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I must have driven past St.Peter's Church, Little Warley, Essex more than 100 times in my life without really noticing it as it is just south of the Southend Arterial Road, tucked behind some trees and a petrol station. When I finally saw it close-up a couple of months ago I was instantly put in mind of an old boxer saying: "I could have been a contender, I could have been somebody". Truly this is the 'pugilist' of parish churches.
www.flickr.com/photos/barryslemmings/sets/72157594499464845/ to see the full set.
This much battered building has the remains of stone 15th century nave walls on the north and south side, the northern nave wall featuring an arch which springs into nothing... and just turns into badly matched 18th century brickwork. The chancel has six buttresses, four of them on the same side and in four different styles and differing materials. Two chancel walls are in different styles of brick implying more than one re-build on the other two sides.
The chancel's meeting with the nave on the south side is more than a little casual and is not helped by the fact that the more recently built chancel wall is STILL clearly out of plumb to the rest of the building.
The red brick tower at the other end of the church proclaims it was rebuilt in the 18th century, now why doesn't that word 'rebuilt' surprise me? The Victoria County History [now available online for Essex] remarks: "Frequent rebuilding suggests an unstable site". No sh*t Sherlock! This church looks about as stable as the San Andreas Fault yet - to return to my old boxer theme - it is still on its feet and fighting. This is a working church despite needing some serious time in the blue corner with its trainer, its manager plus Wren, Hawkesmoor and Pevsner!
In 1066 the manor was held by Guert but it was given to the Bishop of London by William the Conqueror. In 1086 the priest Tascelin held 15 acres so presumbably his church was on this site. The manor house was later held by the Setmels family and then the Belmels family.
The Victoria County History notes that the church nave is a 15th century rebuild and the original west tower was probably added then. The chancel's first rebuild in brick was in the 16th century while the south porch is probably of the same date. The present brick west tower is from 1718 but is partially on the earlier footings. Among the more recent renovations are another east wall on the chancel which is where most of the subsidence problem appears to have been centred.
I was not able to get inside but I noted box pews which are said to be c1600 and I could see a handsome alabaster monument in the chancel for the Denner family. I also noted that a burglar had smashed the chancel window since my earlier visit but this is now boarded up and has some furniture resting against it. It seems our 'old boxer' is still rolling with the punches.
During Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples, he predicted that Peter would deny knowledge of him, stating that Peter would disown him before the rooster crowed the next morning. Following the arrest of Jesus Peter denied knowing him three times, but after the third denial, heard the rooster crow and recalled the prediction as Jesus turned to look at him. Peter then began to cry bitterly.
The churchyard at St. Peter, Marsh Baldon, Oxfordshire.
The open space which lies before the basilica was redesigned by Gian Lorenzo Bernini from 1656 to 1667, under the direction of Pope Alexander VII, as an appropriate forecourt, designed "so that the greatest number of people could see the Pope give his blessing, either from the middle of the façade of the church or from a window in the Vatican Palace"
Cleaning out some older photos.
St. Peter's Basilica is part of Vatican City (officially the "State of Vatican City") a walled enclave within the city of Rome. But with an area of about 44 hectares, and a population of about 850 it is the smallest state in the world and so I merge it into Rome and Italy.
St. Peter's Basilica of today replaced "Old St. Peter's Basilica", that existed from the 4th to the 16th century, when the construction on the new basilica started. Charlemagne was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in "Old St. Peter" in 800.
(New) St. Peter's Basilica, designed principally by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini is the most renowned work of Renaissance architecture, completed in 1590. It is one of the largest churches worldwide .
The image of St Peter's church in its own altar window (shown here prior to the blocking of the porch doorway).
The liturgical 'east' window by Francis Stephens installed in 1955. Stephens was a pupil of Martin Travers and his style shows a strong similarity to Traver's work. He was assisted in making this window by John Hayward at the Faith Craft Studios.
The central focus is a rich group of Christ in glory flanked by Mary & St Peter whilst the background glass was kept deliberately light as was the fashion in much postwar stained glass. At the bottom is a panoramic view of Rugby with its identifiable landmarks and churches, including St Peter's itself on the left hand side.
