St Peter's Church, Chester
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| St Peter's Church, Chester | |
Chester Cross showing St Peter's Church |
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  Shown within Cheshire
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| Basic information | |
|---|---|
| Location | Chester, Cheshire, England |
| Geographic coordinates | Coordinates: |
| Religious affiliation | Anglican |
| District | Diocese of Chester |
| Ecclesiastical status | Parish church |
| Website | Parish of Chester |
| Architectural description | |
| Architectural type | Church |
| Architectural style | Gothic |
| Specifications | |
| Materials | Red sandstone Slate spire |
St Peter's Church, Chester is in Eastgate Street in the centre of the city of Chester, Cheshire, England (grid reference SJ404663). It is a Grade I listed building[1] and continues in active use.[2]
Contents |
[edit] History
The church stands on the site of part of the Roman Praetorium and some of its fabric dates from that time.[3] A church is said to have been built on this site by Ethelfleda in 907. The present church dates from the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries, with modifications in the following three centuries. Formerly the tower had a spire which was removed and rebuilt in the 16th century, taken down in the 17th century, then rebuilt and finally removed[1] "having been much injured by lightning" about 1780.[3]
[edit] Structure
The church is built of red sandstone and is approximately square in plan. Its floor is at the level of the adjacent Watergate Row and the church is entered by a flight of seven stone steps on the south face. At the west end there is an embraced tower which rises one stage above the roof, with a clock and a bell opening of two lights. The top is crenellated, it has crocketed pinnacles and a pyramid slate spire. Inside the church is a continuous nave and chancel with four aisles. The west end is attached to and extends behind the backs of the adjacent buildings. Galleries cover the outer aisles and the west end.[1] The baptistry lies below the tower.[3]
[edit] Fittings and furniture
On the northeast pier is a niche which formerly contained a statue of the Virgin and Child and surrounding it is the best preserved medieval wall painting in Cheshire.[3] On the south wall under the gallery are three corbels with medieval carvings of an angel, a woman and an old man.[4] The marble font is dated 1662. In the south aisle attached to a pier is a 15th century brass thought to depict a lawyer, and elsewhere in the church are memorials from the 17th century[3] and two memorial boards by the Randle Holme family.[4] The glass in the east window dates from 1862 and 1963.[1] The ring is of six bells which are all dated 1709. The plate includes pewter items from the early 17th century and silver from the 18th century. The parish registers date from 1559 and the churchwardens' accounts from 1626, although the volume dating from 1686 to 1803 has been lost.[3]
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b c d Images of England: Church of St Peter, Chester. English Heritage. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
- ^ Parish of Chester. St. Peter with St. John the Baptist. Retrieved on 2008-04-14.
- ^ a b c d e f Richards, Raymond (1947). Old Cheshire Churches. London: Batsford, 121–126.
- ^ a b Morant, Roland W. (1989). Cheshire Churches. Birkenhead: Countyvise, 123. ISBN 0 907768 18 0.
