St Peter at Arches Church, Lincoln facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Peter at Arches Church, Lincoln |
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St Peter at Arches Church, by Samuel Hieronymus Grimm c.1784.
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| Location | Lincoln, Lincolnshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Demolished 1932 and re-constructed as St Giles on the St Giles Estate |
| Architect(s) | Francis or William Smith of Warwick |
| Style | Georgian |
| Years built | 1720–24 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Lincoln |
St Peter at Arches Church was an important church in Lincoln, England. It was first built a very long time ago. The church was then rebuilt between 1720 and 1724. This new building was designed by either Francis Smith or William Smith. The church stood near the main High Street and Silver Street, close to the historic Guildhall and Stonebow, Lincoln.
The 1720s Church: A New Beginning
The church built in the 1720s was a big project. While the Smith family designed it, Abraham Hayward oversaw the building work. Hayward came from Whitchurch, a town in Shropshire. The design of St Peter's was quite similar to St Alkmund's Church, Whitchurch.
Who Was Abraham Hayward?
Abraham Hayward was an important architect. He even built his own house right next to St Peter's Church. This spot used to be the Taylors' Hall in Lincoln. The Hayward family became famous builders and architects in Lincoln for the next 100 years.
Building Materials and Art
The church was built using strong stone. This stone came all the way from the Roche Abbey quarries in Yorkshire. For many years, St Peter at Arches was known as the Corporation church. This meant it was the official church for the City of Lincoln's leaders.
The inside of the church was also very special. The chancel and apse areas were decorated with a large painting. This painting showed the Ascension and was created by a Venetian artist named Vincenzo Damini. Damini also worked on some art for Lincoln Cathedral. A smaller oil painting, called a modello, that Damini made to plan the large fresco still exists today.
St Peter's Church: Demolition and Rebuilding in the 1930s
St Peter at Arches Church was taken down in 1932. At the same time, the Buttermarket building was also demolished. The Buttermarket was an old Georgian building from 1737. It stood right next to the church, facing the High Street.
How St Peter's Was Reused
Parts of the old St Peter's Church were used to build a new church. This new church is called St Giles Church. It was built in Lamb Gardens on the St Giles Estate in Lincoln, starting in 1936. The architect for St Giles was W. G. Watkins. The new St Giles Church looks similar to the old St Peter's. It was made a bit longer and rebuilt using bricks. However, it reused the stone decorations from the original St Peter's Church.
The Buttermarket's New Life
The front part of the Buttermarket building was also rebuilt. This happened in 1938. The architect Robert Atkinson designed its new location on Sincil Street, south of the river Witham. This rebuilt building is still used today as a larger market hall.
What Replaced the Church?
After St Peter's Church was demolished, a new building was constructed on its site. This building, called Norwich Union House, was finished in 1936. It was designed by Phillip Nicholls of Leeds in a classical Neo-Georgian style.
The outside of Norwich Union House has brick walls on High Street and Silver Street. The corner shop area has a smooth stone front. You can see the Lincoln City coat of arms in the middle of the building. Above it is a rectangular cupola, which is a small dome-like structure. On either side of the cupola, there are two stone urns on a ledge. These urns actually came from the tower of the original St Peter's Church!
Images for kids
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Former Norwich Union Building, High Street
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Classical corner facade of former Norwich Union Building
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Urn from St Peter's on a ledge of the Norwich Union Building.
See also
Literature
- Antram N (revised), Pevsner N & Harris J, (1989), The Buildings of England: Lincolnshire, Yale University Press.
- Colvin H. A. (1995), Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840. Yale University Press, 3rd edition London, pg.885–6.
- Gomme A. (2000), Smith of Warwick. Francis Smith, Architect and Master-Builder ISBN: 1900289385
