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

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * Ch ...

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 ea ...

area of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council ...

, England.

History

The site has been used for

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

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 ar ...

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 ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country ( Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the No ...

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 and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

font In movable type, metal typesetting, a font is a particular #Characteristics, size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "Sort (typesetting), sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of ...

, priest's door and windows were added in the 13th and 14th centuries. A reproduction of an original fenestella 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 Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration *Restoration ecology ...

work was undertaken. Additions included the

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquial ...

, 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 ...

stained glass 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 an Anglo-Saxon saint of the early Northumbrian church in the Celtic tradition. He was a monk, bishop and hermit, associated with the monasteries of Melrose and Lindisfarne in the Kingdom of ...

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. The church has strong links in particular with

Bedford School :''Bedford School is not to be confused with Bedford Girls' School, Bedford High School, Bedford Modern School, Old Bedford School in Bedford, Texas or Bedford Academy in Bedford, Nova Scotia.'' Bedford School is a public school (English i ...

located near to the church. Church services are held every Sunday 10.15am and at 9.00am and 4.00pm on the first Sunday of the month. The church has morning prayer on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Holy Communion is celebrated on Thursday at 10.30am. A coffee shop is open at the church on the second Saturday of the month from 10.30am for an hour.

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