St Peter's Church, Heversham
Encyclopedia
St Peter's Church, Heversham, is in the village of Heversham
, Cumbria
, England. It is an active Anglican
parish church
in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle
. Its benefice is united with that of St Thomas, Milnthorpe. The church has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building. It stands on one of the oldest Christian sites in the historic county of Westmorland
.
was undertaken in 1868 by the Lancaster
architects Paley and Austin, who also added the tower. The restoration included work on the tower arch, the north nave
arcade
, the chancel
arch, the arches of the north and south chapels, and on part of the south arcade.
rubble
with sandstone
dressings, the vestry
and the east wall of the chancel being in sandstone. The roofs are covered in lead. The plan of the church consists of a three-bay
nave with a clerestory
, a two-bay chancel, north and south aisle
s with chapels at the east ends, a north vestry, a south porch, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages with buttress
es, a pyramidal roof, and a southwest stair turret
. The architectural style of the body of the church is Perpendicular. The south arcade is Norman
. The tower is in Early English style.
reredos
. The screen in the north chapel dates from 1605. The south door is medieval
, dating from about 1300. In the porch is a portion of an Anglo-Saxon
cross dating from the late 8th century, carved with vine scrolls and beasts. Some of the stained glass in the south chapel is dated 1601. The glass in the east window was designed by William Warrington
in 1844, and the glass in the south windows is mainly by Clayton and Bell
. In the north chapel is a window dated 1914 by Shrigley and Hunt
, and the west window of 1924 is by A. K. Nicholson
. The church contains a number of monuments, the oldest dated 1626. The three-manual
organ was built in 1854, probably by Wilkinson. An earlier organ had been destroyed in the fire of 1601, and another organ is said to have been destroyed in the Civil War
in about 1644. Improvements and repairs were undertaken on the present organ in 1887, 1925 and 1952, each time by Wilkinson. In 1979 Rushworth and Dreaper
restored and extended it, and a complete overhaul was carried out in 1995 by David Wells at a cost of about £38,000. The ring
consists of six bells, all cast in 1870 by John Warner & Sons
.
, and was designed by J. F. Curwen. The lych gate is dated 1894 and has sandstone piers
with timber above, and a slate
roof with a stone ridge. Immediately to the south of the church is a table tomb to the Docker family, the earliest inscribed date being 1766. To the south of this is another table tomb, this one being to the Crampton family, with an earliest date of 1760. To the southeast of the church is a table tomb to the Dickinson family with an earliest date of 1763, although it was probably not erected until 1770. To the south of the Dickinson tomb is a sandstone sundial
dated 1690.
Heversham
Heversham is a small village and civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. It has a variety of recreational facilities, including tennis courts, bowling green, swimming pool and a playground...
, Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. It is an active Anglican
Anglicanism
Anglicanism is a tradition within Christianity comprising churches with historical connections to the Church of England or similar beliefs, worship and church structures. The word Anglican originates in ecclesia anglicana, a medieval Latin phrase dating to at least 1246 that means the English...
parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle
Diocese of Carlisle
The Diocese of Carlisle was created in 1133 by Henry I out of part of the Diocese of Durham, although many people of Celtic descent in the area looked to Glasgow for spiritual leadership. The first bishop was Æthelwold, formerly the king's confessor and now prior of the Augustinian priory at...
. Its benefice is united with that of St Thomas, Milnthorpe. The church has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building. It stands on one of the oldest Christian sites in the historic county of Westmorland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
.
History
The oldest fabric in the present church dates from the 12th century. Additions and alterations were made during the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries. Rebuilding took place following a fire in 1601. A considerable considerable restorationVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
was undertaken in 1868 by the Lancaster
Lancaster, Lancashire
Lancaster is the county town of Lancashire, England. It is situated on the River Lune and has a population of 45,952. Lancaster is a constituent settlement of the wider City of Lancaster, local government district which has a population of 133,914 and encompasses several outlying towns, including...
architects Paley and Austin, who also added the tower. The restoration included work on the tower arch, the north nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
arcade
Arcade (architecture)
An arcade is a succession of arches, each counterthrusting the next, supported by columns or piers or a covered walk enclosed by a line of such arches on one or both sides. In warmer or wet climates, exterior arcades provide shelter for pedestrians....
, the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
arch, the arches of the north and south chapels, and on part of the south arcade.
Exterior
The church is constructed mainly in limestoneLimestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
rubble
Rubble
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture. This word is closely connected in derivation with "rubbish", which was formerly also applied to what we now call "rubble". Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as brash...
with sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
dressings, the vestry
Vestry
A vestry is a room in or attached to a church or synagogue in which the vestments, vessels, records, etc., are kept , and in which the clergy and choir robe or don their vestments for divine service....
and the east wall of the chancel being in sandstone. The roofs are covered in lead. The plan of the church consists of a three-bay
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
nave with a clerestory
Clerestory
Clerestory is an architectural term that historically denoted an upper level of a Roman basilica or of the nave of a Romanesque or Gothic church, the walls of which rise above the rooflines of the lower aisles and are pierced with windows. In modern usage, clerestory refers to any high windows...
