the same name, afterwards to the Simmons's then to Mr. George Rigden, of Wingham, who sold it a few years ago to the Rev. Edward Timewell Brydges, of Wotton, the present owner of it. At the west end of the minnis is the hamlet of Selsted, the principal farm in which belongs to Mr. Brydges, of Denton. There are several coppice woods in this parish, the largest of which are at the north and southern extremities of it; the former of which is called Swingfield park, consisting of 185 acres. It formerly belonged to the Strangford family, afterwards to the famous Algernon Sidney, who mortgaged it to one of the family of Rushout, who purchased and then sold their interest in it to Edw. Brydges, esq. and it now belongs to his eldest son, the Rev. Mr. Bridges, of Wotton. The soil is much better than most on these hills, especially adjoining to St. John's, where it is less covered with flints, and the fields are more level, larger, and more open. In the western part of this parish is the large common, called Swingfieldminnis, which lies, the greatest part, within it, and the remainder in Acrise and Eleham. It is about two miles and an half long, and not quite half a mile wide, consisting of about 550 acres of land. The property of this minnis was always supposed to belong to the crown, accordingly after the death of Charles I. when the royal lands were surveyed, in order to their being sold for the public use, it was returned, that this minnis contained 540 acres, of the annual improved rent of two hundred and sixteen pounds, which they finding to lie in common, imagined it to belong to the crown; but Colonel Dixwell, owner of the barony and hundred of Folkestone, claimed it as paramount, as lying within it, alledging, that the seeding and commonage thereupon was enjoyed by the inhabitants of the parishes before-mentioned, with all such other persons bordering thereto; and who had any lands adjoining, on paying to him some small acknowledgment for the same, as lord paramount, which he said had been enjoyed by him and his ancestors for many generations; and the earl of Radnor, now lord paramount, and owner of the barony and hundred of Folkestone, claims as such a like right to it.
In 1745 there was a large assembly of the noblemen, gentry, and commonalty of the eastern parts of this county, to the number of four thousand, who met here accoutred with arms and ammunition, to oppose any invasion which might be made on these coasts, of which there was then great apprehension in this county.
THIS PARISH was part of those lands which made up the barony of Averenches, or Folkestone as it was afterwards called. The manors of Folkestone and Tirlingbam claim paramount over it, subordinate to which are THE MANORS OF NORTH, alias HALL-COURT, and Boynton, alias BONNINGTON, which were the two moieties of which the manor of Swingfield once consisted; the former of which appears by antient records to have been held by a family of the name of Swynefeld, and the latter by that of Bonnington; both being held by the performance of ward to the castle of Dover.
John de Criol, younger son of Bertram, died possessed of the manor of Boyton anno 48 Henry III. whose descendant Nocholas Criol, in the 3d year of king Richard II. gave it to John Fineaux, esq. in gratitude for his having saved his life at the battle of Poictiers, and he seems to have been possessed of both Boynton and North-court; but whether the latter came to him by the above gift, or by descent, I am not certain, only that they both continued in his descendants till John Fineux, esq. of Herne, the grandson of Sir John Fineux, chief justice of the king's bench, who was born here and afterwards resided at Herne, (fn. 1) leaving an only daughter and heir Elizabeth. She entitled her husband Sir John Smythe, of Westenhanger, to the possession of them, whose grandson Philip, viscount Strangford, conveyed them to trustees for the payment of his debts; and they, at the latter end of king Charles II.'s reign, alienated them to William Gomeldon, esq. of Sellindge, whose son Richard, anno 10 queen Anne, obtained an act for the sale of the manors of Northcourt and Bointon, for the discharging of his incumbrances, and immediately afterwards passed them away by sale to Sir Henry Furnese, bart. of Waldershare, whose grand-daughter Catherine, countess of Guildford, at her death in 1767, devised them by will to her husband Francis, earl of Guildford, whose grandson the right hon. George Augustus, earl of Guildford, is the present possessor of them.
