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St Peter's Church, Portland facts for kids

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St Peter's Church, The Grove, Portland - geograph.org.uk - 1276210
St. Peter's Church

St. Peter's Church is an old church building located in The Grove on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. It was once a Church of England church. A man named Major-General Sir Edmund Du Cane designed it. The church was built between 1870 and 1872. Today, it is a special historic building, listed as Grade II*. This means it's very important to protect. Even its old gate posts and walls are protected! The church is also on a list called "Heritage at Risk". This means it needs care to keep it from falling apart.

A Look Back: Church History

Portland, church of St. Peter, Grove - geograph.org.uk - 473442
St. Peter's Church in 1996.

St. Peter's Church was built from 1870 to 1872. It cost about £8,000 to build. People who were working at the nearby HM Prison Portland helped construct it. The church was officially opened in August 1872. It was used by people living in The Grove and by soldiers from the Verne Citadel.

In 1973, St. Peter's Church was no longer needed as a regular church. However, it was still used as a chapel for the prison until 1988. Now, the church building is owned by a private person or group.

Church Design and Features

This church is built from Portland stone, which is a special type of rock from the area. Its roofs are made of slate. The church has many fancy details and still looks much like it did when it was first built. It sits within pretty walled gardens with old trees.

The colorful stained glass windows inside the church were added in the 1900s. During World War II, one window was damaged by a bomb. It was replaced with a new window. This new window remembers Bandmaster J. Tyson and other soldiers from the Dorset Regiment who died in the war.

Inside the church, there is a beautiful mosaic. This mosaic is a pattern made from small pieces of colored stone or glass. It borders the entrance area and the main part of the church. This special artwork was made by women who were working at the prison, including Constance Kent.

In a book from 1972 called The Buildings of England, the writers Newman and Pevsner said something interesting. They wrote that St. Peter's Church is "as surprising and as bold in scale" as another famous church nearby, St. George's Church in Easton.

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