, a two-bay chancel, north and south aisle
Aisle
An aisle is, in general, a space for walking with rows of seats on both sides or with rows of seats on one side and a wall on the other...
s with chapels at the east ends, a north vestry, a south porch, and a west tower. The tower is in three stages with buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es, a pyramidal roof, and a southwest stair turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
. The architectural style of the body of the church is Perpendicular. The south arcade is Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...
. The tower is in Early English style.
Interior
Most of the furnishings were designed by Paley and Austin, including the alabasterAlabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
reredos
Reredos
thumb|300px|right|An altar and reredos from [[St. Josaphat's Roman Catholic Church|St. Josaphat Catholic Church]] in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]. This would be called a [[retable]] in many other languages and countries....
. The screen in the north chapel dates from 1605. The south door is medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, dating from about 1300. In the porch is a portion of an Anglo-Saxon
Anglo-Saxon architecture
Anglo-Saxon architecture was a period in the history of architecture in England, and parts of Wales, from the mid-5th century until the Norman Conquest of 1066. Anglo-Saxon secular buildings in Britain were generally simple, constructed mainly using timber with thatch for roofing...
cross dating from the late 8th century, carved with vine scrolls and beasts. Some of the stained glass in the south chapel is dated 1601. The glass in the east window was designed by William Warrington
William Warrington
William Warrington, , was an English maker of stained glass windows. His firm, operating from 1832 to 1875, was one of the earliest of the English Medieval revival and served clients such as Norwich and Peterborough Cathedrals...
in 1844, and the glass in the south windows is mainly by Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell
Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient workshops of English stained glass during the latter half of the 19th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton and Alfred Bell . The company was founded in 1855 and continued until 1993...
. In the north chapel is a window dated 1914 by Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt
Shrigley and Hunt was the name of an English firm which produced stained glass windows and art tiles.The business began in the 1750s when Shrigley's was a painting, carving and gilding firm in Lancaster, Lancashire....
, and the west window of 1924 is by A. K. Nicholson
Archibald Keightley Nicholson
Archibald Keightley Nicholson was an English 20th century ecclesiastical stained-glass maker. His father was Charles Nicholson and his two brothers, Charles and Sydney, were a church architect and church musician respectively....
. The church contains a number of monuments, the oldest dated 1626. The three-manual
Manual (music)
A manual is a keyboard designed to be played with the hands on a pipe organ, harpsichord, clavichord, electronic organ, or synthesizer. The term "manual" is used with regard to any hand keyboard on these instruments to distinguish it from the pedalboard, which is a keyboard that the organist plays...
organ was built in 1854, probably by Wilkinson. An earlier organ had been destroyed in the fire of 1601, and another organ is said to have been destroyed in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
in about 1644. Improvements and repairs were undertaken on the present organ in 1887, 1925 and 1952, each time by Wilkinson. In 1979 Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders based in Liverpool, England Upon its bankruptcy, its archives were mostly destroyed, and the Victorian clock in the works tower was removed...
restored and extended it, and a complete overhaul was carried out in 1995 by David Wells at a cost of about £38,000. The ring
Ring of bells
"Ring of bells" is a term most often applied to a set of bells hung in the English style, typically for change ringing...
consists of six bells, all cast in 1870 by John Warner & Sons
John Warner & Sons
John Warner and Sons was a Bellfoundry in various locations in London, UK.-Notable Bells:Warners cast some notable bells including the clock chime at the Houses of Parliament, although Big Ben was later re-cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry. In 1913, Warners cast the peal of 12 bells at...
.
External features
In the churchyard are a number of structures that have been designated as Grade II listed buildings. To the south of the church is a cross erected in 1920 as a memorial to those who died in the First World War. It is in the form of a Celtic crossCeltic cross
A Celtic cross is a symbol that combines a cross with a ring surrounding the intersection. In the Celtic Christian world it was combined with the Christian cross and this design was often used for high crosses – a free-standing cross made of stone and often richly decorated...
, and was designed by J. F. Curwen. The lych gate is dated 1894 and has sandstone piers
Pier (architecture)
In architecture, a pier is an upright support for a superstructure, such as an arch or bridge. Sections of wall between openings function as piers. The simplest cross section of the pier is square, or rectangular, although other shapes are also common, such as the richly articulated piers of Donato...
with timber above, and a slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
roof with a stone ridge. Immediately to the south of the church is a table tomb to the Docker family, the earliest inscribed date being 1766. To the south of this is another table tomb, this one being to the Crampton family, with an earliest date of 1760. To the southeast of the church is a table tomb to the Dickinson family with an earliest date of 1763, although it was probably not erected until 1770. To the south of the Dickinson tomb is a sandstone sundial
Sundial
A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
dated 1690.