Church of St Peter and St Paul, Tring facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Church of St Peter and St Paul |
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Viewed from the south-east
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| 51°47′40.2″N 0°39′39.9″W / 51.794500°N 0.661083°W | |
| OS grid reference | SP 924 115 |
| Location | Tring, Hertfordshire |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 21 September 1951 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of St Albans |
The Church of St Peter and St Paul is an Anglican church. It is located in Tring, Hertfordshire, England. This church is part of the Diocese of St Albans. The building is very old and important. It is officially listed as a Grade I listed building. This means it has special historical value. Most of the church was built in the 1400s. It was also repaired a lot in the late 1800s.
History of the Church
People think there was a church here even before 1100. This first church was built by the Normans. You can still see some old Norman stones in the outside walls. The church was rebuilt in the early 1200s. It was made from rough flint stones. It also used blocks of Totternhoe stone. Later, some parts were replaced with Ancaster stone.
In the 1300s, the church got wider aisles. Aisles are the side parts of a church. A tower was also added. This tower has a small turret. It also has a special pointed roof called a Hertfordshire spike. The south porch was also built in the 1300s. It was fixed up in 1880. The main south door has a curved arch from the 1200s.
In the 1400s, the older arcades were replaced. Arcades are rows of arches supported by columns. The church also got a new chancel arch. This is the arch between the main church and the chancel. The clerestory was also built then. A clerestory is a high section of wall with windows. It lets light into the main part of the church.
The chancel was partly rebuilt in the 1500s. The chancel is the area around the altar. Three windows in the south wall are from this time. But a narrow, pointed window in the north wall is from the 1200s.
Restoring the Church
The church was carefully repaired between 1861 and 1882. This is called a restoration. The north aisle was rebuilt during this time. The old columns in the arcade were made of Totternhoe stone. They were not safe anymore. So, they were replaced with new columns made of Portland stone.
The old wooden benches, called pews, were replaced in 1862. New oak seating was put in. The ends of the seats were carved. The front of the seats and the oak pulpit were also carved. A pulpit is where the priest gives sermons. These were designed by William Slater.
A beautiful oak rood screen was made in 1899. A rood screen is a carved screen that separates the chancel from the main church. It was designed by G. F. Bodley. The chancel roof was also painted and gilded with gold. This was also designed by Bodley. The painting above the chancel arch was made in 1899. It was done by Messrs Powell of London.
The church has two special stained glass windows. The east window was put in in 1851. The west window has an arch from the 1300s. Both windows have stained glass made by Clayton and Bell. The font was given to the church in 1862. A font is a basin used for baptisms. It is made of colorful Streetly stone.
Important Monuments
In the north aisle, you can see a marble monument. It was moved here from the chancel in 1882. This monument remembers Sir William Gore and his wife Elizabeth. Sir William Gore lived from 1644 to 1707. He was once the Lord Mayor of London.
This monument was likely made by Grinling Gibbons or his student John Nost. It shows Sir William Gore wearing his Lord Mayor robes. His wife is next to him. They are both lying down on either side of a large urn.
Close by, also in the north aisle, is another marble monument. It was also moved from the chancel in 1882. This one remembers Sir William Gore's son, John Gore. He lived from about 1689 to 1763.
Church Bells
The church has eight bells. The smallest bell, called the treble, and the second smallest bell were made in 1882. They were made by Gillett and Bland. Other bells are even older, from the 1600s and 1700s. The largest bell is called the tenor bell. It was made in 1695. This bell is very heavy, weighing about 17 and three-quarter hundredweight. That's about 890 kilograms!
War Memorial
There is a war memorial outside the church. It was paid for by people giving money. It was officially opened in November 1918. This memorial is special. It is thought to be the very first one in the country. It was built to remember those who died in the First World War.