ST. JOHN'S, as it is now usually called, was formerly a preceptory, appertaining to the order of the knights of St. John of Jerusalem, to whom it belonged in king Henry II.'s reign. A preceptory was a mansion, of which sort they had several in different places, in which some of their brethren were placed, to take care of their lands and estates in the neighbourhood of them. This preceptory appears to have had several benefactions of lands made to it. This preceptory, with the lands belonging to it, continued as such till the general dissolution of this order of knights, in the 33d year of king Henry VIII when they were suppressed by an act then specially passed for that purpose, and all their lands and revenues given to the king; this preceptory being then valued at 87l. 3s. 3½d. clear, and 111l. 12s. 8d. total annual revenue. But it did not remain long in the hands of the crown; for the king, in his 33d year, granted it to Sir Anthony Aucher, of Orterden, by the description of the late monastery of Swynfield, and the rectory of the same, to hold in capite by knight's service, and he, anno 5 Edward VI. passed it away to Sir Henry Palmer, of Wingham, whose son of the same name was created a baronet, and in his descendants it continued down to Sir Thomas Palmer, bart. who died in 1723, and by will bequeathed it to his natural son Herbert Palmer, esq. who died likewise s. p. in 1760, and by his will devised it first to trustees for the payment of his debts, and lastly to his sister Mrs. Frances Palmer, in tail. These trustees refusing to accept the trust, the court of chancery decreed, this estate among others to be sold for that purpose, for the term of ninety-nine years, to commence from his death; which it accordingly was, in 1777, to the Rev. Dr. Thomas Hey, of Wickhambreux, who likewise became entitled to the fee of it by the will of Mrs. Frances Palmer abovementioned, who having suffered a recovery of it, and barred the entails, had devised it to him at her death in 1770. He sold it in 1792 to Samuel Egerton Bridges, esq. of Denton, the present possessor of it.
There is much remaining of this antient building of the preceptory, now made use of as the farm-house of the estate, particularly the east end, which is lofty and handsome, in which are three narrow lancet windows with pointed arches, and three circular ones above them. This remains in its original state, and seems to have been part of the chapel, which no doubt adjoined to the mansion of it.
Richard de Swinfield, S. T. P. a native of this parish, was bishop of Hereford. He died anno 1316, and was buried in his own cathedral. He filled all the dignities of his church with Kentish men, of which two were likewise of the name of this parish.
SWINGFIELD is within the ECCLESIASTICAL JURISDICTION of the diocese of Canterbury, and deanry of Dover.
The church, which is dedicated to St. Peter, consists of one isle and one chancel, having a square tower, with a beacon turret at the west end, in which is one bell. In the chancel are several memorials for the Pilchers, tenants of St. John's. In the isle are memorials for the Simmons's, of Smersall; arms, parted per fess and pale, three trefoils slipt. One of them, John Simmons, gent. obt. 1677, was great-grandfather of James Simmons, esq. alderman of Canterbury; memorials for the Pilchers; against the north wall is a monument for Mary, widow of Richard Pilcher, gent. of Barham, obt. 1775; arms, Pilcher, argent, on a fess dancette, gules, a fleur de lis, between three torteauxes. In the south-west window is this legend, Ora p aiabs Willi Smersolle & Margarete uxon is sue & paia Saundir Goldfiynch; above were formerly these arms, A cross impaling on a bend, cotized, a mullet between six martlets. Weever says, p. 274, there was an antient faire monument, whereon the portraiture of an armed knight, crosse legged, was to be seen, and only His jacet remaining of the inscription, and that there was this legend in a window: Orate p aia Willi Tonge & Johannis filii ejus qui banc fenestram fieri fecerunt; he died in 1478, and was buried here. And there was formerly in the windows, a figure of a knight of St. John's, habited in his furcoat of arms, a plain cross, and having his sword and spurs, and kneeling on a cushion, in a praying posture, and in one of the windows were these arms, Quarterly, first and fourth, Azure, a square castle, sable; second and third, Or, on a chevron, vert, three bawks heads erased, argent; on a chief, gules, a cross, argent; but there is nothing of these remaining now.
¶The rectory of this church was early appropriated to the hospital of St. John, which continued in the possessions of all the profits of it, till the dissolution of the hospital in the 32d year of king Henry VIII. After which it was granted, with the preceptory here, to Sir Anthony Aucher, who sold it to Sir Henry Palmer, in whose descendants it continued down to Sir Thomas Palmer, bart. after whose death in 1725 it passed, in manner as before-mentioned, to the Rev. Dr. Thomas Hey, of Wickham, who sold it, with St. John's, and the rectory as before-mentioned, to Mr. Brydges, of Denton, the present owner of it.
This church is now a perpetual curacy, of the yearly certified value of twenty pounds, which stipend is paid by the owner of the rectory, who has the nomination of the curate. In 1640 here were communicants one hundred and twenty-seven.
The parish of Wootton Wawen lies on the southwestern edge of the Forest of Arden, which has stretched across Warwickshire since the Middle Stone Age.
The first wooden church was built at Wootton between 720 and 740 A.D, as a direct result of a charter granted by King Aethalbad of Mercia to Earl Aethelric for 20 hides of land, (around 2,000 acres) on which to build a monastery or minster of St. Mary. The first church may have been burnt and pillaged by Viking invaders, but between about 970 and 1040, Wagen, an Anglo-Danish landowner, established the present church.
