St Peter and St Paul 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 let ...

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, ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton () is a city, metropolitan borough and administrative centre in the West Midlands, England. The population size has increased by 5.7%, from around 249,500 in 2011 to 263,700 in 2021. People from the city are called "Wulfrunians ...

, West Midlands, England. It was built from 1826 to 1828, with extensions being built in 1901 and 1928. It was designed by

Joseph Ireland Joseph Ireland (c.1780–1841) was an English architect who designed Roman Catholic Church buildings in the early nineteenth century. He specialized in Romanesque revival architecture and worked with Joseph John Scoles. Life Ireland was born i ...

and the architect for the extension in 1901 was Edward Goldie. It is built as part of Giffard House, which is now a presbytery for the church. It is situated on Paternoster Row, between

Wolverhampton City Council City of Wolverhampton Council is the governing body of the city of Wolverhampton, England. It was previously known as Wolverhampton Metropolitan Borough Council (WMBC) prior to the award of city status in 2000, and also as Wolverhampton City C ...

and the Ring Road St Peters. Both the church and Giffard House are a Grade II* listed building.Giffard House, Wolverhampton
from British Listed Buildings, retrieved 1 February 2016

History of the building

Giffard House and Catholic Wolverhampton

The Giffard family, who were a Catholic

Recusant Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...

family, used their house as a home for spinsters or widowed sisters and daughters, who cared for priests and monks and travelling Catholics. During the aftermath of the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sough ...

two Catholics were executed in High Green, Wolverhampton (now known as Queen Square). The church does have a

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

from the English Civil War which is still used at Mass.Tony Burdon,
The Roman Catholic Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
' from

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, (2013) 3-4. In 1678, during the reign of Charles II, there was the

Titus Oates Titus Oates (15 September 1649 – 12/13 July 1705) was an English priest who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II. Early life Titus Oates was born at Oakham in Rutland. His father Samuel (1610� ...

persecution and two Jesuit Priests were arrested in

, Father Gavin was executed in London and Father Atkins died in Stafford Prison. Peter Giffard was also arrested but survived and a local priest, William Ironmonger was also executed. There were more riots when the last Catholic King James II fled the country in 1688 and William of Orange and his wife Mary became the rulers. The

Chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

in Giffard House was attacked and the priest's vestments burnt. In the 17th century, there were a number of Roman Catholics in Wolverhampton. The town was known as "Little

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

", which was meant as an insult. Local gentry who remained Catholic were, the Giffards, the Levesons (pronounced "Looson") and the Whitgreaves. Bishop Bonaventure Giffard, the

Vicar Apostolic of the London District The Apostolic Vicariate of the London District was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by a vicar apostolic who was a titular bishop. The apostolic vicariate was created in 1688 and was dis ...

, was the son of Andrew Giffard and Catherine Leveson. The Giffards of Chillington Hall were involved with St Peter and St Paul's Church. The Giffards owned two town houses in

, one was in Cock Street (now called Victoria Street) and one in Tup Street (sometimes Goat Street) and now North Street, and this is now the Presbytery to the attached church. In the early 18th century, a new house was built on the site of the old one in North Street. The current house was built from 1727 to 1729 and it was designed by

Francis Smith of Warwick Francis Smith of Warwick (1672–1738) was an English master-builder and architect, much involved in the construction of country houses in the Midland counties of England. Smith of Warwick may refer also to his brothers, or his son. Architectura ...

. From 1804 to 1826, it was the home of the

Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District The Apostolic Vicariate of the Midland District (later of the Central District) was an ecclesiastical jurisdiction of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales. It was led by an apostolic vicar (or vicar apostolic) who was a titular bishop. Th ...

Bishop John Milner John Milner (14 October 1752 – 19 April 1826) was an English Roman Catholic bishop and controversialist who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District from 1803 to 1826. Early life At the age of twelve he was sent to Sedgley Par ...

. The house became his place of burial and he bequeathed money for the building of the church.

Church building

St Peter's and St Paul's Church is the oldest

church building in

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 ...

, that is, it was created during, and just after the English Reformation. The chapel of the Giffard town house, which was originally just for the Giffard family and their servants, opened to other Catholic worshippers. The church of St Peter and St Paul as it is now on its current site was built in many stages.

Giffard House chapel extension (1743–1765)

There was first the

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

, built as a room in the rear of the house. This chapel was then extended in 1743 and decorated in 1765. Bishop Milner lived in Giffard House from 1804 to his death in 1826. His brass memorial designed by Pugin is in the Nave and the Bishop's grave is currently in the crypt, he was originally buried in the

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...

where the Ring Road now lies.

Joseph Ireland's extension (1826–1828)

In 1826 the Chapel was again extended to the design of

in the Greek Revival style. In 1828, 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 ...

of St Peter and Paul's was completed and the church was opened. The inauguration

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 eleme ...

was attended by approximately 60 priests.. The side Chapels dedicated to Our Lady and the Sacred Heart were not yet built and as it was hidden by the surrounding buildings and only approached by an archway from the road outside. It was reasonably impregnable as far as burglars were concerned, because in James Quirke's M.A. Thesis, he quotes a letter written in defence of one Ann Williams in 1831 at the London Criminal Court. She was facing charges of attempted robbery at the church. James Peck wrote the following letter in her defence:

''"As for Ennybody thinking to crack into that place, the might as well think of cracking into Newgate as there is no windows hall around this chapel. It consists of skuy lites and there is but one door, they have got to pass through two more doors which is very strong bard on the inside. It is a thing impossable to think about getting into that place without being found out".''

