St Peter's Church, Burnley Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Peter's, Burnley
St Peter's Church from the south
Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
OS grid reference	SD 84296 32957
Location	Burnley, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
History
Status	Parish church
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II*
Administration
Deanery	Burnley
Archdeaconry	Blackburn
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York

St Peter's Church is an Anglican church located in Burnley, Lancashire, England. It's a busy parish church within the Diocese of Blackburn. The oldest part of the church, its lower tower, dates back to the 15th century. Over the years, many parts have been added or fixed up. St Peter's is a special building, listed as Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's a very important historical building.

History of St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church Today
Church Design and Features
- Outside the Church
- Inside the Church
Churchyard and Monuments
- Gallery
See also

History of St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church sits near the River Brun. There was a church here even before the year 1122. The church was mostly rebuilt in the 1530s by Thomas Sellars and Nicholas Craven. The lower part of the tower is the oldest section you can see today. It was built in the 15th or 16th century. However, so many changes have been made that not much of the original 16th-century work remains.

In 1735, a gallery was added to the west side. This was to make space for more people as Burnley's population grew. The south side of the church was rebuilt in 1789. The north side was rebuilt in 1802. An upper part was added to the tower in 1803. Inside, major restoration work happened in 1854. Miles Thompson built new arches and a clerestory (a high section with windows). The chancel, which is the area around the altar, was made larger in 1872–1873.

St Peter's Church Today

St Peter's was officially named a Grade II* listed building on November 10, 1951. This Grade II* title is the second highest. It means the church is a "particularly important building of more than special interest." It's still an active church in the Church of England. St Peter's is part of the Diocese of Blackburn, which belongs to the Province of York. It is also part of the archdeaconry of Blackburn and the Deanery of Burnley.

Church Design and Features

Outside the Church

St Peter's is built from sandstone with slate roofs. It is designed in the late Perpendicular style, which was popular in the late Middle Ages. The church has a main area called the nave, with a tower at the west end. There are aisles (side sections) to the north and south. The chancel is at the east end.

The tower has four levels. It has strong, angled buttresses (supports) that go halfway up. The top level of the tower is set back a bit. It has a crenellated parapet (a wall with gaps like a castle) and pointed pinnacles (small spires). There is a main doorway on the west side with a pointed arch and a decorative hood mould above it.

Inside the Church

St Peter's Church interior

Inside, the tower is about 13 feet (4.0 m) square. It has a spiral staircase, called a vice, in the south-east corner. You can get to this staircase through an outside door. The main part of the church, the nave, is about 70 feet (21 m) long and 20 feet 6 inches (6.25 m) wide. It has a clerestory (windows high up) and arches over thin pillars. There are two arches connecting the nave to the chancel.

Churchyard and Monuments

The churchyard around St Peter's has many interesting old monuments. These include some chest tombs from the 19th century. South of the church, there are several important monuments. These include monuments for the Chaffer family, the Kay family, and the Waddington family. All of these are listed as Grade II historical structures.

The Chaffer monument is about 39 feet (12 m) from the church. It's from the late 19th century. It's made of sandstone in the Gothic Revival style, which looks like older Gothic buildings. It has pointed corner pinnacles.
The Kay Monument is about 98 feet (30 m) from the church. It probably dates from the mid-19th century. It's a chest tomb made of sandstone and solid granite.
The Waddington monument is about 33 feet (10 m) from the church. It's a free-standing spire made of sandstone from the 19th century, also in the Gothic style.

A famous scientist and astronomer named Richard Towneley was buried at St Peter's Church in 1707.

The sandstone wall and gates around the churchyard were built around 1807. The wall is about 3 feet 3 inches (0.99 m) high. It has gates in the middle and at the south end. There's also a retaining wall on the north and west sides of the churchyard. This wall also dates from about 1807, but some parts are from 1736. It's built from rough, stacked sandstone blocks. These churchyard walls, gates, and retaining wall are all listed as Grade II historical structures.