Today, the remains of this stone church form the heart of the parish church of St. Peter's, including the lower two- thirds of the tower and the four arches enclosing the Saxon Sanctuary. Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, Wagen's lands were transferred to Robert of Stafford, formerly Robert de Tonei, and Wootton's church was given to the Abbey of Conches in Normandy, which had been founded in 1035 by Robert's father.
Conches Abbey was responsible for building a small priory opposite the church. Wootton was one of forty parishes and manors from which the Prior collected tithes and Papal taxes on behalf of the Abbey. However, in 1443, Henry VI closed down the Priory and its assets and church were given to King's College, Cambridge.
As it stands today, St. Peter's represents almost every stage of English architecture, and its mediaeval congregation was the first in a long line to raise funds to safeguard the building. A number of additions included the south aisle, the clerestoryed nave, the buttresses and a succession of re-roofing projects.
This Church is special to me. I spent many Sunday's here as a child. I have fond family memories of this site.
The History of St. Peter's Parish
->The Early Days
The years following the American Civil War saw a great increase in the numbers of people moving from the central section of the City of Fort Wayne. One of the areas seeing the greatest influx was the immediate southeast area. By the early 1870's, it was evident that a new parish to serve the predominantly German and French speaking peoples was needed. (In fact, this particular area was known respectively as "Germantown" and "Frenchtown".) In the summer of 1871, a group of Catholics assembled for just this purpose. The initial meeting, chaired by Peter Mettler, who for many years had shown great interest in just such a project, unanimously decided to approach Bishop Joseph Dwenger in order to receive the necessary Episcopal approval. The approval was immediate in coming and it was decided to name the new parish (the city's fourth parish and third basically German speaking parish) Saint Peter's. In making this choice, the new parish would be placed directly under the protection of the Prince of the Apostles and the first Pope, but also, would in an indirect manner, honor the man who for so many years led the crusade to have this parish established, (Peter Mettler). Father John Wemhoff was appointed by Bishop Dwenger as Saint Peter's first pastor. Born in Minster, Germany in 1837, he had come to America in 1858 and had been ordained to the holy priesthood by our Diocese's first Bishop, John Henry Luers in 1862. Fr. Wemhoff immediately set to work procuring land for the newly formed parish. Eventually enough property was purchased in what was known as the LaSalle Addition for the parish to have an entire city block, which became known as Saint Peter's Square.
->The First Church/School Building
The first structure was erected in the middle of the block facing St. Martins Street and was a brick combination two-story building intended to serve as both a church and a school. The first floor provided for four large classrooms, while the second floor was used as a church, which could easily hold 300. This structure was dedicated on December 27, 1872. In the same year, Fr. Wemhoff caused to have built the first rectory, located at 2001 South Hanna St. Unfortunately, the pastorate of Fr. Wemhoff did not last long. He died suddenly, on December 1, 1880 and is buried in Fort Wayne's Catholic Cemetery. Father Anthony Messman was immediately appointed as the second pastor of St. Peter's by Bishop Dwenger. He, like Fr. Wemhoff, was a native of Germany, having been born there in 1839. He came to America at the age of 20 and was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Luers in 1870. Fr. Messman's first efforts were focused on liquidating the parish debt, which he was soon able to accomplish. He succeeded in bringing to the parish in 1881 the School Sisters of Notre Dame of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to teach in the parish school. He caused to have built a new convent for the Sisters and also obtained a new rectory.
->The Present Church is Built
Fr. Messman served St. Peter's as its pastor for some sixteen years. During that time, he accomplished much in a material as well as in a spiritual way. However, unquestionably, his most outstanding accomplishment was the building of the new and present church. The church was begun in 1892 and was completed the following year. The plans for this building were drawn by architect Peter Diedrich (1856 - 1924) of Detroit, Michigan and the building contract was let to John Suelzer, Sr. (1852 - 1932), parishioner, (and builder of not only St. Peter's Church, but also its current rectory, which served as the Suelzer Homestead from 1911 to 1949, and builder of St. Mary's Church which was destroyed by fire in 1993). St. Peter's new church was dedicated by Bishop Joseph Rademacher on November 4, 1894. Gothic in style, it measures 190' x 80' and is surmounted by a steeple towering over 200'. Still today, architects and building experts as well as ordinary people marvel at its structure and beauty. Even more marvelous was its cost: built and furnished at a total expense of $75,000.00! In July of 1896, Fr. Messman was transferred to St. Joseph's Parish, LaPorte, where he continued to serve the people of God until his death on May 22, 1912. As the successor to Father Messman, Bishop Rademacher appointed Father Ferdinand Koerdt as St. Peter's third pastor. Like the first two pastors, Fr. Koerdt was also born in Germany and came to America in 1875. One year later, he was ordained a priest by Bishop Dwenger. Fr. Koerdt immediately turned his attention toward education and the building of a new and larger school, which he directed and supervised. Much to his regret, he was able to complete only one wing of his proposed school (the St. Martins Street wing, built in 1904 at the cost of $18,000.00). Early in 1905, because of failing health, Fr. Koerdt asked the Bishop to give him a temporary leave of absence. This request was granted and Fr. Koerdt went to Los Angeles, California, where he died on May 7, 1905 at the age of fifty-two.