St Peter's church was built in 1909 to the design of Charles Ford Whitcomb and is a sturdy essay in Arts & Crafts Gothic, brick built with stone dressings and rendered internally. It originally consisted of a spacious nave and apse (orientated north) but and extension in 1933 resulted in a new sanctuary and the reorientation of the interior towards it, leaving the apse as a baptistery. Further alterations in 1984 subdivided the interior with an enormous gallery inserting a floor extending through the apse and two bays of the nave, creating space for a church hall beneath. More recently St John was added to the church's dedication to commemorate a former sister parish (based in a much more modest building that closed).
The handsome interior of the church now has a rather reduced floor space but the full length of it can still be appreciated from the gallery level. The focus is the large window above the altar with stained glass by Francis Stephens installed in 1955.
For more on the building and the window see below:-
peterjohnchurch.weebly.com/archive---building.html
The church is a familiar landmark to me having grown up in the area and attended the former art college next door (long since replaced by houses).
The church is normally open only for services and functions but I was lucky enough to time my last visit well and was given a friendly reception here. There are plans for further work to the building, principally the re-opening of the former porch which was bricked up in the 1984 alterations and has lead many since to believe the church had closed, it is very much alive and well and I wish them every success with this venture.
Blick von der Empore auf Kirchenschiff und Chor der Kirche, die von 1731-1735 unter Fürstabt Adolph von Dalberg errichtet wurde. Die einheitliche Ausstattung im Fuldaer Barock aus der Erbauungszeit der Kirche passt sich wunderbar an die Architektur der Kirche an.
St. Peter's Church
To the southwest is the Late Gothic St. Peter’s Church, parts of which were subsequently redone in Baroque and Neogothic styles. Formerly the university church, it was once used to bury deceased professors, local officials, and prominent residents. There are a number of tombs and grave-stones in the church’s interior and gardens.
St Peter’s Church, Heidelberg.
Stained glass
In Peter's glass paintings of the 19th and 21st century are present. The older windows are located in the choir, contemporary window Johannes Schreiter in the nave and in the southern and the northern side chapel.
Detail: Stained glass window in the choir (1869).
In the choir polygon three neo-Gothic stained glass windows have been preserved, which were about 1869 by Henry Beiler (sen.), Heidelberg, executed. The three-figure group in the Timeline window is the most colorful accent in the choir: In the middle of the increases is the chalice, blessing Christ flanked by Peter and John the Evangelist. Color and character style betrayed the proximity to the painting of the Nazarenes.
The side windows in the choir master is reported to their design and content of typical pictorial creations of Protestantism and inscriptions as foundations. They are dedicated people in the Protestant church history and designed as a sober Portrait Gallery:. (. Reg 1611-1632) left King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden, including Elector Ottheinrich Palatine, accompanied by the theologian Philipp (reg 1556-1559.) Jakob Spener (1635-1705) and Friedrich Daniel Ernst Schleiermacher (1768-1834), right in the same cross-shaped arrangement of Martin Luther (1483-1546) and Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531), flanked by Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560) and John Calvin (1509-1564). These eight personalities embody controversial theological and confessional tendencies that seemed reconciled by the tolerance of the Baden Church Union 1821st
Original reredos. Erected 1880, created by William Butterfield, transferred to Lady Chapel altar when new reredos installed 1904. Butterfield produced the first designs for the cathedral.
“There has just been erected in St Peter's Cathedral by Messrs. Brown & Thompson a handsome reredos, lately arrived from England, designed by Mr. Butterfield, the architect of the Cathedral, and the gift of the Bishop and his immediate relatives and friends. It may be described as a handsome white marble ornamented and jewelled cross, five feet in height, springing from a marble shelf, in a canopied and cusped recess, flanked on each side by a subsidiary breaded panel rising from a solid marble shelf of some what lower level than that from which the cross is carried. . . Great credit is due to the employees of Messrs. Brown & Thompson for the careful way in which they, without accident, carried out so delicate a work.” [Register 3 Apr 1880]
THE LADY CHAPEL
Consecrated 7 Apr 1904, architect Mr.-E. J: Woods. When the chancel wall was demolished, the 2 triple windows (created by Wailes & Co 1876) were removed and given to Holy Trinity Adelaide and St Bartholomew’s Norwood. The new apse formed the Lady Chapel, funds being donated by Priscilla Simms in memory of her husband Dean Alfred Simms. Three new triple windows designed by John William Brown of Powell & Sons, Whitefriars were donated by Robert Barr Smith. The 2 windows removed had been dedicated to Bishop Augustus Short and Dean James Farrell & his wife Grace Montgomery; as are two of the new windows in the Lady Chapel.
