St Peter's Church, Lowick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St. Peter's Church, Lowick |
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St. Peter's Church, Lowick, Northamptonshire
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| 52°24′42″N 0°33′25″W / 52.41163°N 0.55706°W | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Broad Church |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I listed building |
| Style | Perpendicular Gothic |
| Groundbreaking | circa 1300 |
| Completed | 1460 |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 83 feet (25 m) |
| Width | 40 feet 5 inches (12.3 m) |
| Height | 96 feet (29m) |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Lowick, Northamptonshire |
| Diocese | Peterborough |
| Province | Canterbury |
St. Peter's Church in Lowick, England, is a special old church that belongs to the Church of England. It's located in a place called Lowick in Northamptonshire. This church is a Grade I listed building, which means it's a very important historic place.
Contents
A Look at the Church's History
This church started being built around the early 1300s, but most of what you see today was built later, in the late 1300s and early 1400s. It was built for the Greene family, who lived in a big house nearby called Drayton House. Inside, there's a huge shield with a family crest in the main part of the church (called the nave). The area near the altar (the chancel) also has the Greene family's crest and the crest of John Heton, who was the church's leader (rector) from 1406 to 1415. Records show that church leaders have been here since 1217, so the current building likely replaced an even older one.
The Amazing Tower
The church's tower is very tall and has a cool eight-sided top. It's decorated with flying buttresses (supports that stick out) and 12 tall, pointy decorations called pinnacles, each with a golden weathervane. The writer Simon Jenkins once said that the tower looks like a "forest of pinnacles" that seem to "flutter in the sun," as if calling people to a forgotten old tournament! The tower, including its unique top, stands 96 feet (29 meters) high.
Changes Over Time
In May 1644, records show that a special screen called a "rood-loft" was taken down. Then, in July 1645, money was paid to fix the windows after pictures of the crucifixion were removed.
The church has been repaired and updated several times. In the late 1800s (1868–72), architects Richard Herbert Carpenter and William Slater worked on the roof, walls, and seating. More work was done in 1887. The beautiful screen behind the altar, called the reredos, was made in 1930–31 to remember Sackville George Stopford-Sackville. Later, from 1973–75, architect Eric Arthur Roberts carried out more repairs.
Beautiful Stained Glass and Memorials
The windows in the north aisle (a side section of the church) have old stained glass panels from around 1330–40. These panels show 16 figures from a "Tree of Jesse" design, which shows the family tree of Jesus. Some medieval glass also remains in the south chancel windows. There are also six windows with stained glass from the 1800s in other parts of the church.
Important Gravestones and Tombs
Inside the church, you can find many old gravestones and memorials for important people.
- John Heton: On the chancel floor, there's a gravestone for John Heton, who was the rector from 1406 to 1415. The stone has an old Latin message around its edge.
- Sir Ralfe Greene: In the north chapel, there's a large memorial for Sir Ralfe Greene, who died in 1417. He was a knight and held important jobs in the county. This memorial was made by Thomas Prentys and Robert Sutton and cost £40 (a lot of money back then!). It features two detailed alabaster statues of Sir Ralfe and his wife lying on a chest-like tomb. Angels are carved around the sides, and a vaulted canopy (like a small roof) is above their heads.
- Henry Green: In the south transept (another side section), there's a chest tomb for Henry Green, who died in 1467 or 1468, and his wife. Henry is shown wearing armor, and his wife has a unique head-dress.
- Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire: In the South Chapel, you'll find the memorial for Edward Stafford, 2nd Earl of Wiltshire, who died in 1499. He helped rebuild this chapel. His memorial is an alabaster statue on a chest tomb.
- William Mordaunt: A simple stone tablet in the north chapel remembers William, the baby son of John Mordaunt, 1st Earl of Peterborough, who died in 1625.
- Roger Lane and John Halford: Inscribed tablets on the chancel floor remember Roger Lane and John Halford, both of whom died in 1690.
- Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk: In front of the east window, there's a memorial for Mary Howard, Duchess of Norfolk (d. 1705). It shows a white marble figure lying down on a chest tomb.
- Sir John Germain: On the north wall, you'll see the tomb of Sir John Germain, 1st Baronet, who died in 1718. It features a marble figure of him in armor, lying down.
- Lady Elizabeth Germain: There's also an inscribed brass tablet for Lady Elizabeth Germain, who died in 1760.
- Charles Sackville-Germain, 5th Duke of Dorset: In the South Chapel, in front of the east window, is the memorial for Charles Sackville-Germain, 5th Duke of Dorset, who died in 1843. This white marble chest-tomb was made by Richard Westmacott and includes a life-sized angel sitting beside it.
The Church Bells
The tower has a set of six bells that can be rung. Some of these bells are very old! The second and third bells were made around 1595. The fifth bell was made around 1599. The largest bell, called the tenor, was made in 1619. The fourth bell was remade in 1884. The church used to have five bells until the smallest bell, called the treble, was added in 1896.
The Church Organ
St. Peter's Church once had a pipe organ installed in 1861. This organ was later moved to another church. The organ that is currently in the church was built around 1900. It's a two-manual pipe organ, which means it has two keyboards for the organist to play. You can find more details about this organ online on the British Institute of Organ Studies National Pipe Organ Register.
The Churchyard
Most of the gravestones in the churchyard (the area around the church) are from the 1700s and 1800s. You can also see a decorative coffin lid from the 1400s near the South Chapel wall. At the east end of the church, there are many graves for the Stopford Sackville family, who have lived at Drayton House since the late 1700s.
Past Rectors of the Church
The rector is the main priest in charge of the church. Here is a list of some of the rectors who have served St. Peter's Church over many centuries:
- Nicholas de Nevil 1217
- Almaric de Nowers 1247
- Radulphus de Nowers 1303
- Radulphus de Drayton 1303–14
- Adam de Waltham 1314–20
- Johannes de Clypston 1320–49
- Johannes de Irthlynburgh 1349–57
- Johannes de Ryngestede 1357–79
- Henry Bolymere 1379–82
- Robert Normanton 1382–94
- Walter de St Germain 1394–1406
- John Heton 1406–15 (buried in the church)
- John Boys 1415–17
- John Glapthorn 1417–22
- John Boys (again) 1422–55
- John Martyn 1455–79
- Henry Smyth 1479–83
- William Peryn 1483–1509
- William Hamswayte 1509–35
- Edmund Mordante 1535–45
- Henry Quyk 1545–66
- Thomas Buckoke 1566–1603
- Robert Lingard 1603–47
- Joseph Bentham 1648–??
- Michael Poulton 1693–1720
- Robert Welborne 1720–44
- Richard Etough 1744–79
- Henry Etough 1779–95
- Thomas Fancourt 1795–97
- Joseph Jackson 1797–1815
- Robert Morgan Vane 1815–42
- John Stoddart 1842–55
- Henry George Middleton Pretyman 1855–70
- Main Swete Alexander Walrond 1870–73
- William Lucas Collins 1873–87
- John Sykes Watson 1887–1906
- Alfred Dicker 1906–25
- Arthur Sidney Hazel 1926–35
- Percival William Worster 1935–52
- Richard Clough 1952–59
- Wilfred Pakenham Pakenham-Walsh 1959–65
- Leslie Ronald Frank Buttle 1965–74
- Harry Bertram Davies 1974–81
- Cheslyn Peter Montague Jones 1981–87
- Michael James Thompson 1987–94
- Ronald Douglas Howe 1994–2000
- Hartley Roger Watson 2000–2008
- Simon John Plumley Fisher 2008-2011
- Colin Fletcher, Priest in charge
- Heather Lowe 2017