->The School and Church Are Completed
On the patronal feast day of the parish, June 29, 1905, Father Charles H. Thiele entered upon his duties as St. Peter's fourth pastor. Like his predecessors, Fr. Thiele was born in Germany in 1862 and came to America at the age of three. He was ordained by Bishop Dwenger in 1888. From 1905 until his death in 1941, Fr. Thiele worked tirelessly for St Peter's and its people. His accomplishments were many. He worked with the City of Fort Wayne to have the streets surrounding St. Peter's extended and improved. He installed a central heating plant for all the parish buildings. He enlarged the convent and completed Fr. Koerdt's original plans for the school. His greatest accomplishment, however, was inside the House of God, St. Peter's Church. Exteriorly, the church was an architectural gem, but inside, much work needed to be done. Fr. Thiele had the entire church frescoed. He had installed the hand-painted Stations of the Cross and in the same year, 1908, he caused to have installed the three beautifully illuminated altars. These were designed and built by the Emil Hackner Company of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, at a cost of $8,000.00. Fr. Thiele was also fond of music. In 1929, he purchased a new organ, a Teller-Kent, made in Erie, PA. It was a gem, containing all the stops required for Church Liturgical accompaniment. It could produce most of the instruments found in a symphony orchestra. It contained a set of chimes of 21 notes, and a harp of 48 notes. In all, there were 54 stops and a total of 3,311 pipes. At the time of its installation, it was recognized as second to none in the city and one of the outstanding organs in the Diocese of Fort Wayne. This Teller-Kent organ served the parish well for some 70 years until its replacement in 1999. Also in 1929, Fr. Thiele was honored by Pope Pius XI for his many achievements with the title of Very Reverend Monsignor. In 1936, due to advancing age and failing health, Msgr. Thiele asked Bishop John Francis Noll to relieve him as pastor and Father John Bapst was appointed as St. Peter's fifth pastor. Msgr. Thiele died at St. Joseph's Hospital on April 17, 1941. In his funeral remarks, Bishop Noll said of Msgr. Thiele: "He was a real spiritual father in every parish in which he labored for fifty-three years: building, developing, working for others, but garnering very little for himself".
->Changes
Fr. Bapst has the distinction of being St. Peter's first native born, American pastor, having been born in Garrett, Indiana on June 19, 1894. He was ordained to the holy priesthood by Bishop Herman Alerding in 1921 and served at a number of parishes in the diocese before coming to St. Peter's in 1936. It can be said that Fr. Bapst inherited a strong, vibrant parish from Msgr. Thiele and it was Fr. Bapst's duty to guide the parish through the turbulent years of World War II and the years following. Because of his zeal and outstanding capability as pastor, in 1945, pope Pius XII honored Fr. Bapst with the title of Very Reverend Monsignor. In 1949, Msgr. Bapst acquired the John Suelzer Homestead at 518 E. DeWald Street to serve as the parish rectory. The 1950's and 60's began to see a dramatic change in parish demographics. For the first time in its history, the parish began to lose membership and the neighborhood started a serious decline. In 1972, St. Peter's School, after 100 years of continuous operation, closed its doors. In 1970, due to declining health, Msgr. Bapst resigned as active pastor, but was named as pastor emeritus, a position which he held until his death in the rectory on January 11, 1972. He is buried in Fort Wayne's Catholic Cemetery. Since 1970, St. Peter's has been served by the following pastors: Fr. Lawrence Kramer, 1970-1971; Fr. Eugene Koers, 1971-1973; Fr. Richard Hire, 1973-1974; Fr. Jacob Gall, 1974-1988; Fr. John Delaney, 1988-1998; and by Fr. Phillip A. Widmann, 1998-present.