“The builders are now engaged in laying the foundations of the lady chapel that is to be built behind the Cathedral out of a donation made by Mrs. Alfred Simms. Already the great north-western wall of the Cathedral has been pulled down, and the men have nearly finished excavating the vestries beneath the chapel. Two massive stone piers, three lofty archways, and a reredos 30 ft. high, will occupy the site of the old wall. The lady chapel will be in the shape of an octagon. It is to be built of Teatree Gully brown stone, with Murray-bridge freestone dressings.” [Advertiser 7 Feb 1903]
“lady chapel . . is the gift of Priscilla Simms, in grateful recognition of the gracious goodness of God and in memory of her husband, Alfred Simms. [Advertiser 30 Mar 1904]
“St. Peter's Cathedral . . . The spires to the Cathedral were built as the result of a donation of £10,000 by Mr. Barr Smith . . . [He] has also given three windows. . . The lady chapel and vestry are the gift of Mrs Simms, who is also giving a reredos.” [Advertiser 30 Mar 1904]
“The walls of the chapel are built mainly of brick, faced on the inside with dressed Murray River freestone, and externally with Teatree Gully freestone.” [Chronicle 2 Apr 1904]
“The question of stained glass for the central window was settled by Mr. Barr Smith generously offering to be responsible for the expense. Then a difficulty arose. Owing to the improvement in the art of staining glass which has taken place during the last quarter of a century, and other causes, the central window would be so greatly superior to those between which it would be placed that the harmonious effect of the whole would, be destroyed, and it would seem hardly on honour to the memory of Bishop Short and Dean Farrell that they should be represented by windows which would appear so inferior. The question then resolved itself into how to preserve the memorials to the late Bishop and Dean, and at the same time get over the difficulty which the stained glass presented. Mr. Barr Smith again generously came to the rescue, and offered to give new glass for all three windows, stipulating in the most emphatic terms that the two side windows were to be memorials to the late Bishop Short and Dean Farrell, and should bear the same inscriptions as at present.” [Register 1 Dec 1900]
Cathedral foundation stone 29 Jun 1869 by Bishop Augustus Short, opened 30 Mar 1876, first organ installed in north transept 1877, chancel & first part of nave consecrated 1 Jan 1878, tower & nave foundation stone 27 Sep 1890 by the Governor, Earl of Kintore, nave consecrated 14 Jul 1901, tower & spires dedicated 7 Dec 1902, Lady Chapel & crypt completed 7 Apr 1904, reredos dedicated 6 Mar 1910, front steps 1911, new organ dedicated 6 Jul 1930 in south transept, bells 29 Jun 1947.
The Call of St Peter. Carved panel on the reredos.
Carved English oak reredos dedicated 6 Mar 1910, designed by T H Lyon, carved by Herbert Read, of St. Sidwells Art Works, Exeter, England, figure panels depicting Christ, St Peter, archangels & saints by N Hitch & Co of London. Not everyone was happy with cathedral alterations – the previous reredos was moved to the Lady Chapel
“the new reredos, which is now being carved in England at the St. Sidwell's art works, Exeter, from the designs and under the direction of the architect, Mr. T. H. Lyon, of High-street, Kensington. The reredos will be a magnificent piece of work in oak, and it is expected to arrive in November. . . the old one, which has been placed at the end of the chapel above the altar.” [Express & Telegraph 30 Mar 1904]
“By giving the beautiful Lady Chapel to St. Peter's Cathedral Mrs. Alfred Simms (now Mrs. Harry Bickford) laid the Anglican Church, indeed, the people of the State — because all alike can be benefited and refined by the art of architecture — under a deep debt of gratitude. The reredos, which completes the work, and which brings this munificent lady's contribution up to £15,000, is now in position. . . of carved oak, and rising to a height of 34 ft., with screens 18 ft. 6 in. high on either side. . . On the tops of the screens are emblems of the Passion. . . The reredos is of solid oak, and all the work was done by hand. It was executed by Mr. Herbert Read, of St. Sidwells Art Works, Exeter. The artistic figure panels are by N. Hitch &. Co., Harleyford road, London, who has just executed figures of all the Kings of England for the west front of Truro Cathedral. . . The Federal authorities demanded a duty of £500 on the reredos before it was allowed to pass the customs. Doulton ware and stained glass windows are admitted free, but the Commonwealth authority judged this handsome and inspiring reredos, which goes into a Cathedral where everyone can see it, as not a work of art.” [Register 12 Dec 1904]