The outcome of the trial is currently unknown.

Side chapels

There are two side chapels that were built as extensions from 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 ...

= Sacred Heart Chapel

= The Sacred Heart Chapel, (or South Chapel) was designed by Edward Goldie in 1901, he also designed the Sacristy wing.

= Lady Chapel

= In 1928 the

Lady Chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as ...

(or North Chapel) was built and designed by Sandy and Norris.

Threat of demolition (1962–1982)

The redevelopment of Wolverhampton (1962)

The church, and the school that was there at the time, remained as a centre until 1962 when Father Kavanagh discovered that

wished to demolish it because both the Local Government and National Government wished to redevelop the city. Councillor F. Clapham, the Chair of the Planning Committee, wanted a new

Civic Centre A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, the ...

built on the site of the church, (he did intend to build a new school and church, in

Whitmore Reans Whitmore Reans is in Wolverhampton, West Midlands, England. It is situated to the north-west of the city centre, in the city council's Park and St Peter's wards. History The name 'Whitmore' is said by toponymists to come from the Old Engli ...

). Father Kavanagh organised a committee composed of both Catholics and non-Catholics and Councillor Fletcher, Councillor Stokes and Miss Reidy were members. The Planning Application eventually was defeated.

Ring Road troubles (1967–1982)

In 1967 the Ring Road was being built and was planned to run through where the church stood. Everything nearby that could be demolished was demolished. The parish was assured that the graveyard was safe but 42 bodies were disinterred and moved to Jeffcock Road so that a new

retaining wall Retaining walls are relatively rigid walls used for supporting soil laterally so that it can be retained at different levels on the two sides. Retaining walls are structures designed to restrain soil to a slope that it would not naturally keep to ...

could be built. It was then discovered that the church roof had

dry rot Dry rot is wood decay caused by one of several species of fungi that digest parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resul ...

and scaffolding was erected. Father Molloy was now the Priest and he was forced to say

in the school hall. In July 1967, the Wolverhampton ''Express and Star'' reported that the house was not affected by the dry rot. The Archdiocese applied for a demolition order as they thought that the cost of repair was too high and they also conjectured that no one would come as: "the Church is cut off by the Ring Road and the Parishioner's homes were quite far from the town centre". A new church was to be built, possibly in Gatis Street, Whitmore Reans. The money would come from selling the land where the church and the House stood and an office block was to be built on the site. This time Wolverhampton Council and a new Church Committee worked together and the proposal for demolition was rejected in 1982 by the

Secretary of State for the Environment The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment (DoE). This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of T ...

(

Michael Heseltine Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, (; born 21 March 1933) is a British politician and businessman. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket. Heseltine served ...

M.P.). Grants were obtained from the Council and from English Heritage. The Appeal Secretary was

Birmingham University , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

Librarian Anthony Nicholls (who was a parishioner at St Mary and St John). Peter Giffard of Chillington was as involved as his ancestors had been. Father Joyce was the

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in partic ...

with

Maurice Couve de Murville Jacques-Maurice Couve de Murville (; 24 January 1907 – 24 December 1999) was a French diplomat and politician who was Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1958 to 1968 and Prime Minister from 1968 to 1969 under the presidency of General de Gaull ...

as the Archbishop of Birmingham.

Refurbishment (2006)

By 2006, a complete refurbishment of the Church was needed. The church received a large amount of money from the will of the Armstrong brothers. Father Patrick Daly organised a Finance Committee under the guidance of Brian Middleton (and then Mrs Betty Green when Brian became ill); work then commenced. Bill Finnegan helped to co-ordinate the craftsmen. The architect was Stephen Oliver and the project was co-ordinated by Father Patrick Daly.

Parish

The church currently has one Sunday Mass at 10:15 am on Sunday morning.St Peter and St Paul, Wolverhampton
fro
Archdiocese of Birmingham
retrieved 12/02/17 As well as being a presbytery, Giffard House is also the home of the University of Wolverhampton's Catholic Chaplaincy. The Catholic Society meets at the house every Tuesday at 7:00 pm during term time.Catholic Chaplaincy
from

University of Wolverhampton The University of Wolverhampton is a public university located on four campuses across the West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire in England. The roots of the university lie in the Wolverhampton Tradesmen's and Mechanics' Institute founde ...

, retrieved 1 February 2016

References

External links

Parish site

Wolverhampton University Catholic Chaplaincy site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolverhampton, Saints Peter and Paul

Saints Peter and Paul Peter and Paul may refer to: * Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle considered together ** Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, 29 June in the Catholic liturgical calendar ** St. Peter and St. Paul's Church (disambiguation) * ''Peter and Paul'' (film), 1 ...

Roman Catholic churches in the West Midlands (county) Grade II* listed churches in the West Midlands (county) 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed Roman Catholic churches in England Greek Revival church buildings in the United Kingdom Roman Catholic churches completed in 1828 1727 establishments in England Edward Goldie church buildings