St Peter's Church, Wrecclesham Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Peter's Church, Wrecclesham
View of church from School Hill
St Peter's Church, Wrecclesham Location in Surrey
51°11′53″N 0°49′04″W / 51.1980°N 0.8178°W / 51.1980; -0.8178
OS grid reference	SU8269844977
Location	Wrecclesham, Surrey
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Anglican
Website	CofEWrecclesham.org.uk
History
Status	Active
Founder(s)	Bishop Charles Sumner
Dedication	Saint Peter
Consecrated	16 July 1840
Architecture
Functional status	Parish church
Heritage designation	Grade II
Designated	29 December 1972
Architect(s)	James Harding
Administration
Deanery	Farnham
Archdeaconry	Surrey
Diocese	Guildford
Province	Canterbury

St Peter's Church is an active Anglican church located in Wrecclesham, a village near Farnham in Surrey, England. It serves as a Parish church, meaning it is the main church for the local community. The church was officially opened in 1840 and is recognized as a Grade II listed building, which means it is a historically important building protected by law.

History of St Peter's Church
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History of St Peter's Church

Building the Church

In the early 1800s, the village of Wrecclesham was seen as a place that needed some positive changes. The Bishop of Winchester, Charles Sumner, who lived nearby at Farnham Castle, decided to help. He wanted to build a church to bring a sense of community and faith to the village.

People started collecting money to fund the new church. After gathering £1000, which was a lot of money back then, construction began. The new church was officially opened on July 16, 1840. Bishop Charles Sumner himself led the special ceremony.

The first church building was quite small. It had a main area called a nave, a special section near the altar called a chancel, and a north transept (a part that sticks out from the main building). The first vicar, or priest, of the church was Rev. R. D. Buttermer. There's even a street in Wrecclesham named after him, Buttermer Close!

Growing the Church Building

Over the years, St Peter's Church grew bigger.

In 1861, the church was made larger. The chancel was rebuilt, and a south aisle (a side section) was added.
Later, in 1876, the nave was rebuilt, and a north aisle was added. These changes made the church much more spacious.

Rev. Charles Keable became the vicar in 1890 and served the church for 33 years until he passed away in 1923. Like Rev. Buttermer, a street in Wrecclesham, Keable Road, is named in his honor.

The church's organ has an interesting history too. It was originally from St James' Church in Farnham. In 1975, when St James' Church was turned into apartments, the organ was moved to St Peter's. A newer organ was bought in 1996 and installed in June 2001.

Community Life in the Parish

Building the church was just the beginning of efforts to improve life in Wrecclesham. Many other important buildings and projects started from the church's influence.

In 1860, St. Peter's School opened, providing education for local children.
The Wrecclesham choir was formed from the school.
The Wrecclesham Institute was built soon after, located across from the church on School Hill. This institute was a community hub. It offered various sports and social groups for people in the area. It was even one of the founding teams of the Wrecclesham Cricket Club!
The Knights Almshouse, a special building providing homes for elderly people, was also built down the hill from the church.

The parish hall, which is right next to the church, is called Leverton Hall. It was named after Rev. Charles Leverton, who passed away in 1973. This hall was added in the early 1970s after the old village hall was taken down.