->Restoration and Renewal
It was during the pastorate of Fr. John Delaney in the early 1990's that both the parish and the neighborhood started to return from their decline. In 1991, St. Peter's Church, school, and rectory were placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Beginning in 1992, and completed in 1993, on the 100th anniversary of the building of the church, the entire church interior was cleaned and redecorated. Additional work was also done to the church exterior and grounds. 1997-98 saw the forty-six stained glass windows totally restored. In 1998, St. Peter's acquired a 1958 model Aeolian-Skinner Opus 1337 Organ. The parish had this entire organ rebuilt and installed in St. Peter's organ loft. The organ has three manuals containing 37 ranks and 2,218 pipes. Some of the parts and pipes of the old Teller-Kent were salvaged and put to use in the new organ. The entire cost of this almost ten years of restoration was in excess of one milllion dollars. In 1997, in close cooperation with the City of Fort Wayne, Project Renew and nearby Zion Lutheran Church, St. Peter's entered into a partnership to help revitalize its neighborhood. Deteriorated housing and other structures have been removed from the neighborhood. New homes (the first in almost 80 years!) have been built with more scheduled to be built. A number of homes have been repaired and restored. At the east end of St. Peter's Square, a new branch of the Allen County Public Library, a new headquarters for the Fort Wayne Urban League, and new facilities for CANI Headstart and the Pontiac Youth Center have recently been built. In April 2004 ground was broken for the new St. Peter's Pavilion, which was dedicated by Bishop John D'Arcy on April 17, 2005. St. Peter's former school building has been renovated and reopened in 2005 as the Meetinghouse at St. Peter, with secure and comfortable apartments for senior citizens on low or moderate incomes. While times and faces and landscapes change, St. Peter's remains. The impact of St. Peter's Parish to revitalize itself should stand as an inspiration to others. The heritage of those early pioneer parishioners remains. The age-old Catholic belief that nothing can be too beautiful for God's House can be seen in St. Peter's, "the splendour of the South Side since 1872", "perhaps the most beautiful church in the Diocese, if not the entire Midwest".
Pay day.
Which is good.
So: Dateline Norwich, Norfolk.
I wake at half six, with buses and trucks heading into the city just outside the bedroom window, whatever, I slept well, so messed around online for an hour, had a shower and then went down for breakfast. Dressing first, of course.
I chose the "continental breakfast", of fruit and toast, and two pots of coffee which set me for the day.
I had a number of plans: first was to go to Cantley and the Limpenoe for some churchcrawling, but with the swing bridges at Reedham and Somerleyton closes for maintenance, that meant rail replacement buses. The other choice was to go to Cromer to the church there, have lunch of chips beside the seaside, beside the sea.
But first, a a walk to St Stephen's on Theatre Street, as I had not been there before, and was oepn, apparently.
Despite being the end of October, it was warm and humid, and would exceed 20 degrees in the afternoon. But was cloudy, and there was a chance of rain.
More than a chance as it turned out.
So, after breakfast I set out through Tombland, past The Halls where the beer festival was being held, and fresh supplies were being delivered.
Through the market, up the steps and across from The Forum to Theatre Street where the doors of the church had just been opened. What greeted me was a fine large East Anglian church, but instead of pews or rows of chairs, was tables and chairs all set out to be a café.
All churches do their best, I know, but St Stephens is now a calling point on the entrance to the once new shopping centre, the windows offer a large and bright space, but not very churchy.
I made the mistake of asking a volunteer when it stopped being a church: it's still a church, and the tables can be quickly replaced with rows of chairs, it seems.
I go round and get shots, but avoiding, as warned, not to get people in my shots. Its a big church, so I managed that pretty well.
Ten minutes later, St Peter Mancroft opened I wanted to snap the east windows as best I could, so with my compact I did my best. A guy sat behind me and tutted loudly as I took shots and when I asked a warden if I could take a shot of a memorial in the chancel. He had the whole church to sit in, but chose to sit behind me, already taking shots, apparently just so he could complain.
So screw you.
I got my shots, and left, leaving a bad taste in my mouth.
Outside rain had began to fall. Falling hard enough not to be pleasant. My plan had been to walk tot he station, but wasn't going to walk in this weather. So, I walked through the market, lingering as rain fell harder, then crossing to Royal Arcade before emerging onto Back of the Inns, and walking into Castle Mall, taking a series of escalators to the top, all the while hoping that by the time I reached the top, rain would have stopped.
It hadn't.
But I did snap the decorative paving marking the source of an ancient spring, then headed down Timber Hill to the Murderers, where I went in and had a pint. And ended up staying for another and a lunch of nachos.
Last stop was St John Maddermarket, where I retook many shots, but had a long and interesting conversation with the warden about the church and the font found at St John in Folkestone.