“The reredos contains 23 panels, The principal one depicts The Lord seated in glory surrounded by angel ministrants. The others portray, The call of St. Peter, The commission to St. Peter, The Visit of St. Peter to the house of Cornelius, The scene by the Sea of Tiberius, St. Anne and the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Edward the Confessor, St. Andrew, apostle and martyr, The Venerable Bede, St. George, patron of England, St. David, Patron of Wales, St. Martha, St. Barbara, St. Patrick, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Agnes, St. Margaret, St. Augustine, St. Michael, St. Uriel, St. Raphael, and The Angel Gabriel. [Register 8 Mar 1910]
“During the last few years, in connection with this building, various mistakes have been made, and the building is commonly dubbed by visitors and residents as 'The Spoilt Cathedral. Among other mistakes, an unsightly and overpowering reredos has been forced upon us. This completely obscures from view the beautiful memorial windows raised to the memory of Dean Farrell and Bishop Short, and is a matter of deep regret to most church people.” [Register 4 Mar 1910]
Cathedral foundation stone 29 Jun 1869 by Bishop Augustus Short, opened 30 Mar 1876, first organ installed in north transept 1877, chancel & first part of nave consecrated 1 Jan 1878, tower & nave foundation stone 27 Sep 1890 by the Governor, Earl of Kintore, nave consecrated 14 Jul 1901, tower & spires dedicated 7 Dec 1902, Lady Chapel & crypt completed 7 Apr 1904, reredos dedicated 6 Mar 1910, front steps 1911, new organ dedicated 6 Jul 1930 in south transept, bells 29 Jun 1947.
St Peter
Church of England
Cathedral
Commonly known as York Minster
The minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the second-highest office of the Church of England, and is the cathedral for the Diocese of York.
The title "minster" is attributed to churches established in the Anglo-Saxon period as missionary teaching churches, and serves now as an honorific title.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/York_Minster
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minster_(church)
The Twin Towers of The West Front.
St. Peter's Cathedral in the city of Charlottetown on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
Click here to see where this photo was taken. By courtesy of BeeLoop SL (the Mapware & Mobility Solutions Company).
St Peter's church in Brooke featured in the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice". It was also much loved by John Betjeman. Sadly it wasn't open the day we visited.
St Peter's church at Greets Green, West Bromwich, a little known Black Country gem built in 1858, most notable for some stunning stained glass inside, foremost of which are the three gorgeous late Arts & Crafts windows by Bromsgrove Guild artist Albert Lemmon.
The church itself is a fairly restrained design for the Victorian period and at first glance could easily be mistaken for a much older building. It is on a fairly grand scale though and within seems fairly spacious, its whitewashed walls helping to balance the loss of light owing to the rich glass in several of the windows.
The glass is the main event here visually, with three of Lemmon's best windows to be found in pride of place behind the main altar and one at the end of each side aisle. The other windows are worthy of note too, ranging from the late 19th century to the 1970s.
Greets Green church is normally kept locked outside of services (like most in the endless suburbia of the West Midlands county) and thus generally only known to the regular Sunday congregation, so I am hugely grateful to Ben Sinclair who arranged for the churchwarden to open up so that I could see and share its stunning glass, little known masterpieces that are well worth seeing.
St Peter's Church, Great Walsingham, Norfolk.
Unfortunately the church had been locked for the day so we will have to wait for another visit to our friends who live just down the road from the church.
2018PAD 150/365 (30/5)
Just off our old friend, the A143 near to the roundabout that leads to Harleston lies St Peter. Again I have driven on the nearby main road hundreds of times, yet half a mile from there, lies St Peter on a now quiet "b" road, with little passing traffic.
I had been following the sat nav from Eye, having already passed Horham, I now came to Needham, and hoped that this would complete a hat trick of open churches.
