St Peter's Church or St Peter Apostle Church is a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

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, ...

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply Leamington (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following ...

, Warwickshire, England. It was built in 1864 and designed by

Henry Clutton Henry Clutton (19 March 1819 – 27 June 1893)Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Photograph , http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pis&GScid=1366392&GRid=12186732&PIgrid=12186732&PIcrid=1366392&PIpi=3000944& was an English arch ...

in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. It is located on Dormer Place, next to the

Royal Pump Room Gardens The Royal Pump Room Gardens is a popular open space found in the centre of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, next to the Royal Pump Rooms and just north of the River Leam. Despite being named "gardens" there is only one area divided by foot ...

. It is a Grade II listed building.

History

Foundation

In 1822, a mission was started in Leamington Spa. In 1828, from this mission a chapel was built in George Street. The chapel was named St Peter and St George's Chapel and was designed by a local architect, John Russell. It was built in the neoclassical style. Historic England
Leamington Spa - St Peter Apostle
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 8 June 2022

Construction

With the chapel being too small for the increasing Catholic

congregation A congregation is a large gathering of people, often for the purpose of worship. Congregation may also refer to: *Church (congregation), a Christian organization meeting in a particular place for worship *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administra ...

, a new larger church needed to be built. In 1864, the current church and its presbytery were built. It was designed by

in the

and paid for by a Miss Ellen France with furnishings donated by other people. The building work was done by W. Gascoyne of Leamington. On 17 August 1864, the church was

consecrated Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service. The word ''consecration'' literally means "association with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different grou ...

by the Bishop of Birmingham William Ullathorne. In 1877, the tower and spire were built. The bells were cast by Messrs W. Blews & Sons of Birmingham.

Developments

In December 1883, 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 ...

roof,

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, and a lot of the interior was destroyed in a fire. Restoration was done by G. H. Cox of Birmingham. In November 1884, the church was reopened. In 1894, the chapel on the north transept was added. It was designed by A. J. Pilkington and A. E Purdie.

Parish

St Peter's Church is in the same

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

as Our Lady's Church in

Lillington Lillington may refer to: Places England * Lillington, Dorset, a hamlet in Dorset * Lillington, Warwickshire, a suburb of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire * Lillington Gardens, a housing estate in Pimlico, London Elsewhere * Lillington, North Carolina ...

. Our Lady's Church was built in 1963, designed by

Henry Fedeski Henry Fedeski ARIBA (1907–1993) was a British architect, responsible for several buildings in the Leamington Spa area, including Lillington County Library, and the Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady, Valley Road, Lillington, both Grade II list ...

and is also a Grade II listed building. The two churches also work with St Joseph's Church in

Whitnash Whitnash is a town and civil parish located southeast of, and contiguous with Leamington Spa and Warwick in Warwickshire, England. In 2001, it had a population of 7,629 which increased to 9,129 in the 2011 census. History Whitnash was mentioned ...

. St Peter's Church has three Sunday Masses at 5:00pm on Saturday, and at 9:00am and 11:00am on Sunday.Churches
from

Archdiocese of Birmingham The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin-rite Catholic administrative divisions of England and Wales in the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church. The archdiocese covers an area of , encompassing Staffordshir ...

, retrieved 8 June 2022

Interior

St. Peter and the Apostles Roman Catholic Church Interior, Dormer Place, Leamington Spa (1).jpg St. Peter and the Apostles Roman Catholic Church Interior, Dormer Place, Leamington Spa.jpg

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Church, Leamington Spa Buildings and structures in Leamington Spa Roman Catholic churches in Warwickshire Grade II listed churches in Warwickshire Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Gothic Revival architecture in Warwickshire Henry Clutton buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in England 1864 establishments in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1864 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Religious organizations established in 1864