St. Peter's Church, St. Albans

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St. Peter's Church, St. Albans
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St. Peter's Church, St. Albans

St. Peter's Church is a parish church which was, based upon the writing of Matthew Paris, believed to be originally founded in AD948 by Abbot Ulsinus of St. Albans. There is some uncertainty about the dates in the writings of Paris, but there is little doubt that the church, together with St. Stephen's Church, St. Albans and St. Michael's Church, St. Albans were built at about that time to receive pilgrims and to prepare them, for their visit to the shrine of St. Alban within St. Albans Abbey. The three churches, all of which still exist, stand on the three main roads into St Albans.

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[edit] Architecture

The original saxon structure would have been made of wood, and nothing now remains of this. In fact, no records at all exist of St. Peter's for nearly 200 years after its foundation. During the 13th century that the church assumed the form which it retained until the early 19th century - a cruciform building with a central tower. Thomas Baskerfield's drawings of 1787 give an impression of what the church was like in its essentials for so many centuries.

In the mid-12th century it was one of the 15 churches which, with St. Albans Abbey, became exempt from the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Lincoln. It was then ruled by the Abbot of St. Albans until the dissolution of the monasteries. After the dissolution, the churches of St. Albans became part of the Diocese of London until 1845 when Hertfordshire was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester. In 1877 the Diocese of St. Albans was created.

The nave arcades and the greater part of the aisle walls were rebuilt in the 15th century but the 13th century west and south doorways were preserved.

In 1756 the tower arches were removed and loftier ones inserted, as it appears that the floor of the original belfry was so low as to obstruct the perspective view of the church, but these alterations weakened the whole structure and 30 years later the tower became dangerous. In 1785, after a protracted wrangle between the Rector and members of the Vestry, who were not prepared to embark on what they considered extravagant repairs, the tower was underpinned with timber. However, in 1799 the tower had become so dangerous that it was taken down to the level of the crossing arches and finally in 1801 the belfry floor fell in. The new tower, which was erected in brick, was essentially as is seen today in size and shape. At the same time the transepts were demolished and the chancel shortened almost out of existence.

In 1893, after he had completed his restoration of the Abbey Church, Lord Grimthorpe[1] took it upon himself to restore St. Peter's at his own expense. Reportedly after an hour-and-a-half's examination of the church enabled him to decide "what is necessary and desirable to do in the way of restoring it to a safe and creditable condition as far as the modern alterations leave it possible".

He lengthened the chancel and the nave by one bay each. He also widened the church by demolishing the north wall of the nave and building a new north wall outside the line of the old one. The west end is similar in design to that of the north transept in the Abbey with a rose window flanked by turrets. Lord Grimthorpe also raised the roof with a steeper pitch and evidence of the previous flatter pitched nave roof can be seen on the western face of the chancel arch. The angel corbels which held the beams of that roof have been left in their original position.

[edit] Modern times

The Church is still active today.

[edit] External link

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnote

  1. ^ Otherwise famous as a Queen's Counsel, parliamentarian, clockmaker and, most particularly, saviour of St Albans Cathedral (as the Abbey Church had become in 1877)