- St Peter's Church, Heswall
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St Peter's Church, Heswall Location in Merseyside
St Peter's Church, HeswallCoordinates: 53°19′22″N 3°06′13″W / 53.3228°N 3.1036°W OS grid reference SJ 266 812 Location Heswall, Wirral, Merseyside Country England Denomination Anglican Churchmanship Open Evangelical Website Parish of Heswall History Dedication St Peter Architecture Status Parish church Functional status Active Heritage designation Grade II* Designated 15 November 1962 Architect(s) J. Francis Doyle Architectural type Church Style Gothic, Gothic Revival Groundbreaking 1306 Completed 1893 Specifications Materials Sandstone, slate roof Administration Parish Heswall Deanery Wirral North Archdeaconry Chester Diocese Chester Province York Clergy Rector Rev Dr Jonathan Gibbs Curate(s) Revd Alan Leach
Revds Jim and Jenny BridgmanAssistant priest Revd Alan Leach Laity Reader Peter Twin, Brenda Wilson Churchwarden(s) Basil Gillett St Peter's Church, Heswall is in the town of Heswall, Wirral, Merseyside, England. The church has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.[1] It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wirral North.[2]
Contents
History
The oldest part of the church is the base of the tower which dates from 1306.[3] The upper parts were added in the late 15th century.[1] The rest of the church was rebuilt in 1739 in Neoclassical style. In 1875 the church was struck by lightning and seriously damaged.[3] In 1879 the church, other than the tower, was completely rebuilt by J. Francis Doyle. In 1893 the south chancel chapel was built, also by Doyle.[4]
Architecture
Exterior
The church is built in sandstone with a slate roof.[5] Its plan consists of a nave with clerestory, north and south aisles, a tower at the southwest, and a chancel with a north vestry and a south chapel. The tower has diagonal west buttresses and a three-light west window. The bell stage has three-light louvred bell openings and is in Perpendicular style. Above this is a cornice and an embattled parapet. At the southeast is a square stair turret.[1]
Interior
After the 19th century restoration, some of the memorials were moved to the base of the tower. These include a black marble tablet to John Glegg, who died in 1619, depicting his kneeling figure, a white and grey marble tablet in memory of Katherine Glegg who died in 1666, and an alabaster plaque with the seal of William de Hesele Wele who lived in the early 14th century.[4] The baluster font dates from the 18th century. The chandelier under the tower is from the late 17th century.[6] The reredos and much of the stained glass is by Kempe.[1] At the west end of the church are the Royal arms of George III.[3] The organ was built in 1947 by Rushworth and Dreaper.[7] The ring consists of eight bells, all of which were recast in 1978 by John Taylor and Company.[8] The parish registers begin in 1539 and churchwardens' accounts in 1778.[3]
External features
In the churchyard is a stone sundial dated 1726 consisting of a baluster-shaped shaft on two circular steps. On the top of this is an octagonal plate and a gnomon.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d "Church of St Peter, Heswall", The National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), 2011, http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1320306, retrieved 16 May 2011
- ^ St Peter, Heswall, Church of England, http://www.achurchnearyou.com/heswall-st-peter/, retrieved 16 May 2011
- ^ a b c d Richards, Raymond (1947), Old Cheshire Churches, London: Batsford, pp. 184–186
- ^ a b Morant, Roland W. (1989), Cheshire Churches, Birkenhead: Countyvise, p. 141, ISBN 0-907768-18-0
- ^ Heritage Churches, Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, http://www.visitwirral.com/site/absolutely-wirral/wirrals-heritage/heritage-churches, retrieved 17 December 2007
- ^ Hartwell, Claire; Hyde, Matthew; Hubbard, Edward; Pevsner, Nikolaus (2011) [1971], Cheshire, The Buildings of England, New Haven and London: Yale University Press, pp. 396–397, ISBN 978-0-300-17043-6
- ^ Heswall St. Peter, British Institute of Organ Studies, http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=J00081, retrieved 10 August 2008
- ^ Details of the Present Bells, Heswall, St Peter, http://www.wirral8.f9.co.uk/wirral/hesbells.htm, retrieved 10 August 2008
- ^ "Sundial to west of Church of St Peter, Heswall", The National Heritage List for England (English Heritage), 2011, http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1075373, retrieved 16 May 2011
Categories:- Buildings and structures in Wirral (borough)
- Church of England churches in Merseyside
- Grade II* listed churches
- Grade II* listed buildings in Merseyside
- English Gothic architecture
- Gothic Revival architecture in England
- Diocese of Chester
- Buildings and structures completed in 1893
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