St Peter and St Paul, Bromley Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids St Peter and St Paul, Bromley
Bromley Parish Church

51°24′18″N 0°00′47″E / 51.4050°N 0.0131°E / 51.4050; 0.0131
Location	Church Road, Bromley, Kent BR2 0EG
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Website	bromleyparishchurch.org
History
Dedicated	1957
Architecture
Architect(s)	J. Harold Gibbons
Years built	1949
Administration
Parish	Bromley
Deanery	Bromley
Archdeaconry	Bromley and Bexley
Diocese	Rochester

St Peter and St Paul is a church in the town of Bromley in south east London. Many people know it as Bromley Parish Church. It is located near Bromley High Street, between the Bromley North and Bromley South train stations.

This church is part of the Diocese of Rochester within the Church of England. A large part of the church was destroyed during the Second World War. It was rebuilt in the 1950s. Since 1955, it has been a Grade II* listed building. This means it is a very important historical building.

History of the Church
- The Old Church Building
- Building the New Church
Interesting Features Inside
Gallery
See also

History of the Church

The Old Church Building

Before World War II, the church looked very different. It was built in the Perpendicular style, which is a type of Gothic architecture with tall windows and strong lines. It had a square tower with a small turret.

In 1792, the north side of the church was rebuilt. Then, in 1830, the whole church was updated and made bigger. Sadly, on April 16, 1941, a bomb hit the church. Almost the entire building was destroyed, except for the tower.

Building the New Church

The work to rebuild the church began on October 13, 1949. Princess Elizabeth, who later became Queen Elizabeth II, laid the first stone. It took eight more years to finish the rebuilding.

On December 14, 1957, the new church was officially opened. The Bishop of Rochester, Christopher Maude Chavasse, led the special ceremony. The church you see today still uses the old medieval tower. It also has many of the original stones and flint from the first building.

Interesting Features Inside

Colorful Stained Glass Windows

Many of the beautiful modern windows in the church were designed by M. E. Aldrich Rope. She was a famous artist who created stained glass for the Arts and Crafts Movement. Her student, Clare Dawson, designed the window in the Baptistery area.

The Church Organ

The church has a large organ that was built in 1991 by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd. It was made to help people sing during church services and to play music with the choir. It can also be used for concerts, either by itself or with other instruments.

The organ is very big, weighing about 12 tons! It has three keyboards and pedals, with 40 different sounds. It has 55 rows of pipes, with a total of 2,708 pipes. The organ was first put together in the company's workshops. Then, it was taken apart and moved to the church to be installed.

The wooden cases, gallery, and carved pipe decorations for the organ were designed by David Graebe.

Important Tombs and Memorials

Many famous people have been buried at St Peter and St Paul's Church. Their tombs and memorials tell us about the past.

Some of these notable people include:

John Yonge or Young: He was a bishop of Rochester.
Elizabeth Johnson: She was the wife of the famous writer Samuel Johnson. Her memorial was saved after World War II and put back in the rebuilt church.
John Hawkesworth: He was a writer and editor, and a friend of Samuel Johnson.
Zachary Pearce: He was also a bishop of Rochester.
John Gifford: A British political writer who supported William Pitt the Younger.
Sir Claude and Sir Edward Scott: They were the first and second baronets of Lychet Minster.