St Peter's Church, Arkley facts for kids

St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church is an old and beautiful Church of England church. It is located in Arkley, a part of London. This church was built a long time ago, during the Victorian era. It is also a special building, protected as a grade II listed building.

History of St Peter's Church

Building the Church

St Peter's Church was built using bricks from the local area. A man named Enosh Durant paid for the church to be built. It was officially made holy, or consecrated, on November 1, 1840. This special ceremony was led by Charles James Blomfield, who was the Bishop of London at the time.

Enosh Durant owned a brick factory nearby. He lived on a large estate called High Canons. After he passed away, his wife placed a special monument inside the church to remember him.

Changes and Additions Over Time

Over the years, parts of the church were added or changed.

• In 1898, a section called the chancel was added. It was also consecrated by the Bishop of St Albans, John Festing.
• Beautiful stained glass was put into the east window in 1903.
• A special area called the Lady Chapel was added in 1921.
• Outside the church, a war memorial was revealed in 1920. This memorial is also a protected building.
• Inside the church, there are other memorials. These remember people who lost their lives in the two World Wars.

Remembering Special Events

The church also has benches that mark important events.

• In 2023, a new bench was placed by the west door. It honors two local people, Geoffrey and Jan Mabbett. This bench replaced an older one from 1953. That first bench was put there for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.
• Another bench was placed in 2023 to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III. This bench is in the garden behind the church. Theresa Villiers, a Member of Parliament, helped to reveal it.

How the Church Grew

St Peter's Church was first built for the people who worked for Enosh Durant. After he died, it became a smaller church connected to St John the Baptist Church, Chipping Barnet. This happened in 1888. Alfred Blomfield, who was the Bishop of Colchester, made it official. He was also the son of Charles Blomfield, who consecrated the church originally.

In 1905, Arkley became its own separate church area, or parish. St Peter's became the main church for this new parish. Since the 1980s, St Peter's has been part of a group of churches called the Chipping Barnet Team Ministry.

Notable People Connected to St Peter's

Famous Individuals

• The ashes of the English actor Trevor Howard are buried near the church. There is a small plaque on the outside wall. It remembers the Howard family.
• Christine Hardman was married at St Peter's in 1971. She later became the Bishop of Newcastle. She was the second woman to become a main bishop in the Church of England.
• The current Vicar of the church, since 2024, is the Reverend Cindy Kent. She used to be the lead singer of a folk-pop band called the Settlers in the 1960s and 70s.

Gallery

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  East end

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  West end

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  Font

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  Organ

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  South side

External links