St Peter's 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, ...

Stonyhurst Stonyhurst is the name of a rural estate owned by the Society of Jesus near Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. It is centred on Stonyhurst College, occupying the great house, its preparatory school Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall and the parish ...

. It is the parish church for

Hurst Green, Lancashire Hurst Green is a small village in the Ribble Valley district of Lancashire, England, connected in its history to the Jesuit school, Stonyhurst College. The village is from Longridge and from Clitheroe, and is close to the River Ribble, near it ...

and a chapel for

Stonyhurst College Stonyhurst College is a co-educational Catholic Church, Roman Catholic independent school, adhering to the Society of Jesus, Jesuit tradition, on the Stonyhurst, Stonyhurst Estate, Lancashire, England. It occupies a Grade I listed building. Th ...

. It was built from 1832 to 1835 and designed by

Joseph John Scoles Joseph John Scoles (1798–1863) was an English Gothic Revival architect, who designed many Roman Catholic churches. Early life and education Scoles was born in London on 27 June 1798, the son of Roman Catholic parents Matthew Scoles, a joiner, ...

in the

Gothic Revival 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 ...

style. It was founded by the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

and has been served by Jesuit priests since. It is a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

Foundation

During the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

, the

Estate was owned by the Catholic Shireburn baronets. In 1794, during the French Revolution, the Jesuit

College of St Omer A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offering v ...

had to flee France and was invited to Stonyhurst by

Thomas Weld Thomas Weld may refer to: * Thomas Welde (1594/5–1661), first minister of the First Church of Roxbury, Massachusetts * Thomas Weld (of Lulworth) (1750–1810), of Lulworth castle, Catholic philanthropist * Thomas Weld (cardinal) Thomas W ...

. The school was re-established in Stonyhurst, and became a place of worship and education for the local Catholic community. From Stonyhurst, Jesuits travelled to other local Catholic communities to say

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

and eventually built churches in those places such as in Preston,

Skipton Skipton (also known as Skipton-in-Craven) is a market town and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the East Division of Staincliffe Wapentake in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is on the River Air ...

, St Helens and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

.Taking Stock
Stonyhurst – St Peter
from

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked wit ...

, retrieved 23 December 2021 Originally, the local chapel was on the site of a former stable. However, with the expanding size of the college and local community, a new church had to be built.

Construction

In 1832, construction work on the church began. It was designed by the architect

who would go on to build St Ignatius, Preston in 1835,

St James the Less and St Helen Church, Colchester St James the Less and St Helen Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Colchester, Essex, England. It was built in 1837 and designed by Joseph John Scoles. It is situated on Priory Street between the junction with East Hill and St Thomas Mor ...

in 1837,

Cardiff Cathedral The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of St David, also known as St David's Cathedral, Cardiff, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city centre of Cardiff, Wales, and is the centre of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cardiff. Located in Charles S ...

in 1842, and

Immaculate Conception, Farm Street The Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, also known as Farm Street Church, is a Roman Catholic parish church run by the Society of Jesus in Mayfair, central London. Its main entrance is in Farm Street, though it can also be accessed ...

and St Francis Xavier's, Liverpool both in 1844.

King's College Chapel King's College Chapel is the chapel of King's College in the University of Cambridge. It is considered one of the finest examples of late Perpendicular Gothic English architecture and features the world's largest fan vault. The Chapel was bui ...

in Cambridge was the inspiration for the design of the church. On 23 June 1835, the church was consecrated by Bishop John Briggs, Vicar Apostolic of the Northern District. In 1837,

Augustus Pugin Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin ( ; 1 March 181214 September 1852) was an English architect, designer, artist and critic with French and, ultimately, Swiss origins. He is principally remembered for his pioneering role in the Gothic Revival st ...

visited Stonyhurst. In the 1850s several alterations were made to the church. Windows, designed by Pugin, were installed and the interior was refurbished according to the designs of

Frederick Settle Barff Frederick Settle Barff (6 October 18221823 in his obituary. – 11 August 1886) was an English chemist, ecclesiastical decorator, and stained glass manufacturer, much interested in theology. Peile, J. (1913) ''Biographical Register of Christ's Col ...

Developments

In 2011, a refurbishment of the church was completed. A permanent marble altar was installed. The frescos and wooden fittings were all repaired and cleaned. The altar replaced a timber one that was given to the Church of St Vincent de Paul in Liverpool. In 2019, the statue of Saint Mary, a replica of the Column of the Immaculate Conception in Rome, was returned to the college after a year-long renovation costing £80,000. It stands at the entrance to the college on the road to the church.Julie Magee
Ribble Valley college celebrates the return of an icon
''

Burnley Express __NOTOC__ The ''Burnley Express'' is a newspaper for Burnley and Padiham, England and surrounding area. It is printed twice weekly, on Tuesday and Friday, which is the larger edition. In print since 1877, it is now part of the group JPIMedia. One ...

'', 22 May 2019, retrieved 23 December 2021

Parish

The church serves both as a chapel for

and as the parish church for the village of Hurst Green. The other church in the parish is the chapel of St Joseph in St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School. The parish three Sunday Masses, 5:30pm on Saturday in St Peter's Church, 9:30am on Sunday at St Joseph's Chapel and at 11:00am in St Peter's Church.

References

External links

* *
St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School

Stonyhurst St Mary's Hall

Stonyhurst College
{{Jesuits in Britain Stonyhurst College Grade I listed churches in Lancashire Roman Catholic churches in Lancashire Churches in Ribble Valley Roman Catholic Diocese of Salford Roman Catholic churches completed in 1835 Gothic Revival architecture in Lancashire 1835 establishments in England Gothic Revival church buildings in England 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom