St. Peter's Church in Birstall,

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a metropolitan and ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. It is an inland and upland county having eastward-draining valleys while taking in the moors of the Pennines. West Yorkshire came into exi ...

, England is an active Anglican

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

in the archdeaconry of Leeds and the Diocese of Leeds.

History

The church has Norman origins being founded in 1100 by Radulphus de Paganell, the tower is the only part surviving from that era; its first two stages were built in the 12th century. The tower was raised in the 15th century and a major refurbishment was carried out between 1863 and 1870 by W.H. Crossland of

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

. The church was grade II* listed on 29 March 1963. Between 1997 and 2000 a screen was built to separate the first bay of the nave and aisles to create meeting rooms.

Architectural style

St Peter's Church, Birstall, Gargoyle - geograph

Exterior

The tower has three stages, its first two are of Norman origin with diagonal

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...

es and stout corner pinnacles which were added in the 15th century, the second stage has narrow windows and a round clock on the western face while the south face has a sundial dating from 1660. The

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

has diagonal buttresses. The chancel incorporates a chapel on its north side and a vestry and organ chamber on its south.

Interior

The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

has four bays with arcades with octagonal piers. The tower has a stepped round arch dating from around 1100. The outer aisles have seven bay arcades on quatrefoil piers. The chancel has three bays. The nave and inner aisles have plastered walls while the outer aisles and chancel have exposed stone walls. The south aisle has a flagstone floor, the chancel a tiled floor while the aisle chapel has a mosaic floor.

Fixtures

An early-20th century painting of Christ in Glory by Reginald Frampton is on the east wall. The octagonal font has a panelled bowl and stem which dates from the 15th century. It had been discarded in 1771 but reinstated in 1841. The pulpit is made of stone construction and has a wrought-iron balustrade. The pews date from around 1870 and have roundels to the top. The reredos depicts the

Last Supper Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...

References

External links

St. Peter's Church, Birstall
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Church, Birstall Birstall, West Yorkshire Anglican Diocese of Leeds Church of England church buildings in West Yorkshire Grade II* listed churches in West Yorkshire William Henry Crossland buildings