St Peter's Church, Welford-on-Avon
| Church of St Peter | |
|---|---|
Church of St Peter | |
| 52°10′05.16″N 1°47′17.66″W / 52.1681000°N 1.7882389°W | |
| OS grid reference | SP 14581 52223 |
| Location | Welford-on-Avon, Warwickshire |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade I |
| Designated | 5 April 1967 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Gloucester |
St Peter's Church is an Anglican church in the village of Welford-on-Avon, in Warwickshire, England. It is in the benefice of Quinton, Welford, Weston and Marston Sicca, and is in the Diocese of Gloucester;[1] the church, near the border with Gloucestershire, was until 1931 in that county. [2] The building, of which the earliest parts date from the 12th century, is Grade I listed.[3]
History and description
A small church was originally built on this site in 1059, by monks from Deerhurst Priory in Gloucestershire. It is thought that the bowl of the font survives from this church.[4]
There is a nave with north and south aisles, a chancel, west tower and south porch.[3][5]
The nave and narrow aisles, with two-bay arcades, and the semicircular outer order around the south doorway, are of the 12th century. The lowest part of the tower is of this period; the second stage is 13th-century. It was heightened in the 15th century, and is tall in relation to the rest of the church.[3][5]
The chancel was rebuilt in 1330–40, and two windows in the south wall of the nave and one window in the north wall were enlarged at this time.[3][5]
There was restoration in 1866–67 by George Gilbert Scott. The tower was damaged by a fire in 1884, and was repaired the following year.[5]
The chancel was refurbished in the 1920s, and the rood screen, replacing an earlier screen, was installed. It was made by Joseph Northcott of Beaworthy in Devon, and is a copy of a Benedictine screen. The east window of the chancel, by Geoffrey Webb, was installed in 1924.[4]
Monuments
In the nave is a slab commemorating Walter Williams, a 15th-century priest, and a slab to Anne and William Jakeman, died 1723 and 1735.[3][5]
Bells
According to tradition, the bells of Welford rang out at the victory of the Battle of Crécy in 1346.[4]
A later ring of six bells, by Richard Sanders of Bromsgrove, were installed in 1721. They were destroyed by a fire at the church in 1884, and were replaced the following year by six bells by Barwell.[2]
The present ring of eight bells are by John Taylor & Co. Six of these, dated 1960, are recasts of the bells by Barwell; the others are dated 1980.[2]
References
- ^ "Welford-on-Avon St Peter: More information" A Church Near You. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "Welford on Avon" Church Bells of Warwickshire. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e Historic England. "Church of St Peter (1382823)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b c "St Peter's Church" Welford-on-Avon Parish Council. Retrieved 29 January 2026.
- ^ a b c d e 'Parishes: Welford-on-Avon', in A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 5, Kington Hundred, ed. L F Salzman (London, 1949) British History Online. Retrieved 29 January 2026.