St Peter's Church is a redundant church in the village of Wickham Bishops, Essex, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building,[1] and is cared for by the Friends of Friendless Churches.[2]
| St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops | |
|---|---|
 St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops, from the southwest | |
  St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops Location in Essex | |
| 51°46′11″N 0°38′36″E / 51.7698°N 0.6434°E | |
| 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 |
History edit
The church originated in the 11th century.[1] In the Domesday Book of 1086, the manor of Wickham Bishops was recorded as belonging to the Bishops of London and it has been suggested that the church was built as a private chapel for the bishops. The church was restored in about 1850, but a new church dedicated to St Bartholomew was then built on a different site. The font, holy water stoup and parish chest were moved to the new church. St Peter's continued to be a chapel of ease to the new church but it became derelict and was threatened with demolition. In 1970 it became redundant.[2] The church was taken into the care of the charity the Friends of Friendless Churches in 1975. The charity holds a 999-year lease with effect from 1 January 1975.[3] Some restoration work has been carried out since then, but this has been disturbed by vandalism.[2]
Since 1994 the church has been used as a studio by the stained glass artist Benjamin Finn. The windows of the church have been reglazed with oak tracery designed by Julian Limentani.[4] The church now contains a new altar which was sculpted by Rory Young, and a statue of Saint Peter by Nicholas Hague. The original font has been returned from the new church. Benjamin Finn has been commissioned to create a new east window, to be financed by a grant from the Cottam Will Trust. In 2007 areas of 13th-century geometrical patterns were discovered on the walls; conservation work has been carried out in these.[5]
Architecture edit
St Peter's is constructed in a mixture of flint rubble, puddingstone, septaria, Roman tile, and brick. It has red tiled roofs. The plan of the church consists of a nave, a chancel, and a gabled south porch. At the west end is a belfry with weatherboarding.[1]
References edit
- ^ a b c Historic England, "Church of St Peter, Wickham Bishops (1111019)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 21 September 2011
- ^ a b c Wickham Bishops Old St Peter, Friends of Friendless Churches, archived from the original on 1 July 2011, retrieved 16 July 2010
- ^ Churches and chapels owned by the Friends of Friendless Churches: Details for Visitors, London: Friends of Friendless Churches, June 2010
- ^ Ben Finn's Stained Glass Workshop, Friends of Friendless Churches, retrieved 16 July 2010
- ^ Saunders, Matthew (2010), Saving Churches, London: Frances Lincoln, pp. 109–112, ISBN 978-0-7112-3154-2
External links edit
