St Peter and St Paul, Buckingham
St Peter and St Paul, Buckingham | |
---|---|
Buckingham Parish Church of Gothic Revival | |
Groundbreaking | 1777 |
Completed | 1780 (additions 1867) |
Specifications | |
Number of spires | 1 |
Spire height | 180 ft 0 in (54.86 m) |
Materials | Stone |
Administration | |
Province | Province of Canterbury |
Diocese | Diocese of Oxford |
Clergy | |
Rector | The Revd Will Pearson-Gee |
Minister(s) | The Revd Ope Ayileye |
Laity | |
Organist/Director of music | Robert Tucker |
Organist(s) | Ray Mitchell (Assistant organist) |
Organ scholar | Sebastian Tucker |
Music group(s) | Band (Contemporary worship), Bell Ringers, Choir (Traditional worship) |
St. Peter and St. Paul, known commonly as Buckingham Parish Church, is the Anglican parish church in Buckingham, Buckinghamshire, England.[1] The current rector is Revd Will Pearson-Gee who leads a range of services; traditional and modern in style, most of which are on Sunday.[2] The church is prominently located in the centre of the historic core of Buckingham on Castle Hill.
Services
The church holds four services per week, three on a Sunday and one on a Wednesday.
Sunday 9AM: Traditional Service - Traditional
Sunday 11AM: Family Service - Family based worship with Contemporary Christian music, led every week by a contemporary band
Sunday 6PM: Contemporary Service - Contemporary Christian music, led every week by a contemporary band
Wednesday 10AM: Midweek
History
The previous church located in Prebend End dated from before 1445 but no records have been found before this date apart from a reference to it in the Domesday Book of 1086.[3] It had a history of the tower and spire collapsing several times and in 1776 it collapsed for the final time. Browne Willis had a great desire to restore the church to its former glory following the last repairs in 1698, but the new spire was too ambitious.[4]
A new site became available on Castle Hill and the decision was taken to move the church.
"That the Tower of the ancient fabric of the Parish Church of Buckingham having fallen down destroyed the Great parts of the Church, and that the inhabitants were unable to rebuild the same, that in consideration of such inability, the Right Hon Richard Earl Temple generously under took by Virtue of an act of Parliament to build a new Church... that the said Church is now completely finished for the celebration of divine worship, by the Right Hon George Earl Temple, Heir to the said Richard Earl Temple. That the ground on which the said Church is erected, together with commodious passages thereto and an area surrounding the same has been freely given and legally conveyed for the use of the said Parish by the Right Hon Ralph Earl Verney of the Kingdom of Ireland."[6]
Architecture
The Church design originally had just two elements: the tower with octagonal plan
The additions were consecrated by Bishop Wilberforce in 1867,[8] leaving little of the original 18th-century church left untouched.
The Restoration of the organ
The Buckingham Parish Church
Raising of the organ onto a
A new mobile console includes the stops for a Choir organ to be added in the future, subject to raising funds for the additional wind chest and clarinet; the floating Tromba is already in place for this division and the other pipes in store, saved from the Norman & Beard at St. Andrew's, Kettering.
With practical preservation and longevity in mind, the organ remains a fine example of Norman & Beard's work, especially for the worship needs of the church, and for musical opportunities in the community. The restoration was made possible by the generosity of many individual donors as well as trusts and organisations. Since restoration the organ has been included in the Buckingham Summer Festival, Buckingham Choral Society concerts, and organ recitals. There is further potential for recordings and educational initiatives in the future.[9]
The organ is in regular use, being used every week for the Sunday Traditional Service.
External links
References
- ^ Church of England website listing
- ^ St Peter & St Paul website
- ^ Hunt, Julian. Buckingham A Pictorial History. Phillimore & Co, 1994, page xviii
- ^ Clarke, John. The Book of Buckingham. Barracuda Books, 1984, page 112
- ^ Act of Parliament "An Act for building a new Church within the Town and Parish of Buckingham", 1777
- ^ Whyte, Warren. The History and Architecture of the Parish Church of St Peter & St Paul Buckingham, 2008
- ^ "The Parish Church - Munificence of the Duke of Buckingham". Bucks Herald. 1 October 1864. Retrieved 20 August 2014 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Elliott, Douglas. "Buckingham The Loyal and Ancient Borough". Phillimore, 1975, page 131
- ^ The Organ page of the St Peter & St Paul website