St Peter and St Paul is a church in the town of Bromley, Borough of Bromley, in south east

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Known familiarly as Bromley Parish Church, it is not far from Bromley

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and approximately halfway between

Bromley North Bromley North railway station is in the London Borough of Bromley in south-east London, in Travelcard Zone 4. It is down the line from . The station and all trains serving it are operated by Southeastern. It is the terminus of the short Broml ...

and Bromley South railway stations. The church is part of the

Diocese of Rochester The Diocese of Rochester is a Church of England diocese in the English county of Kent and the Province of Canterbury. The cathedral church of the diocese is Rochester Cathedral in the former city of Rochester. The bishop's Latin episcopal signa ...

within the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

. Largely destroyed by bombing during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, St Peter and St Paul was rebuilt in the 1950s. It has been Grade II* listed since 1955.

History

Previous church

The pre-World War II church, generally in the

Perpendicular style Perpendicular Gothic (also Perpendicular, Rectilinear, or Third Pointed) architecture was the third and final style of English Gothic architecture developed in the Kingdom of England during the Late Middle Ages, typified by large windows, four-ce ...

with a square embattled tower having a turret at one of the angles, had its north aisle rebuilt in 1792 and was completely refurbished and enlarged in 1830. Virtually the whole church—with the exception of the tower—was demolished by a bomb on the night of 16 April 1941. Arthur Gresley Hellicar (1835–1905) was Vicar of Bromley from 1865 to 1905.

Present church

On St Edward the Confessor’s Day, 13 October 1949, the foundation stone of the new church was laid by then Princess Elizabeth (later Queen

Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

). Eight years later, the last phase of rebuilding was complete and on 14 December 1957 the new church was consecrated by the Bishop of Rochester,

Christopher Maude Chavasse Christopher Maude Chavasse, (9 November 1884 – 10 March 1962) was a British athlete, soldier and religious leader from the Chavasse family. He competed at the 1908 Summer Olympics in London, served in the First World War and was later the Bi ...

. The present church incorporates the medieval tower and much of the flint and fragments of the original stone building.

Items of interest

Stained glass

Several of the modern windows (including two illustrated below) were designed by M. E. Aldrich Rope, a prolific Arts and Crafts stained glass artist. The

Baptistery In Christian architecture the baptistery or baptistry (Old French ''baptisterie''; Latin ''baptisterium''; Greek , 'bathing-place, baptistery', from , baptízein, 'to baptize') is the separate centrally planned structure surrounding the baptismal ...

window is by Clare Dawson, her pupil and co-worker.

Organ

The organ, built in 1991 by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd, was designed to support congregational worship, to accompany a traditional choir, and as a recital instrument for use alone or with other instruments. It has three manuals and pedals, 40 speaking stops, six couplers, and three tremulants, and comprises 55 ranks with 2,708 pipes. The manual and pedal actions of the organ are mechanical; the stop control is electro-magnetic with a solid state capture combination action. The instrument was made and first assembled in Walker's workshops in

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

, before being dismantled and installed in the church—it weighs approximately 12 tons. The organ cases, gallery woodwork and carved pipeshades were designed by David Graebe. The Specification is below; PEDAL ORGAN (30 notes) 16' Open Diapason 16' Subbass 10⅔' Quint 8' Principal 8' Bass Flute 4' Choral Bass IV Mixture 32' Contra Trombone (ext.) 16' Trombone 8' Trumpet ''Choir to Pedal'' ''Great to Pedal'' ''Swell to Pedal'' CHOIR ORGAN (58 notes) 8' Open Diapason 8' Stopped Diapason 4' Principal 4' Open Flute 2⅔' Nasard 2' Gemshorn 13⁄5' Tierce III Fourniture 8' Trumpet 8' Cromorne ''Swell to Choir'' GREAT ORGAN (58 notes) 16' Bourdon 8' Open Diapason 8' Chimney Flute 4' Principal 4' Harmonic Flute 2' Fifteenth IV Fourniture 16' Double Trumpet 8' Trumpet V Cornet (from middle C) ''Choir to Great'' ''Swell to Great'' SWELL ORGAN (58 notes) 8' Diapason 8' Voila da Gamba 8' Voix Celeste 8' Stopped Flute 4' Gemshorn 2' Flageolet IV Mixture 16' Bassoon 8' Trumpet 8' Hautboy

Tombs

Famous people buried at St Peter and St Paul have included: * John Yonge or Young, bishop of Rochester * Elizabeth Johnson, wife of Samuel Johnson: her memorial was salvaged after World War II and re-erected in the rebuilt church On Easter Monday April 23, 1753, Samuel Johnson attended church here "to take leave of Tetty", he was relieved having done so and was glad to have felt a cooling of his desire to have a new wife.The Personal History of Samuel Johnson, author Christopher Hibbert, 1st published 1971, also penguin books 1984, page 100 * John Hawkesworth, writer, editor, and friend of

Johnson Johnson is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin meaning "Son of John". It is the second most common in the United States and 154th most common in the world. As a common family name in Scotland, Johnson is occasionally a variation of ''Johnston'', a ...

Zachary Pearce Zachary Pearce, sometimes known as Zachariah (8 September 1690 – 29 June 1774), was an English Bishop of Bangor and Bishop of Rochester. He was a controversialist and a notable early critical writer defending John Milton, attacking Richard ...

, bishop of Rochester * John Gifford, British political writer and supporter of

Pitt the Younger William Pitt the Younger (28 May 175923 January 1806) was a British statesman, the youngest and last prime minister of Great Britain (before the Acts of Union 1800) and then first prime minister of the United Kingdom (of Great Britain and Ire ...

*Sir Claude and Sir Edward Scott, first and second baronets of Lychet Minster

Gallery

St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - Chancel - geograph.org.uk - 1766713.jpg, Altar St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - East end - geograph.org.uk - 1766705.jpg, Interior looking east St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - Font - geograph.org.uk - 1766724.jpg, Baptismal font St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - Interior - geograph.org.uk - 1766707.jpg, Interior St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - Interior - geograph.org.uk - 1766709.jpg, Interior St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - Organ - geograph.org.uk - 1766712.jpg, Organ St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - Pulpit - geograph.org.uk - 1766723.jpg, Pulpit St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - South aisle - geograph.org.uk - 1766708.jpg, South aisle St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - South chapel - geograph.org.uk - 1766716.jpg, South chapel St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - West end - geograph.org.uk - 1766711.jpg, Interior looking west St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - Window - geograph.org.uk - 1766719.jpg, Stained glass window St Peter and St Paul, Church Road, Bromley - Window - geograph.org.uk - 1766721.jpg, Detail of stained glass window depicting Christ the King

References

External links

Bromley Parish Church website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter and Saint Paul, Bromley

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is south-east of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 87,889 as of 2011. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, c ...

Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom Grade II* listed churches in London Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Bromley History of the London Borough of Bromley Diocese of Rochester