St Peter's Church is a Roman Catholic Parish church in Gloucester, Gloucestershire. It was built from 1860 to 1868 and designed by

Gilbert Blount Gilbert Robert Blount (1819–1876) was born at Mapledurham Mapledurham is a small village, civil parish and country estate beside the River Thames in southern Oxfordshire. The large parish borders Caversham, the most affluent major district ...

. It is situated on the corner of London Road and Black Dog Way in the centre of the city. It is a Grade II* listed building.

History

In 1788, a Roman Catholic mission was founded in Gloucester. It was served by an Fr Gildart from a house on Berkeley Street. He did so with help from a £1,000 donation from a Miss Mary Webb. In 1789, it became a parish. In 1790, a Fr John Greenaway came to serve the parish. He set about getting chapel built. It was dedicated to

St Peter ad Vincula Saint Peter ad Vincula (Saint Peter in Chains) alludes to the Bible story of the Liberation of Saint Peter, when the Apostle Peter, imprisoned by King Herod Agrippa, was rescued by an angel. Frequently seen translations are: *English – St Peter i ...

and was built on London Road. It was registered in 1792. He died in 1800 and was buried in the chapel.History
from StPetersGloucester.org.uk, retrieved 4 January 2016 In 1850, during the same year as the

restoration of the English hierarchy was a papal bull of 29 September 1850 by which Pope Pius IX recreated the Roman Catholic diocesan hierarchy in England, which had been extinguished with the death of the last Marian bishop in the reign of Elizabeth I. New names were given to ...

, a Fr Leonard Calderbank became parish priest.Gloucester: Roman Catholicism
in ''A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 4, the City of Gloucester'', from '' British History Online'' (London: Victoria County History, 1988), 317-319. With the increasing Catholic population of the city, he planned for a larger church to accommodate the

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 ...

. In 1857, a £1,000 gift from a Frances Canning was given for the construction of the church and subscriptions were given by the local congregation. The presbytery, designed by

Alexander Scoles Alexander Joseph Cory Scoles (30 November 1844 – 29 December 1920) was an architect and Roman Catholic priest.Directory of British Architects, 1834–1914: Vol. 2 (L-Z)' ed. Brodie, Antonia (London, 2001), p. 552 He designed many lancet style ...

, was built in 1879–80.

Architecture

In 1859, the chapel on the site of the church was demolished. Construction on the church started in 1860.

was commissioned to build a

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 ...

church. In 1867, the neighbouring presbytery was demolished to allow space for construction of a longer nave, a tower and spire. On 8 October 1868, the church was consecrated. In 1880, a new presbytery was built.

Interior

A triptych by

Mayer of Munich Franz Mayer of Munich is a German stained glass design and manufacturing company, based in Munich, Germany and a major exponent of the Munich style of stained glass, that has been active throughout most of the world for over 170 years. The fir ...

, acquired by Canon Case in Paris. The stained glass is by Hardman & Co. and Clayton and Bell, who also did the original painting scheme in the sanctuary and Lady Chapel. The painted high altar and reredos in the sanctuary were designed by Blount, as was the carved and arcaded circular stone pulpit, a gift of Miss Canning. In the sanctuary are the carved figures of our Lady, St Joseph, St. Gregory, St. Augustine, St. David and St. Willstan."St Peter's Catholic Church", City of Gloucester
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Parish

The church has four Sunday Masses: 6:00pm on Saturday and 9:00am, 10:00am and 5:30pm on Sunday.

References

External links