I went back to the hotel, lay on the bed for a snooze edit some shots and post them with a description which became the backbone for the previous blog post.
For the evening, I had been invited for dinner at my good friend's, Sarah's.
So at five, I walk up through the City to Pottergate, then along, through the underpass and estate beyond, arriving at her door at just gone six.
Darkness was falling, the street was ankle deep in golden leaves, quite the most fabulous place, really.
We have a drink, chat abut churches, butterflies, orchids and Norwich City, after which we eat: a kind of duck stew, which was hearty and very good. Along with that, we sup from the bottle of fruity red I had bought on the way to her house.
The evening slipped by, and after walking 15,000 steps, I got a taxi back to the hotel, along fairly deserted roads, dropping me at the door of the hotel, where just inside a wedding reception was nearing its end, back in my room, I put in ear plugs and slept long and deep.
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The great urban churches of northern Europe sit on their market places, especially in Cathedral cities. It is as if they were intended as late Medieval statements of civic pride. They are a reminder of the way that the cities rose to prominence in the decades after the Black Death, as if the old order had been broken and a new one was beginning. They were a great affirmation of Catholic orthodoxy and social communion, in the years before the merchants that paid for them embraced Protestantism and capitalism. They are European culture caught on the cusp of the Renaissance, the beacons that lead us into early modern Europe.
These things are more easily sensed in the great late medieval cities of Flanders and the Netherlands, for example at Bruges. The bridges, the medieval triumph, the tourist tat shops and the foreign voices can create an illusion of being in Cambridge or Oxford, but the great Market Church and Belfry on the main square recall Norwich, where St Peter Mancroft and the medieval Guildhall have a similar juxtaposition. The Industrial Revolution would bring a new wave of cities to prominence, but in the provincial cities that were prominent in the 15th century, Norwich, and Bristol, and York, you still sense the power of those times.
Looking at St Peter, the sophistication of its Perpendicular architecture feels a geological age away from the coarse, brutal Norman castle on the far side of the Main Croft ('Mancroft'), which is understandable. Four hundred years had passed since the Norman invasion, and St Peter Mancroft is as close in time to the Industrial Revolution as it is to the Normans. That is true of all late medieval churches, of course, but seeing the architecture in a city you get a sense that it looked to the future more than to the past. St Peter Mancroft feels entirely at home with the clean, Scandinavian lines of the adjacent 1930s City Hall, and perhaps even more so with the retro-Modernism of the new Forum, whch reflects it back to the city. The Forum was built to replace the Norwich City library, tragically destroyed by fire in 1994, but in style it echoes the confidence of a great 19th century railway station, the roof a triumph of engineering. You are reminded of Cologne, where to leave the railway station and step into the shadow of the west front of the great Cathedral is to merely move from one statement of civic pride to another.
The influence of Flanders and the Netherlands is familiar in East Anglia, of course, but it is only at Norwich you sense this sense of civic bullishness. Utilitarian, practical Ipswich demolished St Mildred on the Cornhill in the 19th century - the French Baroque town hall now stands on the site. In Cambridge, the market place has been skewed so that today St Mary the Great sits with its east window facing the stalls, as if keeping them at a distance. Worse, it now styles itself the 'University Church'. The great north side of St Peter Mancroft, its massive tower and clerestory like eternal truths rising above the deckchair jollity of the stall canopies, is a constant presence. You can never ignore it.
We know that the present church was begun by 1430, and was consecrated on St Peter's Day, 1455. That is, it is all of a piece. In the nave and chancel there are echoes of near-contemporary Holy Trinity, Long Melford, in Suffolk. The tower is something else again; idiosyncratic, a symbol of power and wealth. There's nothing else quite like it. Pevsner thought it more rich than aesthetically successful, and this is not helped by Street's spirelet of 1881, a flighty thing. There was a massive Victorian restoration here. Before the Streets, pere et fils, came along, diocesan architect Richard Phipson had given it a going over, and there is a sense of the grand 19th century civic dignity of his St Mary le Tower in Ipswich. Of course, hardly anything of these restorations is visible from the outside, apart from a mid-20th century meeting room down in the south-east corner, a jaunty Festival of Britain affair, now a parish tea room.
A processional way runs beneath the tower, and there is another beneath the chancel, the land sloping steeply away towards the east. You enter from either the north or south sides, through surprisingly small porches which lead into the aisles. Again, a sense of civic confidence pervades as the interior unfolds before you.