But it wasn't to be, locked fast, and no time to search for a key holder, I take a few exterior shots and then leave again.
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It is an ill wind which blows nobody any good, and Needham has benefited from the hideous Diss to Yarmouth road which now bypasses it, leaving it a pleasant, pretty village with an exceptionally wide and empty high street. St Peter is thoroughly rural, sitting in a tight little churchyard right beside the road. In the days when the juggernauts were hurtling through to the east coast ports, it must have been as beleagured as poor little Thorpe Abbotts a couple of miles off. Now, it is a haven of peace, dripping with wysteria and laburnum.
The late Saxon round tower has been buttressed and crowned, probably in the 15th century but possibly earlier, and the pretty red brick porch of the same date makes a pleasing foil.Round towered churches are often characterful, and this is enhanced further at Needham by the pretty red-brick chancel.
Inside, this is a small, typical village church, heavily Victorianised but with a scattering of medieval survivals, including a gorgeous arch-braced roof the colour of honey. Perhaps most intriguing is the set of benches on the south side. The bench ends appear to be medieval, although rather rustic in character (could they be a century or so later?) but the most interesting detail is that the back of one of them is also medieval, and part of it, possibly added on from elsewhere, bears the inscriptions Use Wel Thy Tyme For Dethe Is Comyng and The Sentence Of God Almighty is Everlasting. The two sentences are punctuated by the initials M E. One might suppose that such a sentiment is as likely to be Puritan as medieval, but beneath there are carved symbols, including a chalice and host, and the cross keys of St Peter. This all may have come from the screen or loft, I suppose, in which case perhaps the old wood was used to make a set of benches of which this back is the survivor.
The 15th century font is the same as the one nearby at Starston, with lions supporting a bowl with shields and symbols. Otherwise, all is simple, relatively plain and seemly, so much obviously the work of locals in a village which has now reclaimed its identity from the busy main road.
Simon Knott, July 2005
St. Peter's Church is the Anglican parish church in Petersfield, Hampshire, England. It is is within the Diocese of Portsmouth. The ancient church is still very much a focal point within Petersfield, and is located in the centre of town, on the south side of the Square. The term Anglican describes those people and churches following the religious traditions of the Church of England, especially following the Reformation. ... Petersfield is a market town in the English county of Hampshire, situated on the northern border of the South Downs. ... Royal motto (French): Dieu et mon droit (Translated: God and my right) Englands location (dark green) within the United Kingdom (light green), with the Republic of Ireland (blue) to its west Languages None official English de facto Capital None official London de facto Largest city London Area – Total Ranked... Portsmouth Cathedral The Diocese of Portsmouth is an administrative division of the Church of England Province of Canterbury in England. ...
A chapel of ease was originally built, and called 'St. Peter's in-the-veld' (veld - meaning an open and clear place), within the manor of Mapledurham (later Buriton). Although the town around the chapelry soon grew larger than that around the main church, St. Peter’s remained a chapelry to Buriton until 1886, when it became a separate parish. Since 1984 the two parishes have been held in plurality, so the Vicar of Petersfield is now also Rector of Buriton. 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... In the broadest sense, a vicar (from the Latin vicarius) is anyone acting as a substitute or agent for a superior (compare vicarious). In this sense, the title is comparable to lieutenant. ... The word rector (ruler, from the Latin regere) has a number of different meanings. ...
St. Peter's was originally a Norman building; the north and south aisles were added at the end of the 12th century. The tower was raised to its present height during the 14th century and a parapet added. During the 15th century, several windows with perpendicular tracery were inserted.
© Eddie Chui
St Peter's is a rebuilt Tudor church that was dedicated in 1517, the year of Luther's Articles. It must rank among England's last medieval churches before the Reformation. Its patron was Sir Edmund Tame, whose father built St Mary's, Fairford.
The exterior is conventional Perpendicular, with heavy battlements and tower pinnacles, and the churchyard contains a display of chest tombs.
Inside, the 12th century font of the Herefordshire School has twelve apostles - or rather eleven with one left blank for Judas. Another, later, font stands by the pulpit.
Rendcomb comprises a nave with south aisle, divided by an arcade with concave-sided octagonal piers, similar to Northleach and Chipping Campden. Buried in the north wall are the remains of an Early Gothic arcade to a lost north aisle, three piers revealed in the plasterwork.
