Church of St Peter, Croft-on-Tees facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Church of St Peter, Croft-on-Tees
St Peter's Church
Croft on Tees, St Peter's Church
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OS grid reference	NZ288098
Location	Croft-on-Tees, North Yorkshire
Country	England
Denomination	Church of England
Architecture
Style	Decorated
Administration
Parish	Croft
Benefice	East Deere Street
Deanery	Richmond
Archdeaconry	Richmond and Craven
Diocese	Leeds

The Church of St Peter in Croft-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England, is a very old church. It was built way back in the 12th century, which means it's over 800 years old! It's also a grade I listed building, meaning it's super important historically.

This church is special because it's linked to the famous writer Lewis Carroll, who wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. When he was a boy, Lewis Carroll went to this church in the 1840s because his dad was the church leader there. People think some of the things inside the church might have given him ideas for his amazing characters!

It's even mentioned in a famous book called England's Thousand Best Churches by Simon Jenkins.

A Look at the Church's History

Building the church started in the 1100s! Over the years, more parts were added in the 1200s, 1300s, and 1400s. Big updates were also done in the late 1800s. Most of the church is built in a style called "Decorated," which means it has lots of fancy carvings and designs.

The tower on the west side was added later and is made from different stone than the rest of the church. The outside walls are made of red sandstone, which is common in the Tees Valley. However, some parts have been made stronger with brown sandstone. The main part of the church, called the nave and chancel, is about 94 feet long from one end to the other.

Even though most of the church is "Decorated" in style, a part added in the 1400s, called the clerestory, is in a different style called "Perpendicular." You can also find very old Anglo-Saxon crosses in a chapel and near the north door. This spot has been a place of worship for a very long time, even back in Anglo-Saxon times.

The Milbanke Pew

In 1680, a family called the Milbankes added a special, raised seating area in the church. This "Milbanke Pew" is on the same level as the pulpit, which is where the priest speaks. You reach it by climbing a "grand staircase." It's held up by strong columns and used to have red curtains. One historian, Glynne, even described this whole section as "ugly"!

The Church of St Peter became a Grade I listed building in 1968. This listing also includes the Todd Tomb in the churchyard, which remembers John Todd from nearby Halnaby Hall.

Simon Jenkins, in his book England's Thousand Best Churches, gave the church three out of five stars. He said it was "a splendid church" that showed how much fun even simple carvers could have with church decorations.

Lewis Carroll's Connection to the Church

From 1843 to 1868, Lewis Carroll's father was the main priest, or rector, at this church in Croft. Lewis Carroll, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, moved to the village when he was just 11 years old. He lived there until he was 19 before he went off to Oxford University.

Many things inside the church are thought to have inspired characters and ideas in Carroll's famous books.

• A grinning cat carving on a stone seat (called a sedilla) is believed to have inspired the famous Cheshire Cat from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
• A sword that was once kept in the church, which was supposedly used by John Conyers to kill the Sockburn Worm, might have also sparked his imagination. This sword used to be shown to new bishops of Durham.

In 2018, the sedilla (the stone seat with the grinning cat) was fixed up as part of a big £160,000 project to make the church bigger. At the same time, a stone carving of the Jabberwock was added to the building. This carving looks just like an original drawing of the dragon from the 1871 version of "Alice Through the Looking-Glass". This renovation project, which received money from the Heritage Lottery Funding, also created a new visitors' area with information made by students from Richmond School.

Because of its strong link to Lewis Carroll and Alice in Wonderland, the Church of St Peter attracts many visitors from all over the world, especially from countries like Brazil, China, and the United States.

See also

• Grade I listed buildings in North Yorkshire (district)
• Listed buildings in Croft-on-Tees