St Peter's Church, Darwen facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Darwen
St Peter's Church, Darwen, from the southwest
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OS grid reference	SD 694,222
Location	Bank Street, Darwen, Lancashire
Country	England
Denomination	Anglican
Churchmanship	Liberal Catholic
Website	St Peter, Darwen
History
Former name(s)	Holy Trinity, Darwen
Status	Parish church
Founded	19 July 1827
Dedication	Saint Peter
Consecrated	13 September 1829
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	II*
Designated	27 September 1984
Architect(s)	Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson
Architectural type	Church
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	1827
Completed	1829
Construction cost	£6,786
Specifications
Materials	Sandstone, slate roofs
Administration
Parish	St Peter, Darwen
Deanery	Blackburn with Darwen
Archdeaconry	Blackburn
Diocese	Blackburn
Province	York

St Peter's Church in Darwen, Lancashire, England, is a historic Anglican church. It's a parish church, meaning it serves a local community. The church is officially recognized as a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a very important historic place. It used to be called Holy Trinity Church.

History of St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church was built between 1827 and 1829. It was designed by two architects, Thomas Rickman and Henry Hutchinson. The total cost to build the church was about £6,786. A large part of this money, £5,501, came from the Church Building Commission. This group helped build many churches after the Napoleonic Wars.

The first stone was laid on 19 July 1827. The church was officially opened and blessed on 13 September 1829. During the Second World War, a young boy named Don Estelle sang in the church choir. He later became a famous actor and singer. The church was originally named Holy Trinity. But in 1972, its name was changed to St Peter when it joined with two other church areas.

Architecture and Design

St Peter's Church is made from sandstone with a slate roof. It is built in the Gothic Revival style, which looks like churches from the Middle Ages.

Outside the Church

The church has a long main area called a nave and a rounded end called an apse. It also has side sections called aisles. There are porches on the north and south sides. A tall tower stands at the west end of the church. This tower has three levels and strong supports called buttresses. It also has a small stair tower at one corner.

The tower has a main door at the bottom. Above it is a special window shaped like a five-leaf clover. The top of the tower has openings for bells with slatted covers. The very top of the tower has a battlemented edge, like a castle wall, with eight flat-topped spires called pinnacles. The sides of the church also have a plain battlemented edge. The windows along the sides are tall and narrow, with decorative stone patterns.

Inside the Church

Inside, the church has tall arches that separate the main area from the side aisles. These arches are supported by slim pillars. There are also balconies, called galleries, on three sides of the church. The area under the west gallery has been separated off.

The reredos, which is a decorated screen behind the altar, is made of alabaster. It was added in 1923 to remember those who served in the First World War. The beautiful stained glass window in the middle of the east end was made in 1896 by Shrigley and Hunt. Another window was made by J. Holmes later in the 1800s.

The church has a large organ with three keyboards. It was first built in 1887 by Jardine. It has been cleaned and rebuilt several times since then. The church also has a set of six bells. All of these bells were made in 1831 by William Dobson.

See also

• Grade II* listed buildings in Lancashire
• Listed buildings in Darwen
• List of Commissioners' churches in Northeast and Northwest England