There is no division between nave and chancel, but the chancel roof is distinct, of Victorian sycamore. The rood screen was also a Victorian concoction, using parts of an old screen and with a frieze of cast iron. This structure straddles the chancel and south chapel. The latter has an iron altar rail with the chained swan emblem of the Guise family, who succeeded the Tames as lords of the manor.
Of interest are the corbels, those in the south aisle carved with angels playing instruments and holding heraldic shields.
The east window glass is unremarkable but some 16th century glass survives in the north windows. It has early Renaissance forms which imply a different designer from Fairford, and a later date of c.1520.
St. Peter's Square (Italian: Piazza San Pietro [ˈpjattsa sam ˈpjɛːtro], Latin: Forum Sancti Petri) is a large plaza located directly in front of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City, the papal enclave inside Rome, directly west of the neighbourhood or rione of Borgo.
At the centre of the square is an Egyptian obelisk, erected at the current site in 1586. Gian Lorenzo Bernini designed the square almost 100 years later, including the massive Tuscan colonnades, four columns deep, which embrace visitors in "the maternal arms of Mother Church". A granite fountain constructed by Bernini in 1675 matches another fountain designed by Carlo Maderno in 1613.
Externally at least, St Peter's at Bourton on Dunsmore appears to be entirely Victorian (J.Potter 1842-50), certainly the south west steeple is clearly very much of this time, but more of the medieval building is apparent inside, which has more of a sense of antiquity than the exterior betrays.
There's a roughly finished medieval font, a two-decker pulpit from 1607 and a battered 13th century wimpled lady in the north transept, which seems to be a former Shuckburgh family mausoleum with hatchments and late Georgian and Victorian slabs and tablets, now largely hidden by a wilderness of display boards and general clutter.
There are two nice Victorian windows in the south aisle, by Heaton, Butler & Bayne and Kempe respectively.
St Peter's is another well used church kept open and welcoming to visitors.
For more detail see this church's entry on the Warwickshire Churches website:-
warwickshirechurches.weebly.com/bourton-on-dunsmore---st-...
'Oh not again' I mumbled to my self as I tried the door handle and got that horrid solid locked feeling. After reading where the keyholder lived (right next door) I took the short stroll to the vicarage and prayed that some-one was in.
What a lovely couple the vicar David Mathers and his wife, they had no qualms at all about handing me the keys.So many judge me on my tattoos and sometimes slightly unshaven look. They quiz me and ask why I want to get in 'their' church,even though I am standing there with my camera. I have lost count of the times I have had to say that its my hobby. Sometimes its so frustrating, I am a forty something hard working man having to justify my wanting to go into a public building.Grrrrrr.
Anyway I digress,this church is very grand and very well looked after. The vicar popped over only to say hello, then he left me alone to lock up. He explained that as from May the church will be open daily. A beautiful church well worth a visit.
St Peter, Wolverhampton, West Midlands.
West Window, 1854 (detail).
Memorial to Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769-1852).
By William Wailes of Newcastle (1808-1881).
William Wailes (1808-1881) started his own company in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1838 and became one of the largest provincial stained glass producers. In 1841 the company was making their own glass and Wailes was employed to make glass for Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, mainly from 1842 to 1845, but he produced glass for Pugin on and off up until the latter's death in 1852. His son-in-law, Thomas Rankine Strang (1835-1899) later joined him as a partner and the name changed to Wailes & Strang. From 1859, William Wailes lived in some style at Saltwell Towers, Gateshead. He died there and is buried in the churchyard of St Peter, Bywell, Northumberland.
St Peter's is a fine old church, situated in the attractive village of Welford on Avon and dating back to Norman times. This antiquity is most apparent in the interior, which is quite unusually proportioned, with very low and wide late Norman arches, two on each side spanning the entire length of the nave from a single column. The aisles are extremely narrow, mere passages flanking the main vessel, whilst the chancel beyond is of equal length.
There are small fragments of medieval glass in the chancel, but the most impressive feature here is the east window by Geoffrey Webb, a beautiful Comper-esque composition dating from 1924.
