The Parish Church of St Peter de Merton with St Cuthbert is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

on St Peter's Street in the

De Parys De Parys is an electoral ward and area within the town of Bedford, Bedfordshire, England. The boundaries of De Parys are approximately Bedford Park and Stancliffe Road to the north, the Bedford campus of the University of Bedfordshire to the e ...

area of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, England.

History

The site has been used for

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

worship for more than a millennium. Although the current church is not that old and ruins of the earliest churches—probably built of wood—are no longer present, it does still house architectural artifacts among the oldest in Bedford. At one time, appointments within the church were made by the Augustinian Canons who had founded

Merton Priory Merton Priory was an English Augustinian priory founded in 1114 by Gilbert Norman, Sheriff of Surrey under King Henry I (1100–1135). It was situated within the manor of Merton in the county of Surrey, in what is today the Colliers Wood ...

in Surrey. Their connection persists in the name 'de Merton' even though the English Crown took over patronage of St Peter after the Dissolution of the Monasteries of the 16th century. The rubble and cement tower of the church was constructed in

Saxon The Saxons, sometimes called the Old Saxons or Continental Saxons, were a Germanic people of early medieval "Old" Saxony () which became a Carolingian " stem duchy" in 804, in what is now northern Germany. Many of their neighbours were, like th ...

times, as was an arch and a doorway which are set in the belfry's east wall. Notable Norman work in the church building includes an exterior doorway arch (originally from another Bedford Church) in the south porch. The

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

, priest's door and windows were added in the 13th and 14th centuries. A reproduction of an original

fenestella Fenestella (c. 52 BC – c. AD 19) was a Roman historian and encyclopaedic writer. Biography He flourished in the reign of Tiberius. According to Jerome, he lived from 52 BC to AD 19 (according to others 35 BC – AD 36).Pliny the Elder, ''Natur ...

from this time was added in the south wall of the sanctuary in the 19th century. As well as the 19th century additions to St Peter's previously mentioned, the church was enlarged at this time, and restoration work was undertaken. Additions included the

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

, aisles and west porch, as well as an extension to the nave. Work to the building in the 20th century included the paintings on the east wall, the tower ceiling decoration, the construction of the chapter house and the

Burma Star The Burma Star is a military campaign medal, instituted by the United Kingdom in May 1945 for award to British and Commonwealth forces who served in the Burma Campaign from 1941 to 1945, during the Second World War. One clasp, Pacific, was i ...

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

window. Following the closure of the neighbouring parish church of St. Cuthberts in 1974, St. Peter's was also dedicated to

Cuthbert of Lindisfarne Cuthbert of Lindisfarne () ( – 20 March 687) was a saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Hiberno-Scottish mission, Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monastery, monasteries of Melrose Abbey#Histo ...

The church today

St Peter's Church is an Anglican Parish Church in the heart of Bedford. The church is part of the Bedford Council of Faiths, and has many links to other churches and community groups. It has moved liturgically under the latest Rectors leadership, Revd Kelvin Woolmer, to becoming a missional evangelistic worshipping community. Open to all, with an acceptance of the individuals sexuality and acceptance of gender identity. It is multi ethnic and diverse in ages. Making it a place where all are accepted.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bedford, Saint Peter's Church Saint Peter's Church Church of England church buildings in Bedfordshire Grade I listed churches in Bedfordshire

History

The church today

See also

References