- St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops
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St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops 
St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops, from the southwestLocation in Essex
St Peter's Church, Wickham BishopsCoordinates: 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 St Peter's Church, Wickham Bishops, is a redundant church in the village of Wickham Bishops, Essex, England. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building,[1] and is cared for by the Friends of Friendless Churches.[2]
Contents
History
The church originated in the 11th century.[1] In the Domesday Survey the manor of Wickham Bishops was recorded as belonging to the Bishops of London and it is considered 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 Batholomew 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
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
- ^ a b c Church of St Peter, Wickham Bishops (1111019). National Heritage List for England. English Heritage. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
- ^ a b c Wickham Bishops Old St Peter, Friends of Friendless Churches, http://www.friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/CMSMS/index.php?page=wickham-bishops, 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, http://www.friendsoffriendlesschurches.org.uk/CMSMS/index.php?page=ben-finn, retrieved 16 July 2010
- ^ Saunders, Matthew (2010), Saving Churches, London: Frances Lincoln, pp. 109–112, ISBN 978-0-7112-3154-2
External links
Categories:- Grade II* listed buildings in Essex
- Grade II* listed churches
- Churches preserved by the Friends of Friendless Churches
- Scheduled Ancient Monuments in Essex
- 11th-century architecture
- 11th-century church buildings
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