St Peter's Church, Edgmond facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Edgmond |
|
|---|---|
St Peter's Church, Edgmond, from the southeast
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | SJ 720 193 |
| Location | Edgmond, Shropshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Churchmanship | Modern Catholic |
| History | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 18 June 1959 |
| Architect(s) | G. E. Street (restoration) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Sandstone |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Edgmond |
| Deanery | Edgmond and Shifnal |
| Archdeaconry | Salop |
| Diocese | Lichfield |
| Province | Canterbury |
St. Peter's Church is a really old and important church located in the village of Edgmond, Shropshire, England. It's an active Anglican church, which means it's part of the Church of England. It serves as a parish church, a local church for the community.
St. Peter's is connected with other nearby churches, like St Chad in Kynnersley and St Lawrence in Preston upon the Weald Moors. 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 to be of exceptional historical or architectural importance.
Contents
History of St. Peter's Church
St. Peter's Church has been around for a very long time, since about 1080! Over the centuries, it has been changed and rebuilt many times.
- In the 13th century, the church was made bigger.
- During the 14th and 15th centuries, most of the church was rebuilt. They even reused some of the older stones from the 13th century.
- Later, in 1877–78, the church got a big update by an architect named G. E. Street. This included changing the roof of the chancel (the part of the church near the altar) to make it steeper.
Church Architecture and Design
St. Peter's Church is built using sandstone, a type of rock. It has a main area called the nave, with aisles on both sides. There's also a south porch, a chancel (the area for the clergy), and a tall tower at the west end.
The church shows different styles of English Gothic architecture. The chancel is in the "Decorated" style, which means it has lots of fancy carvings and detailed windows. The rest of the church is in the "Perpendicular" style, known for its tall, straight lines and large windows.
Outside the Church
The church tower has three levels. It features a large window on the west side and openings for bells. The tower has strong diagonal buttresses (supports) and a decorative frieze (a band of sculpture). The top of the tower has a battlement (like a castle wall) with pointy decorations called crocketed pinnacles at the corners.
The south aisle also has a battlement and pinnacles, along with funny-looking gargoyles that act as water spouts. The windows on this side have three sections. The north aisle windows have two sections. The chancel has a large three-section window at the east end and two-section windows on the north and south sides. The south porch also has a battlement and an old sundial from the 1700s on its wall.
Inside the Church
Inside, the church has rows of arches called arcades supported by eight-sided pillars. In the south aisle, there's a special basin called a piscina that was used for washing sacred vessels. The font, where baptisms take place, is shaped like a tub and is very old, from the early Norman period.
The stone reredos (a decorated screen behind the altar) was made in 1899. It shows the Crucifixion and images of saints. The church has beautiful stained glass windows. Some parts of a 15th-century window are still in the nave, along with 18th-century panels showing family coats of arms. The large east window, made in 1891 by Kempe, shows the Annunciation (when the angel Gabriel told Mary she would have Jesus). Other windows were made by famous companies like Morris and Company and Hardman between 1876 and 1899.
You can also find old monuments inside, including a piece of a 15th-century carved stone slab and a brass plate from the 1500s. On either side of the chancel arch, there are wooden panels. These panels list the names of men from the parish who died serving in World War II. The wooden pulpit (where sermons are given) was also given by the parishioners as part of this memorial.
Church Organ and Bells
The church has a large pipe organ with two keyboards. It was built in the 1860s and moved to St. Peter's in 1885. It has been updated several times, including changes by Rushworth and Dreaper in 1937 and by P. D. Collins since 1999.
There are eight bells in the church tower that make up a "ring of bells." Four of these bells were made in 1721 by Abraham Rudhall II. The other four were made by John Taylor and Co in 1887, 1957, and two in 1977.
Outside the Church Grounds
In the churchyard, you can find the war grave of a soldier from the Royal Garrison Artillery who died in World War I.
More to Explore
- Grade I listed churches in Shropshire
- Listed buildings in Edgmond