The church is kept open and welcoming to visitors. For more detail see its entry on the Warwickshire Churches website below :-
warwickshirechurches.weebly.com/welford-on-avon---st-pete...
I lived in lowestoft for the first 25 years of my life, and then returned for another 5 in 2004, and yet before Saturday I had never clapped eyes on Gunton St Peter.
I knew there was a road called Gunton Church Lane, and when you come to think about it, it stands to reason that there should be a church on it at some point.
Of course even 2009 is a different place, long before I began the task of photographing Kentish churches and so my appreciation of churches had not yet begun. And like most people I have a very poor opinion about my hometown.
And yet, thanks to my photography, and looking at the work of others, Simon K in particular, whose labour of love are two wonderful websites detailing the churches of Suffolk and Norfolk. I now see that I used to walk around with my eyes closed at the glories that surrounded me in East Anglia.
St Peter is a delight, although Simon tells us the body of the church was rebuilt by the lovely Victorians it still looks wonderful, small in scale but with a fine round tower, all built of flints, as you would expect. That this appears to be a rural church, and it is now at the end of a long road through a large housing estate, makes it appear all the more remarkable.
In the porch there was a 'church open' sign, which suggests that they do unlock the doors from time to time.
And now over to Simon, and the educational bit:
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This pretty little round-towered church is tucked away in the pleasantly domestic northern suburbs of Lowestoft, and has been for years. The parish name is just a courtesy title really, and there probably never was a village centre, for this was the Hall church. The Hall itself is now a holiday village, and the former grounds the home of the Pleasurewood Hills American theme park, East Anglia's biggest single tourist attraction. To really appreciate the historic setting of this church, you could do worse than leave your car in their car park. You can then walk the quarter of a mile along the footpath through the woods to the church.
Despite the urban setting, St Peter is a truly rural church, with a pretty round tower, and magnificent Norman north and south doorways. The body of the church was pretty well completely rebuilt in the 1890s, although something of its earlier medieval integrity has been preserved. Now, however, the chancel and nave run under a single roof, and there is no chancel arch anymore. The people of the parish probably think that no one is interested in seeing inside, because ordinarily they keep this church locked, without a keyholder notice.
This is a sad reflection on the people of Lowestoft, because in a county where virtually all medieval churches are open every day, or at least accessible with a nearby key, the churches of Lowestoft still lock us all out. I have no doubt that this makes them prey to vandalism, because, as the Churchwatch charity have pointed out, churches which are kept locked all of the time are far more likely to be vandalised than those which are regularly open, they are twice as likely to be broken into, and are even slightly more likely to have something stolen from them. The irony is, of course, that if parishes like this suffer such a loss it tends to make them even less likely to keep the church open, and so the spiral of decline continues.
However, if you can, you step into a pleasantly neat and trim late 19th century interior, albeit rather gloomy from the tinted glass. The building is obviously still well-used and cared for. At the east end, the rather awkward late Victorian triple lancet window contains panels of simple 1960s glass depicting Christ and the parable figures of a fisherman, a sower and a reaper, a nice reference to the main occupations of this part of Suffolk, even if the design itself is not particularly exciting. More pleasing is the view back to the west, down the church to the tower, with good late Victorian furnishings set in a sea of shiny tiles.
My good friend and EA church expert and all round good bloke, Simon K, www.flickr.com/photos/norfolkodyssey/, provided me a list of fine churches to visit in the Dedham Vale which I should visit if the planned trip to Suffolk ever came off.
I left Dover early on the Thursday morning, and mixed it with the rush hour traffic at Dartfod before turning up the A12 and away from the craziness. And into the driving craziness that is Essex. But that's another story.
I turned off just after crossing the border into Suffolk at Stratford St Mary, and then got lost. I was trying to get to Stoke by Nayland, but I found no signs for it, and had to pull the sat nav out to find my way.
In preparing the list, I noted the name of Boxted, as it was nearly the same name as my first employer, Buxted, so when I saw a sign for Boxted, I followed it.
I thought I was in Suffolk still, but somewhere along the line I must have crossed back into Essex, as there are villages in both counties, very near each other, called Boxted.
Boxted village has two netres, the new part down in the valley, and the old part around the church up the hill. The church took some finding, but along and up Church Hill (always a giveaway), there it was.
