Building record 164/1/1 - St Peter's Church, Chapel Street

<1> Thompson, P, 1981, Congleton - The Archaeological Potential of a Town, p.7 (Report). SCH968.

The present St Peter's Church occupies the site of the Higher or Over Chapel, a chapel of ease first mentioned in 1379. Camden described the church as entirely built of wood apart from the choir and little tower.

<2> English Heritage, 2005, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest, 55863 (Digital Archive). SCH4666.

Parish Church. Ancient foundation, the present church built 1740-2 and designed by William Baker of Audlem. Red brick with stone dressings; gable ends; stone slate roof. Georgian Gothick style pinnacled west tower of stone completed 1786. Iron casement windows, the upper semi-circular headed, the lower segmental headed. West doorway with eight-panelled divided door and fine Roman Doric column porch set at an angle.

INTERIOR. three-sided gallery, Roman Doric columns to gallery with square piers below, virtually complete set of box pews to nave, aisles and galleries, the latter with paupers' pews to rear, seventeenth century enriched pulpit, finely carved reredos. Some fine eighteenth-nineteenth century wall monuments, eighteenth century brass chandelier. Large paintings of St.Peter and St.Paul by Edward Penny of Knutsford of 1748.

This very fine eighteenth century church has an splendid interior which is particularly complete with galleries, finely carved reredos, a virtually complete set of box pews and other eighteenth century fittings and paintings.

<3> Pevsner N & Hubbard E, 1971, The Buildings of England: Cheshire, p.296-298 (Book). SCH3078.

There has been a chapel of ease on the site since the early fifteenth century. It was rebuilt in brick in 1740-2 apart from the stone tower, which survived, though rebuilt and raised in height, from the original chapel. The interior retains its galleries, box pews and a number of eighteenth and nineteenth century memorials. St Peter and St Paul are depicted in wall paintings to either side of the east window.

<4> Ordnance Survey, 1870-1982, Ordnance Survey Archaeological Record Card, SE13 (Index). SCH2487.

<5> Richards R, 1947, Old Cheshire Churches, p.137-9 (Book). SCH2309.

‘…Founded in the fourteenth century, the Higher or 'Over' Chapel occupied the site of the present parish church of St. Peter. It was larger than the Bridge or Lower Chapel, although of similar construction, being half timbered, with the exception of the tower and ' chancel, which were of stone…Two lean-to aisles were added by John Dale, carpenter, in 1613, and in the middle of the south aisle, a porch. By 1740 the church was considered ‘old and decayed’ and…the necessity for providing a larger church for the increasing population of the town were used as an argument for rebuilding…By 1742, the present fabric was completed. It was built in the semi-classical style…and consists of a nave, with side aisles, sanctuary and tower. In the rebuilding, the lower part of the original fourteenth century tower was retained, though there were efforts to make it accord with the classical style by the modernisation of the west door and the insertion of a circular belfry window. The newer parts…were not finished until as late as 1786…’

<6> Peter de Figueiredo (Independent Consultant), 2016, Church of St Peter, Congleton, Cheshire: Assessment of Furnishings, R4580 (Client Report). SCH9181.

St Peter’s is a rare example in Cheshire of a 'preaching box', a large Georgian church, and its interior, complete with galleries, box pews and other furnishings and is potentially the best preserved in the county. It dates from 1740-42 and replaced an early 15th century timber-framed church on the same site. Only the medieval stone tower survived the rebuilding which was increased in height and refaced in 1786. The previous church had been a chapel of ease of Astbury, but a long-running dispute between the Corporation of the expanding town of Congleton and the rector of Astbury was probably a factor in the decision to rebuild, as well as the need for a larger church. The men who petitioned the bishop were strictly evangelical in their beliefs, and the design of Church of Peter reflected the pre-eminence of the Bible and preaching, in contrast to the more traditional liturgy maintained at Astbury.

The original architect of the church is unknown. It seems likely that a local architect would have been commissioned, and William Baker of Highfields, Audlem has been suggested. Another possibility would be John Gatlive (or Gatley), who built (and probably designed) St John’s, Knutsford in 1741-43.

The brick church is seven bays in length with two tiers of windows, and with a slight projection at the east end containing a Venetian window. Three galleries are preserved, those to north and south being carried by square piers with Tuscan columns above. The galleries are reached by staircases in the two west corners, which are contained within wings flanking the tower. The wings were built in two stages, with an upper level added circa 1840, by local architect Joshua Radford, to accommodate additional pews at gallery level and are of historic interest as evidence of paupers accommodation. The interior is well furnished with a timber reredos and altar rail of 1743. The box pews, which were an integral part of the original scheme, are still largely in situ. Only the group of three pews to either side of the pulpit, and those at the west end, have been altered in recent times. Also from the 18th century are wall paintings of St Peter and St Paul by Edward Penny of Knutsford, the marble font, and a brass chandelier. There are several fine monuments, including those to members of some of the families who were involved in the construction of the church.