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Church of St Peter & St Paul, Godalming facts for kids
| Church of St. Peter and St. Paul | |
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The church viewed from the churchyard
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 Church of St. Peter and St. Paul
Location in Surrey
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| 51°11′13″N 0°36′57″W / 51.1870°N 0.6159°W | |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| Website | http://www.godalming.org.uk/ |
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Listed Building – Grade I
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| Official name | Church of St. Peter and St. Paul |
| Designated | 18 December 1947 |
| Reference no. | 1044546 |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Peter and Saint Paul |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Godalming |
| Deanery | Godalming |
| Archdeaconry | Surrey |
| Diocese | Guildford |
| Province | Canterbury |
The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul is an old parish church in Godalming, Surrey. It belongs to the Church of England. This church is the oldest building in Godalming.
The church was built in the 1100s. It replaced an even older Anglo-Saxon church. Inside, you can find two chapels from the Middle Ages. The church is built from local sandstone, called Bargate stone. This stone comes from the nearby Greensand Ridge. The church is located on Church Street in the town centre. It is a very important historic building, listed as Grade I.
Contents
A Look Back: Church History
Early Days of the Church
People have worshipped on this spot for a very long time. A church has been here since at least the mid-800s. You can still see some carved stones from around 820 to 840 AD. A few parts of the original Anglo-Saxon church are still in the building today. Most of the church was rebuilt in the 1100s.
In 1086, the Domesday Book mentioned the Godalming church. It said that Ranulf Flambard, a powerful official, owned it. The church also had special land called 'lammas' or common land. This land, along with other church property, helped pay for the church to be large and grand.
The Church During Tough Times
During the time of King Charles the First, Godalming was a strong supporter of Calvinism. The vicar, Dr. Andrews, was removed from his job in 1640. The town then welcomed a Calvinist preacher named Thomas Edwards. He would travel from London several times a week. He preached to people along the way.
Some land around the church was owned by Salisbury Cathedral. Because many important church leaders owned land here, Godalming became known for its strong faith in the 1600s. A saying from that time went:
- He that shall say well, do well, and think well in mind,
- Shall as soon come to heaven, as they that dwell at Godalming.
Who Owned the Church Land?
The land that provided income for the church, called the rectory, was not owned by the church itself. Instead, a non-church owner appointed the vicar. In 1066, a man named Ulmaer was the vicar.
From 1128 to 1846, the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury Cathedral owned this land. For 11 years during the time of Oliver Cromwell, the government took control of it. Later, in 1860, it was sold to John Simmonds.
Church Design and Changes Over Time
The Church of St. Peter and St. Paul started as an Anglo-Saxon church. It was later rebuilt by the Normans. Records show that the church grew from a smaller, older building. The middle part of the church, called the nave, was the main part of the old Anglo-Saxon church. The central tower was once its small, square chancel.
Around the year 1100, the church got bigger. A longer chancel was added. A low tower was built on top of the old chancel walls. An arch was also added. This arch still exists today, but it was made taller in 1879.
In the 1200s, the church was changed from a cross shape to a rectangle. This happened when the north and south chapels were built. The main part of the church, the nave, was also made wider. In the same century, a beautiful spire made of oak wood was built. It was covered in lead, and it still is today.
More building work happened in the 1300s. In the 1800s, the nave was made longer. The side aisles were also extended and widened. In the 1900s, a porch was added in 1911. New rooms for clergy, called vestries, were built in 1925.
The church was officially recognized as a historic building in 1947. It is now a Grade I listed building. This means it is very important and protected.
Services at the Church
The church holds several services each week:
- On Tuesdays, there is a Holy Communion service at 12 pm. It uses traditional language.
- Every Sunday at 8 am, there is a Holy Communion service. It follows the Book of Common Prayer from 1662.
- On the second, third, and fourth Sundays of the month, a Choral Eucharist is held at 10 am. This service includes a choir.
Chapels and Art
The church has two special chapel areas. These chapels have beautiful wall paintings. One painting is from the Middle Ages and shows St John the Baptist.
Memorials Inside
Inside the church, you can find many monuments. These are memorials to people who lived long ago. For example, there is a monument for Judeth Elyott, who died in 1615. It shows a lady kneeling and reading a book. It is decorated with coats of arms and symbols like a skull and an hourglass. There are also memorials for Thomas and Joan Purvoche (d.1509), John Barker (d.1595), and John and Elizabeth Westbrook.
In recent years, some old wall paintings on the window frames have been uncovered again.
The Church Bells
The church has a wonderful set of bells. They are used for the traditional English style of bell-ringing, called Change ringing. The largest bell, called the tenor, weighs over a tonne! It weighs 1221 kilograms.
In 2017, all the bells were remade. The tenor bell was made even heavier than before. It now weighs 24 hundredweight and 4 pounds (1221 kg). The company that restored and remade the bells was John Taylor & Co. They are the biggest church-bell company in Britain.
The bells are rung regularly for the 10 am Sunday service. Bell-ringing practice is held on Tuesday evenings.