I couple were preparing to do some pruning of the brambles growing out of the wall near the gate, and they gave me a disdainful look, but were pleasant enough when I left as I remarked what a wonderful church it is.
In fact, this might be one of my favourite churches I have visited, maybe even the favourite. I was surprised that Simon says so little about it, I found it a delight. The gallery so steeply raked the church felt like a theatre, and I am sure services here are special.
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There are two settlements in the parish, a large village a mile away down in the valley, and this smaller, older hamlet around the church.
While I was photographing the exterior, a rather brusque, rude woman asked me to move my bike so she could reverse up to the church because she was 'doing the flowers'. She then parked directly in front of the porch. She must have known her car would spoil my photographs. She got out and took - I kid you not - a single leafy branch from the back of her car and went into the church. I took as long as I could before joining her, by which time she was just leaving, thankfully. She had the grace to say goodbye.
This is a nice interior, full of light, curious pointed arcades punched through thick Norman walls, and a large west gallery raked so steeply that one has the impression of being in a cinema or theatre. An 18th Century memorial has an angel and a skeleton arm-wrestling over a corpse. I liked this one a lot, despite the rude woman.
Simon Knott, October 2012
www.essexchurches.org.uk/boxted.htm
In the early years of the 11th century a Saxon lord named Edwin built a church at Boxted, on the southern slopes of the Dedham Vale. The site chosen by Edwin for his church is rumoured to have been occupied by the ruins of a Roman villa destroyed by Queen Boudicca in her rebellion against the Romans in 61AD. Certainly the Saxon church was built using Roman bricks, mixed with local rubble.
Early historical studies of Boxted church suggest that Edwin's church used septaria stones, of the sort used to build the town walls of Colchester a few miles to the south.
In the late 11th century Edwin's church was replaced with a grand new building in stone. The builders were Robert de Horkesley and his wife Beatrice. The building was begun sometime around 1090 and completed by 1130. The church was dedicated to St Mary, and that dedication held true until sometime around the Reformation - perhaps when nearby Little Horkesley Priory was dissolved, at which point the church was rededicated to St Peter. The first priest was a monk from Little Horkesley Priory named Roberto. The material was a mix of puddingstone, rubble, and Roman brick, but the upper part of the tower was rebuilt in the 16th century with brick, and brick buttresses added. At the same time a timber porch was added.
he church was always kept in good repair; following the Reformation the locals complained that the chancel was in such poor condition that the vicar refused to hold services there. The church was heavily repaired in 1870 by AW Blomfield, one of the most active Victorian church architects. During a subsequent restoration in 1930 medieval wall paintings were uncovered, then just as quickly painted over again.
Historical Highlights
Interior features include a series of 17th century floor slabs to members of the Maidstone family, and to two servants of the Earl of Oxford. A painted and gilded royal coat of arms to George III are hung on the north wall of the nave. There is a 17th centuiry oak chest and several 12th century windows set high above the north arcade. The simple chancel arch is also 12th century. The nave roof is an intriguing crown-post design. On the wall is an attractive early 17th century memorial to Nathaniel Bacon.
Summming up Boxted church
I'd call St Peters an attractive church, not blessed with an enormous number of historic features, but a church with an ancient and interesting history nonetheless. Rather than making a special trip to see it I'd suggest seeing St Peters as part of a longer outing visiting several of the fascinating historic churches in Dedham Vale, like those at Little Horkesley, Wormingford, and Langham. To the best of my knowledge the church is normally open daylight hours.
The 15th Century Perpendicular St. Peter's, Winchcombe, 06/13. Winchcombe was the ancient capital of the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Mercia, one of the Heptarchy (the others being Wessex, Essex, Sussex, Kent, East Anglia & Northumbria) of Anglo-Saxon and Jute Kingdoms which eventually formed England.
St. Peter's is incredibly beautiful inside and out. I could spend hours and hours there. When the World's Fair was in New York back in the 1960s I saw Michelangel's Pieta and have never forgotten how perfectly perfect it is. It's even better in its natural surroundings. The Colosseum is amazing in its complexity - they even had elevators to raise the animal cages up from the area below the field for the gladiators to fight. The lower left photo is of the Trevi Fountain which I think was the busiest sight in all of Rome. The lower right photo is the Piazza Navona, a pretty place with lots of fountains.