St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops |
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St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops, from the southwest
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| OS grid reference | TL 825 112 |
| Location | Wickham Bishops, Essex |
| Country | Essex |
| Denomination | Anglican |
| Website | St Peter's, Wickham Bishops |
| History | |
| Dedication | Saint Peter |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Redundant |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Designated | 14 November 1985 |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Groundbreaking | 11th century |
| Closed | 1970 |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Flint rubble, puddingstone, septaria, Roman tile, and brick. Red tiled roofs |
St Peter's Church is an old church building in the village of Wickham Bishops, Essex, England. It is called a "redundant church" because it is no longer used for regular church services. This historic building is very important. It is listed as a Grade II* building on the National Heritage List for England. This means it is a special building that needs to be protected. The church is now looked after by a group called the Friends of Friendless Churches. They help save old churches that are no longer used.
Contents
The Church's Long History
St Peter's Church was first built a very long time ago, in the 11th century. That's over 900 years ago!
Early Beginnings
In 1086, a famous book called the Domesday Book was written. It recorded who owned land and buildings in England. This book shows that the land where Wickham Bishops is located belonged to the Bishop of London. Some people think St Peter's Church was built as a private chapel for these bishops. A chapel is a small church.
Changes Over Time
Around 1850, the church was repaired. But then, a brand new church was built in a different spot. This new church was named St Bartholomew's. Some important items from St Peter's were moved to the new church. These included the baptismal font (a bowl for baptisms), a holy water stoup (a small basin for holy water), and the parish chest (a box for church records).
Even after the new church was built, St Peter's was still used sometimes. It was a "chapel of ease," meaning it was a smaller church that helped the main one. But over time, St Peter's became very old and run-down. There was even talk of tearing it down.
Saving St Peter's
In 1970, St Peter's Church officially stopped being used for services. It became "redundant." Luckily, in 1975, the Friends of Friendless Churches stepped in to help. This charity took over the care of the church. They have a very long lease for the building, which means they will look after it for many, many years.
Since then, some repairs have been done to the church. However, sometimes people have caused damage to the building.
New Life for the Old Church
Since 1994, St Peter's Church has found a new purpose. A stained glass artist named Benjamin Finn uses it as his studio. Stained glass is colorful glass used to make beautiful windows.
The church's windows have been updated with new wooden frames called tracery, designed by Julian Limentani. Inside, you can now see a new altar (a special table used in churches) sculpted by Rory Young. There is also a statue of Saint Peter by Nicholas Hague. The original font, which was moved to the new church, has now been brought back to St Peter's.
Benjamin Finn is also working on a new stained glass window for the east side of the church. This project is being paid for by a special grant. In 2007, some old patterns from the 13th century were found on the walls. Work has been done to protect these ancient designs.
Church Architecture
St Peter's Church is built from a mix of different materials. These include flint (a hard stone), puddingstone (a type of rock with pebbles in it), septaria (round, cracked stones), old Roman tiles, and brick. The roofs are made of red tiles.
The church has a simple layout. It has a main hall called a nave, and a chancel (the part of the church near the altar). There is also a south porch with a pointed roof, called a gable. At the west end of the church, there is a belfry (a tower for bells) covered with wooden boards called weatherboarding.
