St Peter's Church or St Peter Apostle Church is a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or simply LeamingtonEven more colloquially, also referred to as Lem or Leam (). (), is a spa town and civil parish in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Pri ...

, Warwickshire, England. It was built in 1864 and designed by

Henry Clutton Henry Clutton (19 March 1819 – 27 June 1893)Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , was an English architect and designer. Life Henry Clutton was born on 19 March 1819, the son of Owen and Elizabeth Goodinge Clutton. He studied with Edwa ...

in the

Gothic Revival style Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

. It is located on Dormer Place, next to the

Royal Pump Room Gardens The Royal Pump Room Gardens is a popular open space found in the centre of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England, next to the Royal Pump Rooms and just north of the River Leam. Despite being named "gardens" there is only one area divided by foo ...

. It is a

Grade II listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

History

Foundation

In 1822, a

mission Mission (from Latin 'the act of sending out'), Missions or The Mission may refer to: Geography Australia *Mission River (Queensland) Canada *Mission, British Columbia, a district municipality * Mission, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * ...

was started in Leamington Spa. In 1828, from this mission a chapel was built in George Street. The chapel was named St Peter and St George's Chapel and was designed by a local architect, John Russell. It was built in the

neoclassical style Neoclassicism, also spelled Neo-classicism, emerged as a Western cultural movement in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that drew inspiration from the art and culture of classical antiquity. Neoclassici ...

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked with prot ...

Leamington Spa - St Peter Apostle
''Taking Stock'', retrieved 8 June 2022

Construction

With the chapel being too small for the increasing Catholic

congregation Congregation may refer to: Religion *Church (congregation), a religious organization that meets in a particular location *Congregation (Roman Curia), an administrative body of the Catholic Church *Religious congregation, a type of religious instit ...

, a new larger church needed to be built. In 1864, the current church and its presbytery were built. It was designed by

in the

and paid for by a Miss Ellen France with furnishings donated by other people. The building work was done by W. Gascoyne of Leamington. On 17 August 1864, the church was

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

by the

Bishop of Birmingham The Bishop of Birmingham heads the Church of England Diocese of Birmingham, in the Province of Canterbury, in England. The diocese covers the North West of the historical county of Warwickshire and has its see in the City of Birmingham, Wes ...

William Ullathorne William Bernard Ullathorne (7 May 180621 March 1889) was an English prelate who held high offices in the Roman Catholic Church during the nineteenth century. Early life Ullathorne was born in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, the eldest o ...

. In 1877, the tower and spire were built. The bells were cast by Messrs W. Blews & Sons of Birmingham.

Developments

In December 1883, 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 ...

roof,

organ Organ and organs may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function * Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body. Musical instruments ...

, and a lot of the interior was destroyed in a fire. Restoration was done by G. H. Cox of Birmingham. In November 1884, the church was reopened. In 1894, the chapel on the north transept was added. It was designed by A. J. Pilkington and A. E Purdie.

Parish

St Peter's Church shares a parish priest with the parish of Our Lady in Lillington. Our Lady's Church was built in 1963, to designs by architect Henry Fedeski. It is also a Grade II listed building, notable for its ''

dalle de verre ''Dalle de verre'', from French: "glass slab", is a glass art technique that uses pieces of coloured glass set in a matrix of concrete and epoxy resin or other supporting material. Technique The technique was developed by Jean Gaudin in Paris i ...

'' windows designed by

Dom Charles Norris Charles Norris OSB (1909–2004) was a Benedictine monk and dalle de verre stained glass artist who created works for Roman Catholic churches in the UK. Life and work Dom Charles Norris (1909-2004) was a Benedictine monk and glass artist He ...

. The two churches also work with St Joseph's Church in

Whitnash Whitnash is a town and civil parish located southeast of, and contiguous with Leamington Spa and Warwick in Warwickshire, England. In 2001, it had a population of 7,760 which increased to 9,129 in the 2011 census, increasing again to 10,489 in ...

. St Peter's Church has three Sunday Masses at 5:00pm on Saturday, and at 9:00am and 11:00am on Sunday.Churches
from

Archdiocese of Birmingham The Archdiocese of Birmingham is one of the principal Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. The archdiocese covers an area of , encompassing Staffordshire, the West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and much of ...

, retrieved 8 June 2022

Interior

St. Peter and the Apostles Roman Catholic Church Interior, Dormer Place, Leamington Spa (1).jpg St. Peter and the Apostles Roman Catholic Church Interior, Dormer Place, Leamington Spa.jpg

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Church, Leamington Spa Buildings and structures in Leamington Spa Roman Catholic churches in Warwickshire Grade II listed churches in Warwickshire Grade II listed Roman Catholic churches in England Gothic Revival architecture in Warwickshire Henry Clutton buildings Gothic Revival church buildings in England 1864 establishments in England Roman Catholic churches completed in 1864 19th-century Roman Catholic church buildings in the United Kingdom Religious organizations established in 1864