St Peter's Church, Wallingford facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Wallingford |
|
|---|---|
St Peter's Church, Wallingford, from the northeast
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| OS grid reference | SU 609 895 |
| Location | Wallingford, Oxfordshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | Churches Conservation Trust |
| History | |
| Founded | 1773 |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 9 December 1949 |
| Architect(s) | Sir Robert Taylor (spire) |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Style | Neoclassical, Gothic Revival |
| Groundbreaking | 1763 |
| Completed | 1904 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Stone and flint Roofs slated and tiled |
St Peter's Church is a special old church in Wallingford, Oxfordshire, England. It's no longer used for regular church services, but it's kept safe and looked after by the Churches Conservation Trust. This church is considered a very important historical building, called a Grade II* listed building. You can find it on the east side of town, with a nice view of the River Thames.
Contents
History of St Peter's Church
An earlier church stood on this spot, but it was destroyed in 1646. This happened during the English Civil War, when Wallingford was under attack.
Building the church you see today began in 1763. The builders were William Toovey and Joseph Tuckwell. By 1767, the inside of the church had floors and seats. The outside was covered in a smooth plaster called stucco. This work was overseen by Sir Robert Taylor.
A tall, pointed spire, also designed by Sir Robert Taylor, was added in 1776–77. A local person, Sir William Blackstone, was very interested in the spire's construction. He was a famous lawyer and writer. Sir William paid for the clock face on the spire that he could see from his house. He is now buried in a family tomb under the church.
The front part of the church, called the chancel, was built much later in 1904. It was designed by Sydney Stephenson.
St Peter's Church stopped being used for regular services on May 1, 1971. It was then officially given to the Churches Conservation Trust on July 26, 1972. This trust looks after old churches that are no longer in use. You can get a key from the nearby Tourist Information Office to visit the church. During the summer, the church also hosts concerts.
Architecture of the Church
Outside the Church
The church has a main area called a nave with four sections. It also has a chancel at the front with a rounded end, called an apse. At the west end, there's a tower with a tall spire.
The nave and chancel are built from smooth, cut stone called ashlar. The nave sits on a base made of flint stones. The tower is made from knapped flint, which means the stones are carefully shaped. It has stone blocks at the corners, called quoins. The roof of the nave is made of Welsh slate, and the chancel roof is tiled.
At the top of the tower, there's a clock face on three sides, but not the north side. Above the clock is an eight-sided belfry where the bells hang. On top of this is an open stone spire.
The nave and tower are built in a Neoclassical style. This style uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. The chancel, however, is in a Gothic Revival style, which looks like older medieval churches.
You enter the church through a double door on the west side of the tower. This door is under a round arch. Above the door is a window with three sections. The nave has a shaped cornice (a decorative molding) and a plain parapet (a low wall). It has four round-arched windows on each side. The chancel has windows from the 20th century, including a round rose window on the north side.
Inside the Church
The nave has a ceiling that is slightly arched and decorated with sunken panels, called coffers. The wooden seats, called pews, and the font (where baptisms happen) are from the 1700s.
The stained glass in the east window was made in 1918 by a famous company called Morris & Co.. On the south wall, there is a special monument dedicated to Sir William Blackstone and his family. It has a carved panel with writing above three shields, all surrounded by an arch.
See also