There is no chancel arch. The arcades run the full length of the church, the great east window is echoed by that to the west, and if you stand in the middle of the church and look to either end, only the west end organ tells you easily which direction you are facing. The furnishings are pretty much all Phipson's, uneasily heavy under the delicate fluting of the columns. How good modern wooden chairs would look in here! There are civic memorials the lengths of the aisle walls, but because the windows are full of clear glass they are not oppressive here as they are, say, at St Stephen.
At the west end of the north aisle sits the font on its pedestal. You can see at a glance that it was one of the seven sacraments series, and that all of its reliefs have been completely erased, as in the great churches of Southwold and Blythburgh in Suffolk. At Wenhaston, we know that this happened in the 19th century - could the same thing be true here? Above the font is the famous font canopy. Now, font canopies are so rare - there are only four of them, and they are all so different - that it is not particularly useful to compare them. Certainly, that here reflects the rather grander example at Trunch, some twenty miles away. Since the other two are either post-Reformation (Durham) or made of stone (Luton), it might make sense to think of the Norfolk two as a unique pair. Here at St Peter Mancroft, much of the upper part is a 19th century restoration, and there seems to have been some attempt to copy Trunch. The lower part is more interesting, with its niches and canopies. It must have been spectacular when the font was intact.
Pevsner tells us that the gilded reredos in the sanctuary is by JP Seddon, but that Ninian Comper restored and enlarged it in the early 1930s. It is not exciting, but that is probably as well, for above it is one of the greatest medieval treasures of East Anglia. This is the medieval glass that survives from the first few decades of the existence of the church. Some of it was probably in place that first Petertide. It has been moved around a bit since then; the whole east side was blown out by an explosion in 1648, and the glass has been removed on several occasions since, most recently during the Second World War. After East Harling, it is the finest expanse of Norwich School glass of the 15th century.
Books have been written about the glass at St Peter Mancroft, and there is neither time nor space to go into too much detail here. Suffice to say that this is the work of several Norwich workshops, probably working in the Conesford area of the city along what is today King Street. It is obvious that some other glass in East Anglia is from the same workshops using the same or similar cartoons, notably North Tuddenham in Norfolk and Combs in Suffolk, and of course most obviously, East Harling. Indeed, by comparison with East Harling in the 1920s, the historian Christopher Woodforde was able to deduce some of what was missing here, and what there.
There are several sequences, most notably the Story of Christ from the Annunciation to the day of Pentecost. This extends into a Marian sequence depicting the story of the Assumption. There are also scenes from the stories of St Peter and St John, and other individual Saints panels, including St Faith, a significant cult in late medieval Norwich. The panel of St Francis suggests that it was also once part of a sequence. The lower range depicts the donors, some of whom are identified. The central spine is largely modern glass by Clayton and Bell for the Streets in the 1880s. Some of the missing glass is now at Felbrigg Hall.
In any other church, the 1921 glass by Herbert Hendrie in the south chapel aisle chapel would be considered outstanding. It is in the style of Eric Gill, but feels rather heavy handed next to the extraordinary delicacy of its medieval neighbours.
While I was here, I stopped taking photographs for the one o'clock prayers. One of the custodians stood at the lectern and read very eloquently from the Acts of the Apostles, and said prayers for the city and its people. Apart from me, there were only two other listeners in the vast space. It was tenderly and thoughtfully done, but I couldn't help thinking that it is the exterior of this wonderful structure which is the Church's true act of witness in central Norwich now.
www.norfolkchurches.co.uk/norwichstpetermancroft/norwichs...
Hidden away behind the suburban facades of Hall Green lies a little known gem, St Peter's is one of the most outstanding modern churches in the Midlands and can be found by venturing down a quiet lane that leads between the houses off one of Hall Green's busier roads. Its presence is announced over the rooftops by the slender concrete tower with a striking lattice window and a circular cap at its summit.
The church was opened in 1964 to replace a more modest predecessor and makes a striking architectural statement. Approaching it from the lane reveals an intriguingly formed building with an octagonal nave at its heart, similarly finished in precast concrete and capped by a pleasingly green copper roof. Below is a brick ambulatory that surrounds the nave and from which a substantial chapel and the main sanctuary also erupt, both marked by large expanses of dalle de verre glazing, as are the twelve windows in the upper part of the nave itself. These were what I'd really come to see, but the unusual architecture itself is a reward for meandering this way.
Entry is via the doorway at the base of the tall and slender west tower, and initially there is a sense of subdued light until one becomes accustomed to the level and can then fully appreciate the dazzling richness of the glass. All around the octagonal nave is a series of strikingly non-figurative windows inspired by Middle Eastern prayer-mats, each design different and evoking other times and places in their symbolism of the act of prayer itself, but doing so in a modern idiom. At the east end our eyes are drawn to the largest window in the church situated behind the altar, which is again a work of dalle de verre glass mosaic, but is a figurative composition depicting Christ's call to St Peter. The austerity of the architecture sets the windows off very well.
