ABOUT US

Welcome

OUR VISION

To use the resources of the Parish of Petersham to: (1) Maintain St. Peter’s as an inclusive church with a warm welcome to all, that has high quality and varied public worship with a strong musical tradition. (2) Advance the Mission of the Church in the community and work in partnership with St. Richard’s, St Andrew’s the Deanery, the Diocese and other local churches.

WHAT WE DO

The life of our church is centred on the 9.30am Parish Communion Sunday Service. Teaching the Christian Faith to all ages is our main activity and our All Age Service on the first Sunday of every month and Children's Sunday Club on the third Sunday of every month are an important aspect of this mission. St Peter’s holds several special services throughout the year - at Easter, Christmas , Remembrance Sunday and Harvest.

OUR COMMUNITY

We run several social activities throughout the year such as our Harvest Party and Ice-Skating outing. We have strong links with local schools and the Petersham and Ham Sea Scouts. We work closely with the other seven churches in The Ham and Petersham Churches Together Partnership.

People

The Licensing by the Rt Revd Dr Richard Cheetham, Bishop of Kingston
of the Revd Dr Simon Coupland as Priest in Charge
and Revd Kate Daymond as Associate Vicar
of St Peter Petersham

MUSIC AT ST PETER'S

MUSIC

MUSIC FORMS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR SERVICES AT ST PETER'S

Our Director of Music is Ben Driver. Ben has been Organist and Director of Music at St Peter’s since 2012 . Ben directs the church choir which leads our worship. Ben directs the Petersham Consort which also performs at St Peter’s . Ben is an accomplished organist much in demand both as a soloist and accompanist.

In 2009 a new organ was installed in St Peter's, replacing the old instrument which had been purchased in 1914 and had become unreilable. An earlier predecessor, from 1838-53, had been a barrel organ which provided hymn tunes. The new organ was ordered from “Manufacture d’Orgues St Martin” a small firm in the French-speaking part of Switzerland, based near the town of Neuchâtel.

In 2022, our first Choral Scholars were appointed to lead the singing at Sunday morning services. If you are aged 16-18 and would like to find out more about our Choral Scholar scheme, please click here. Appointments can be made at any time, so please email the St Peter’s Parish Office on st.peters.petersham@googlemail.com if you would like information on how to apply. You can see here a selection of the anthems sung over the course of the year.

WEDDINGS

WEDDINGS

WE WELCOME ENQUIRIES ABOUT GETTING MARRIED AT ST PETER'S

St Peter's is not just a beautiful building and popular choice for a wedding but a holy place in which to exchange vows and to receive God's blessing on your marriage in the presence of family and friends.

This is your service and we are happy to help you celebrate it in the best way possible - by working with you to plan its shape form and content. If you wish to enquire about getting married at St Peter's, please contact us.

If you want to find out more about getting married in Church, there is lots of information on the Church of England website www.churchofengland.org/weddings

BAPTISMS

Baptisms

BAPTISM IS THE GATEWAY TO CHRISTIANITY

Baptism (also known as christening) is the sacrament through which God declares that those being baptised are becoming part of his family, the church. It's the start of a journey of faith for your child and a special day for all your friends and family. A christening marks the beginning of a lifetime of discovery about the Christian faith and how life-changing that can be.

To make an enquiries about being baptised at St Peter's please contact us.

If you want to find out more about christenings visit www.churchofenglandchristenings.org

HISTORY

History

ST PETER'S CHURCH - A SHORT HISTORY

There has been a church on the site of St Peter's since Saxon times. The earliest reference to it appears in the Domesday survey of 1086 which suggests that the church had already been there for many years.

The Saxon church was replaced by a Norman one. Part of the chancel dates from this time: the blocked Norman lancet window in the north wall can still be seen from outside. This church was largely rebuilt in 1505. The lower part of the tower dates from then, but the upper section was rebuilt in 1790. (The bell bears the date "1620".)

Further enlargements were carried out during the seventeenth century, but the church took on its present, rather unusual, shape as a result of enlargements which were effected in 1804: it has a very small nave, and transepts which are unequal in length and width.

The chancel was refurbished in 1874, the work being supervised by John Gilbert Scott (son of the architect Sir William Scott). The most recent works have been the installation of a St. Martin organ in 2009 and an extension of the church, The Parish Room, was built in 2018.

The best-known feature of the church is the box pews, which are Georgian and are now very uncommon. At one time families would have paid to have their own pew.

The font bears on the base the inscription "J.H. 1740", and the pulpit was made by a local craftsman, John Long, in 1796. The reading and clerk's desks probably date from the same year, a previous three-decker desk having been dismantled at that time. (They were moved to the south transept in 1840.)

There are many interesting memorials in the church and the churchyard. The most famous figure there is Captain George Vancouver (1758-1798), the explorer who discovered Vancouver Island. He lived in Petersham and is buried in the churchyard; there is also a memorial to him in the church. When the church suffered bomb damage during World War II the cost of the repairs was largely borne by the city of Vancouver. The connections with Canada, and with George Vancouver in particular, are commemorated at the annual Vancouver service.

Commemorated in the church and churchyard of St. Peter's are many who history has judged to have served their community and country well. However, as might be expected in such an ancient church there are people commemorated who benefitted from slavery which history has rightly condemned.