St Peter's Roman Catholic Church, Woolwich
| St Peter's Church | |
|---|---|
| RC Church of St Peter the Apostle | |
Most Rev. Peter Smith | |
| Priest in charge | Rev. Michael Branch |
| Assistant priest(s) | Rev. Henry Tiku Wenna |
| Honorary priest(s) | Rev. Graziano de Palma |
St Peter's Church is a
History
Catholics in Woolwich
In the late 18th and early 19th century,
Construction of the church
In February 1841 a plot of land on Woolwich New Road, next to The Gun public house, was made available free of charge to the Woolwich Catholics by the Board of Ordnance. In September of that year the commission for the design of the new church was given to the young architect Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812-1852). It is possible that Coles knew Pugin from his previous post at Holy Trinity in Bermondsey, where the architect had built a monastery in 1838. Few of Pugin's letters mention St Peter's (he was working simultaneously on St George's Cathedral, Southwark, a much more prestigious commission). However, his published correspondence includes extracts from letters of Father Cole, indicating Pugin's keen interest in the furnishings.[4]
The foundation stone of the Catholic church was laid on 26 October 1842, the first time in London that such a ceremony was performed openly since the Reformation. Only a year before, the foundation stone for St George's Cathedral in Southwark had been laid in secrecy at 7 in the morning, since a Protestant backlash was feared. Perhaps the knowledge that there would be a large number of Irish soldiers attending the ceremony in Woolwich gave the priest and the congregation confidence. The church was built in 1842-43 by local builder George Myers. Myers used yellow London stock brick with Bath stone dressings and slate roofs. Because of the limited budget, the church was built in phases and the architectural design had to remain sober - no transept, no clerestory, with limited dressings. The initial cost for building the nave and aisles was £4,000, of which Thomas Griffiths, Vicar Apostolic of London, paid £1,000.
Pugin also designed the
Recent history
In May 2019 the church became part of a conservation area. The Woolwich Conservation Area comprises parts of Woolwich New Road (including St Peter's), the Bathway Quarter, General Gordon Square, Greens End, Beresford Square, Powis Street, Hare Street, Mortgramit Square, parts of Woolwich High Street (south) and St Mary's Church and Gardens.[7]
The buildings
Church exterior
The most striking feature of the exterior is perhaps the absence of the planned south-west tower, which gives the church an unbalanced appearance. Pugin believed Gothic architecture celebrated asymmetry, and for that reason he planned the tower at a corner rather than in the centre of the western façade. The aisles are supported by stepped buttresses. At the east end angled buttresses were used. The south aisle portal features the more elaborate decorations with crockets and ball flowers. The west portal, which is now the main entrance, is smaller and more sparsely decorated. The east and west end both have large traceried windows. All other windows are smaller.[6][8]
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Abutted tower from the south-west -
Detail west façade, Woolwich New Road -
South portal -
Chancel & south chapel from Brookhill Road
Church interior
The 6-bay interior uses a revival of the
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View towards the east -
Chancel and main altar -
Chapel of Our Lady -
Porch area and shop
Presbytery and school
The original presbytery is a small building designed by Pugin around 1842 and built by Myers in 1846. The Survey of London describes it as "one of Pugin's best small brick secular buildings, plain but fetchingly proportioned". In 1870, a much larger building designed by
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Presbytery designed by Pugin -
New presbytery and 'music room' from Brookhill Road -
Former school from Woolwich New Road -
Former infant school from Brookhill Road
Notes and references
- Fincham, K., Augustus Pugin and the building of St Peter's, Woolwich. A talk in the church, 13 June 2013 (text online available)
- Saint, A., Guillery, P. (ed.), Woolwich – Survey of London, Volume 48, Yale Books, London, 2012. ; please note page numbers online do not correspond with the book)
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), p. 404.
- ^ Building ID 396929 on britishlistedbuildings.co.uk.
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 402, 405.
- ^ On 17 October 1843, nine days before the church opened, Cole and Pugin unpacked the reredos and the tabernacle. On 7 June 1844, Cole wrote to the supplier as follows: "I am very sorry that Mr Pugin was very much displeased with one of the elevation candlesticks you sent for St Peter's New Church. He advised me to send it back to you to have it altered. It is quite crooked." Fincham (2013), A talk in the church.
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 400-406.
- ^ a b c Fincham (2013), A talk in the church.
- ^ Woolwich Conservation Area Character Appraisal SPD, Draft June 2021, page 2, 4.
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 402-403.
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 403-404.
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 404-406.
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