St Peter's Church, Chester facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Chester |
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Chester Cross showing St Peter's Church
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| OS grid reference | SJ 404,663 |
| Location | Chester, Cheshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Evangelical |
| Website | Parish of Chester St Peter |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 28 August 1955 |
| Architect(s) | John Douglas (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Completed | 1886 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Red sandstone Slate spire |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Chester, St Peter |
| Deanery | Chester |
| Archdeaconry | Chester |
| Diocese | Chester |
| Province | York |
St Peter's Church is a very old and important church located right in the middle of Chester, England. You can find it on Eastgate Street, just north of Chester Cross. This church is so special that it's listed as a Grade I building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it's considered a building of great historical importance.
Today, St Peter's is still an active Church of England parish church. It's part of the diocese of Chester and serves the local community. The ancient walls of Chester city actually mark the edges of its parish!
Contents
A Journey Through Time: St Peter's Church History
St Peter's Church stands on a very old spot. It's built right where part of a Roman building, called a Praetorium, once stood. Some parts of the church today are even from that ancient Roman time!
People say that a church was first built here by a queen named Ethelfleda way back in the year 907. The church you see now was mostly built between the 14th and 16th centuries. Over the years, it has been changed and updated many times.
The church's tower used to have a tall, pointy spire. This spire was removed and rebuilt in the 1500s, then taken down again in the 1600s. It was rebuilt one more time but finally removed around 1780 because lightning had damaged it a lot.
Later, in 1849–50, the church got some repairs from an architect named James Harrison. Then, in 1886, it was carefully restored by John Douglas. During this restoration, a new, pyramid-shaped spire was added to the tower.
Exploring the Church's Design
Outside St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church is built from red sandstone and looks almost square from above. The church floor is at the same level as the nearby Watergate Row, and you enter by walking up seven stone steps on the south side.
At the west end of the church, there's a tower that rises above the roof. This tower has a clock and an opening with two windows for the bells. The very top of the tower has a crenellated edge, which looks like the top of a castle wall. It also has pointy decorations called crocketed pinnacles and a pyramid-shaped slate spire.
Inside St Peter's Church
When you step inside St Peter's Church, you'll find a large open space that includes the nave (the main part where people sit) and the chancel (the area near the altar). It also has four aisles, which are the walkways on the sides.
There are galleries (like balconies) above the outer aisles and at the west end of the church. The baptistry, where baptisms take place, is located under the tower.
On one of the pillars inside, you can see a special carved space called a niche. This niche used to hold a statue of the Virgin Mary and baby Jesus. Around it, you can see the best-preserved medieval wall painting in all of Cheshire!
On the south wall, beneath the gallery, there are three corbels. These are stone supports with medieval carvings of an angel, a woman, and an old man. The marble font, used for baptisms, is from 1662.
In the south aisle, attached to a pillar, there's a 15th-century brass plaque. People think it shows a lawyer. You can also find other memorials from the 1600s and two special memorial boards made by the Randle Holme family.
The beautiful stained glass in the east window was made in 1863 by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. Another stained glass window on the southeast side is by Clayton and Bell, and there's a west window created by Trena Cox.
The church has an organ with two manuals (keyboards), built by Whiteley. There's also a ring of six bells. Five of these bells are from 1709 and were made by Rudhall of Gloucester. The sixth bell, from 1921, was made by John Taylor and Company.
The church's records, called parish registers, go all the way back to 1559. The records of the churchwardens (people who look after the church) start from 1626, though the book from 1686 to 1803 has been lost.
More to Explore
- Grade I listed churches in Cheshire
- Grade I listed buildings in Cheshire West and Chester
- List of church restorations, amendments and furniture by John Douglas
- List of works by Thomas Harrison
