St Peter's Church, Maidstone is a redundant

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church in

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the c ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Building

St Peter's Church is located between the

River Medway The River Medway is a river in South East England. It rises in the High Weald AONB, High Weald, East Sussex and flows through Tonbridge, Maidstone and the Medway conurbation in Kent, before emptying into the Thames Estuary near Sheerness, a to ...

, and the Medway Valley line. The exterior is in a simple, Early English style.

History

The building started life as the chapel for a hospital (dedicated to SS Peter and Paul called the Newark of Maidstone) for pilgrims crossing the river, travelling to Canterbury. It was founded by Boniface, Archbishop of Canterbury in 1260. In 1395, the hospital was merged with the new foundation of All Saints, Maidstone. The chapel became redundant after the Reformation and was sold to Lord Cobham, the chapel then had various secular uses. It was restored and enlarged in 1836-7 by John Whichcord Sr., was consecrated in 1839, and gained its own parish in 1840. The church was restored in 1905, when the north vestry complex was built.

St Michael and All Angels Church St Michael and All Angels Church may refer to: Africa * St Michael and All Angels Church, Blantyre Malawi * St. Michael and All Angels' Anglican Church, Weltevreden Park, Johannesburg, South Africa America * Cathedral Church of Saint Michael and ...

, was built to serve Maidstone's rapidly expanding suburbs on the western side of the River Medway after St. Peter's Church was proving to be far too small. St. Peter's Church was also a long way from where the new districts of Westborough and Fant were being built. It was restored again in 1951. The building was converted for secular use in the early 21st century, and is currently used as nursery.

References

{{reflist Church of England church buildings in Kent Grade II* listed churches in Kent Buildings and structures in Maidstone Former churches in Kent

Building

History

See also

References