The windows are rare works (outside his native Alsace) by the artist Tristan Ruhlmann and their style is unlike any dalle de verre glass I've seen elsewhere. Ruhlmann used his own technical wizardry to expand the graphic quality of this otherwise limited medium for pictorial subject matter (dalle de verre windows normally consist of roughly hewn chunks of glass set in concrete, which limits their narrative capacity). In order to work in a more illustrative style, Ruhlmann incorporates pieces of flat glass as well, only using then set on their edges to create lines of coloured light with which he 'draws' *(some are heat distorted to create curves). This is likely a unique use of the medium in England, and deserves to be better known as a highly complex and imaginitive response to the material which remain without imitators.
On the south side is the lady chapel which culminates in another large Ruhlmann window, this time depicting the Nativity across three lights. The chapel is otherwise flooded with light from its remaining clear glazed windows, and is a pleasant place to sit and contemplate Ruhlmann's work.
The church isn't normally open outside of services but is well worth seeing if one can make arrangements to visit. I am hugely hugely indebted to the church's vicar, Reverend Martin Stephenson who kindly agreed to open the church for me after I'd phoned the parish office and spent some time showing me his archive of photos of Ruhlmann's work in France (all of which was previously unknown to me and quite a revelation!). He clearly understands what a special church he has and what a unique individual Tristan Ruhlmann was and I am very grateful for the time he gave me to explore the church and share his passion for its glass.
It was a visit I'll never forget and a church I could easily lose myself in for a lot longer (the acoustics are 'interesting' in there too, quite an echo to every word and movement, I wonder what it is like to sing in there?). Frustratingly my camera was having 'issues' that day, but at least I have a reasonable set of images to show for my visit.
The Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican (Italian: Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply St. Peter's Basilica (Latin: Basilica Sancti Petri), is an Italian Renaissance church in Vatican City, the papal enclave within the city of Rome.
Designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini, St. Peter's is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture] and one of the largest churches in the world. While it is neither the mother church of the Catholic Church nor the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome, St. Peter's is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic shrines. It has been described as "holding a unique position in the Christian world" and as "the greatest of all churches of Christendom".
Catholic tradition holds that the Basilica is the burial site of St. Peter, one of Christ's Apostles and also the first Pope; supposedly, St. Peter's tomb is directly below the high altar of the Basilica. For this reason, many Popes have been interred at St. Peter's since the Early Christian period. There has been a church on this site since the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. Construction of the present basilica, replacing the Old St. Peter's Basilica of the 4th century AD, began on 18 April 1506 and was completed on 18 November 1626.
St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The Pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year, drawing audiences of 15,000 to over 80,000 people, either within the Basilica or the adjoining St. Peter's Square. St. Peter's has many historical associations, with the Early Christian Church, the Papacy, the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-reformation and numerous artists, especially Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. St. Peter's is one of the four churches in the world that hold the rank of Major Basilica, all four of which are in Rome. Contrary to popular misconception, it is not a cathedral because it is not the seat of a bishop; the Cathedra of the Pope as Bishop of Rome is in the Archbasilica of St. John Lateran.
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Photograph taken by
Jos van der Heiden (2016)
Ingerson and Glaser Windows.
St. Peter's Chapel at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard was built in 1901 under the guidance of Chaplin McAllister and is the oldest chapel in the military. The organ was installed in 1929 and updated again in 1966.
The twenty-nine stained glass windows were installed over a thirty year period to honor individuals and groups. Twenty-five of the windows are known to be from the Tiffany Studios, one by the Cummings Studios, and three from Ingerson and Glaser of San Francisco.
The chapel is maintained by the Mare Island Historic Park Foundation
Compared with medieval Gothic carvings that have survived through the centuries, these in the porch at St Peter's look very fresh. The church was consecrated in 1826 and it wasn't until 1858 that the rector John Lucy (who had funded its building) commissioned Sir George Gilbert Scott to create this porch and a new chancel. The bell tower was already in situ, but Scott added the wonderful vaulted ceiling and this arch, (He also added a gallery and a rose window that we'll come to later as well.) This is pure speculation, but I wonder if the head is not that of John Lucy's mother, who In 1778 made a bequest of £900 for improvements to the medieval church. They were never carried out but, with cumulative interest, the endowment had increased to £9000 by the early eighteen hundreds and John Lucy decided to use the funds, together with his own substantial resources, to build a completely new church. Even if it was not her intention, it was her endowment that helped create St Peter's as it is today.