St Peter upon Cornhill
Encyclopedia
St Peter upon Cornhill is an Anglican church in the City of London
, located on the corner of Cornhill and Gracechurch Street
. It is currently a satellite church in the parish of St Helen's Bishopsgate
, and is used for staff training, bible studies and a youth club.
The church was used by the Tank Regiment after the Second World War, subsumed under St Helen's Bishopsgate
.
In 1444 a "horsemill
" was given to St Peter's. The bells of St Peter are mentioned in 1552, when a bell foundry in Aldgate
was asked to cast a new bell.
in 1666. The parish tried to patch it up, but between 1677 and 1684 it was rebuilt to a design by Christopher Wren at a cost of £5,847. Ian Nairn
described it as having "three personalities inextricably sewn into the City". The east end, the frontage to Gracechurch Street is a grand-stone faced composition, with five arched windows between Ionic pilasters, above a high stylobate
. The pilasters support an entablature ; above that is a blank attic story, then a gable with one arched window flanked by two round ones. The north and south sides, are stuccoed, and much simpler in style. Unusually, shallow nineteenth century shops have survived on the Cornhill side, squeezed between the church and the pavement. The tower is of brick, its leaded cupola topped with a small spire surmounted by a weather vane in the shape of St. Peter’s key.
The interior is aisled, the arcade piers resting on the medieval pier foundations. The nave is barrel vaulted, while the aisles have transverse barrel vaults. Unusually for a Wren church there is a screen marking the division between nave and chancel. This was installed at the insistence of the rector at the time of rebuilding, William Beveridge
Charles Dickens
mentions the churchyard in "Our Mutual Friend". A theatre group called The Players of St Peter were formed here in 1946 and performed here until 1987. They are now based at St Clement Eastcheap
where its members perform medieval mystery play
s each November.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
gave to the church organist, Miss Elizabeth Mounsey, on September 30, 1840, after he gave an impromptu performance the church's organ (in addition to the Passacaglia, he played Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E minor, and his own Prelude and Fugue in C minor, Op. 37, No. 1 and another fugue in F minor). [Musical Times, November 1, 1905, p. 719] The St Helen's church office controls access to St Peter's .
William Jowett
was a lecturer at the church.
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, located on the corner of Cornhill and Gracechurch Street
Gracechurch Street
Gracechurch Street is a street in the City of London which forms part of the A10. It is home to a number of shops, restaurants, offices and Leadenhall Market....
. It is currently a satellite church in the parish of St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate is a large conservative evangelical Anglican church, in Lime Street ward, in the City of London, close to the Lloyd's building and the 'Gherkin'.-History:...
, and is used for staff training, bible studies and a youth club.
The church was used by the Tank Regiment after the Second World War, subsumed under St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate
St Helen's Bishopsgate is a large conservative evangelical Anglican church, in Lime Street ward, in the City of London, close to the Lloyd's building and the 'Gherkin'.-History:...
.
Foundation
The church of St Peter upon Cornhill is sited on the highest point of the City of London. John Stow, writing at the end of the sixteenth century recorded ““there remained in this church a table whereon is written, I know not by what authority, but of a late hand, that King Lucius founded the same church to be a see metropolitan, and chief church of his kingdom, and so it endured for four hundred years”. He also said that, except for the steeple, the church seemed recently built. George Godwin in the nineteenth century transcribed a later version of the plaque that dated the foundation of the church to the year 179.In 1444 a "horsemill
Horse mill
A horse mill is a mill that uses a horse as the power source. Any milling process can be powered in this way, but the most frequent use of animal power in horse mills was for grinding grain and pumping water. Other animals used for powering mills include dogs, donkeys and oxen. Engines powered by...
" was given to St Peter's. The bells of St Peter are mentioned in 1552, when a bell foundry in Aldgate
Aldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
was asked to cast a new bell.
The current building
The church was badly damaged in the Great Fire of LondonGreat Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
in 1666. The parish tried to patch it up, but between 1677 and 1684 it was rebuilt to a design by Christopher Wren at a cost of £5,847. Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn
Ian Nairn was a British architectural critic and topographer.He had no formal architecture qualifications; he was a mathematics graduate and a Royal Air Force pilot...
described it as having "three personalities inextricably sewn into the City". The east end, the frontage to Gracechurch Street is a grand-stone faced composition, with five arched windows between Ionic pilasters, above a high stylobate
Stylobate
In classical Greek architecture, a stylobate is the top step of the crepidoma, the stepped platform on which colonnades of temple columns are placed...
. The pilasters support an entablature ; above that is a blank attic story, then a gable with one arched window flanked by two round ones. The north and south sides, are stuccoed, and much simpler in style. Unusually, shallow nineteenth century shops have survived on the Cornhill side, squeezed between the church and the pavement. The tower is of brick, its leaded cupola topped with a small spire surmounted by a weather vane in the shape of St. Peter’s key.
The interior is aisled, the arcade piers resting on the medieval pier foundations. The nave is barrel vaulted, while the aisles have transverse barrel vaults. Unusually for a Wren church there is a screen marking the division between nave and chancel. This was installed at the insistence of the rector at the time of rebuilding, William Beveridge
William Beveridge (bishop)
-Life:He was born at Barrow, near Leicester, and baptized there February 21, 1637. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, and was rector of Ealing, 1661–72, and of St. Peter's, Cornhill, London, 1672–1704, when he became bishop...
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
mentions the churchyard in "Our Mutual Friend". A theatre group called The Players of St Peter were formed here in 1946 and performed here until 1987. They are now based at St Clement Eastcheap
St Clement Eastcheap
St. Clement Eastcheap is a Church of England parish church in Candlewick Ward of the City of London. It is located on Clement's Lane, off King William Street, and close to London Bridge and the River Thames....
where its members perform medieval mystery play
Mystery play
Mystery plays and miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in medieval Europe. Medieval mystery plays focused on the representation of Bible stories in churches as tableaux with accompanying antiphonal song...
s each November.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 4 January 1950.
The Three Devils of St Peter
In the nineteenth century a very observant vicar at this church noticed that plans for building a new structure next door intruded by one foot onto church territory. He raised legal objections and forced the architect to redraw the plans. In gleeful triumph he added three terracotta devils to the building facing Cornhill from the South. These can easily be seen silhouetted against the sky from on the north side.Mendelssohn's autograph
The organ in the gallery of St Peter's has an autographed souvenir quote from a Bach Passacaglia on display, which Felix MendelssohnFelix Mendelssohn
Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Barthóldy , use the form 'Mendelssohn' and not 'Mendelssohn Bartholdy'. The Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians gives ' Felix Mendelssohn' as the entry, with 'Mendelssohn' used in the body text...
gave to the church organist, Miss Elizabeth Mounsey, on September 30, 1840, after he gave an impromptu performance the church's organ (in addition to the Passacaglia, he played Bach's Prelude and Fugue in E minor, and his own Prelude and Fugue in C minor, Op. 37, No. 1 and another fugue in F minor). [Musical Times, November 1, 1905, p. 719] The St Helen's church office controls access to St Peter's .
Jowett
In the 1830s, the notable missionaryMissionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
William Jowett
William Jowett
William Jowett was a missionary and author, in 1813 becoming the first Anglican clergyman to volunteer for the overseas service of the Church Missionary Society...
was a lecturer at the church.
Mounsey
In June, 1834, the fourteen year old Elizabeth Mounsey became the organist of St. Peter's Church.See also
- List of churches and cathedrals of London
- List of Christopher Wren churches in London
External links
- St Peter upon Cornhill from Friends of the City Churches
- Emporis.com
- UK Attraction