St Peter and St Paul 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 ...

Wolverhampton Wolverhampton ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands of England. Located around 12 miles (20 km) north of Birmingham, it forms the northwestern part of the West Midlands conurbation, with the towns of ...

, West Midlands, England. It was built from 1826 to 1828, with extensions being built in 1901 and 1928. It was designed by Joseph Ireland 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 local authority for the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, England. Wolverhampton has had an elected local authority since 1848, which has been reformed several times. Since 1974 the council has be ...

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 ) 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 of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

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 an unsuccessful attempted regicide against James VI and I, King James VI of Scotland and I of England by a group of English ...

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

Chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

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 was the Baptis ...

persecution and two

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

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 (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

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 Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

", 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 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 dissolved ...

, was the son of Andrew Giffard and Catherine Leveson. The Giffards of

Chillington Hall Chillington Hall is a Georgian country house near Brewood, Staffordshire, England, four miles northwest of Wolverhampton. It is the residence of the Giffard family. The Grade I listed house was designed by Francis Smith in 1724 and John Soane ...

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 England, 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. Ar ...

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

Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District The Vicariate Apostolic 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 a vicar apostolic) who was a titular bishop. The Apostolic Vicar ...

, Bishop John Milner. 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 Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, that is, it was created during, and just after the

English Reformation The English Reformation began in 16th-century England when the Church of England broke away first from the authority of the pope and bishops Oath_of_Supremacy, over the King and then from some doctrines and practices of the Catholic Church ...

. 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 (from , a diminutive of ''cappa'', meaning "little cape") is a Christianity, Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their o ...

, 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 Pugin most commonly refers to Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin (1812–1852), an English architect and designer. Members of his family include: * Augustus Charles Pugin Augustus Charles Pugin (born Auguste-Charles Pugin; 1762 – 19 Decem ...

is in the Nave and the Bishop's grave is currently in the

crypt A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...

, 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 tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

where the Ring Road now lies.

Joseph Ireland's extension (1826–1828)

In 1826 the Chapel was again extended to the design of Joseph Ireland in the

Greek Revival style Greek Revival architecture is a architectural style, style that began in the middle of the 18th century but which particularly flourished in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, predominantly in northern Europe, the United States, and Canada, ...

. 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 and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...

was attended by approximately 60 priests.. The side Chapels dedicated to Our Lady and the

Sacred Heart The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus () is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus Christ is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devotion to Christ is p ...

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

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 Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...

(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 of one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, ...

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 wood which give it strength and stiffness. It was previously used to describe any decay of cured wood in ships and buildings by a fungus which resulted in a ...

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 In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associated ...

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). Today, its responsibilities are carried out by the secretary of state for environment, food and rural affairs and the ...

(

Michael Heseltine Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, (; born 21 March 1933) is a British politician. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket Media Group in 1957. Heseltine se ...

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

Birmingham University The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...

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 Gaul ...

as the

Archbishop of Birmingham The Archbishop of Birmingham heads the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Birmingham in England. As such he is the metropolitan archbishop of the Province of Birmingham. The archdiocese covers an area of and spans of the counties of Oxfordshire, ...

Refurbishment (2006)

By 2006, a complete refurbishment of the Church was needed. The church received a large amount of money from the

will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and 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 in Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, England, located on four campuses across the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, Shropshire and Staffordshire. Originally founded in 1827 as the Wolverham ...

, 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), 19 ...

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