St Peter's Notting Hill is a Victorian Anglican church in

Kensington Park Road Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensington Gardens ...

Notting Hill Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road Ma ...

, London. Designed in the classical style by architect

Thomas Allom Thomas Allom (13 March 1804 – 21 October 1872) was an English architect, artist, and topographical illustrator. He was a founding member of what became the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He designed many buildings in London, i ...

, work was begun in 1855 and completed in 1857.

History

Until the mid nineteenth century Notting Hill was a largely rural neighbourhood at the edge of the western suburbs of London. Development in the area began during the 1840s on the

Ladbroke Estate The Ladbroke Estate was a substantial estate of land owned by the Ladbroke family in Notting Hill, London, England, in the early 19th century that was gradually developed and turned into housing during the middle years of the century, as London ...

where St John's Notting Hill was completed in 1845. It soon became clear that another church was needed, and the site for St Peter's was donated by the trader and philanthropist

Charles Henry Blake Charles Henry Blake (1794–1872) was a British indigo planter and industrialist in India, who became a property developer and railway company director in London. Early life He was the son of Benjamin Blake, a sea captain turned indigo planter in ...

(1794–1872). Blake had made his fortune in India trading in

indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...

, and went on to make an even greater fortune as landowner, financier, builder and speculator in Notting Hill. In 1845 Blake had made a significant financial contribution to the construction of neighbouring St John's. St Peter's was designed by Allom as a part of his overall plan for Kensington Park Gardens and the neighbouring streets of

Stanley Crescent Stanley may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Stanley'' (1972 film), an American horror film * ''Stanley'' (1984 film), an Australian comedy * ''Stanley'' (1999 film), an animated short * ''Stanley'' (1956 TV series) ...

and Stanley Gardens, which were developed by Blake. Work on St Peter's was begun in November 1855. The completed church was consecrated on 7 January 1857 by the then Bishop of London,

Archibald Campbell Tait Archibald Campbell Tait (21 December 18113 December 1882) was an Archbishop of Canterbury in the Church of England and theologian. He was the first Scottish Archbishop of Canterbury and thus, head of the Church of England. Life Tait was bo ...

. St Peter's was designed to accommodate a congregation of 1,400. It is thought to be the last 19th century Anglican church to be built in London in the classical style. St Peter's is a building of notable architectural quality, and is listed Grade II*. The interior of the building is very elaborate, with many of the pillars boasting gilded capitals.

St Peter's today

In 1982 the parishes of St John's and St Peter's were linked by the appointment of a single vicar, and in 1986 the parishes became the united parish of St Peter's and St John's. However, on 1 January 2003 the two parishes again separated, though they continue to form part of a group ministry. The church is used for Notting Hill lunchtime concerts.

Notes

References

* Denny, Barbara ''Notting Hill and Holland Park Past'', Historical Publications, 1993. * Mitton, Geraldine Edith, ''The Kensington District'', Project Gutenberg, 30 May 2007 Book #21643* Sheppard, Francis, ''London, A History'', Oxford University Press, 1998,

External links

Holland Park Ave at Project Gutenberg
Retrieved 20 February 2010
ST PETER'S NOTTING HILL
Retrieved 29 July 2019 {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peters Notting Hill

Buildings and structures in Notting Hill Grade II* listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Grade II* listed churches in London Diocese of London History of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Churches completed in 1857 19th-century Church of England church buildings 1857 establishments in England