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St Peter's Church, Huddersfield

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St Peter's Church
Huddersfield Parish Church
Map
53°38′50″N 1°46′51″W / 53.6472°N 1.7809°W / 53.6472; -1.7809
OS grid referenceSE1457816771
LocationHuddersfield, Kirklees
CountryEngland
DenominationAnglican
ChurchmanshipAnglo-Catholic[1]
WebsiteChurch website
History
StatusParish church
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade II*
Designated3 March 1952[2]
Architect(s)James Pigott Pritchett
StyleGothic revival
Completed27 October 1836
Construction cost£10,000
Administration
ProvinceProvince of York
DioceseDiocese of Leeds
Episcopal areaHuddersfield Episcopal Area
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Halifax
DeaneryHuddersfield[3]
Clergy
Vicar(s)The Revd Canon Rachel Firth
Asst Curate(s)The Rev'd Amanda Ogilvie
Deacon(s)The Revd Carol Hawkins
Laity
Director of musicRichard Quarmby
Organist(s)Stephen Smith
TreasurerDessyline Jabangwe
Churchwarden(s)Pam Czerepaniak
Nicholas Benn
Diane Groom
Parish administratorAngela Braviner

St Peter's Church, also known as Huddersfield Parish Church, is a Church of England parish church in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. There has been a church on the site since the 11th century, but the current building dates from 1836. It is on the Kirkgate near Southgate in the centre of the town and is a Grade II* listed building.[2][4]

History

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In legend, the first church on the site was built in the 11th century by Walter de Lacy, the second son of Ilbert de Lacy. Walter decided to build the church after he survived being thrown from his horse and landing in a swamp.[5]

The church was rebuilt in the 16th century. From 1759 to 1771, Henry Venn was vicar of the church.[4]

By the early 19th century, the town of Huddersfield was growing rapidly as a result of the industrial revolution and the parish church was too small to cope. In order to address this, Holy Trinity Church was opened in 1819 as a chapel of ease within the parish of St Peter's, before becoming a parish church in its own right in 1857.[6]

By the 1830s the 16th-century parish church needed urgent repairs, and it was decided to rebuild it again. The architect was James Pigott Pritchett and construction was carried out from 1834 to 1836. To keep costs down during construction, the bricks used were from the previous church on the site, which meant that repairs were needed overcome the deficient materials.[2][7]

Two octagonal vestries were added at the east end: one on the north side in or before 1851, and a choir vestry on the south side in 1879.[2] Windows designed by Thomas Willement were installed in 1852.[2] In 1866, it was realised that the stonework of the church needed repairing. In 1873, new pews and a pulpit were installed. In 1879, a choir vestry was added.[2] Arthur Eaglefield Hull was the organist from 1904 to 1920.[8] In 1908 an organ was installed by local builder Conacher and Co; it was restored in 1984 by Philip Wood of Huddersfield.[5]

From 1921 to 1923, the sanctuary was reordered. A baldachin and the east window, designed by Ninian Comper as part of a war memorial, were installed. In the 1940s, the south transept was redesigned with a screen by Robert Thompson being added. In the 1980s, a new altar and dais were installed.[2] Around 2012, the roof, ceiling and tower were repaired. Other essential repairs were also made, helped by a grant from English Heritage.[9][10]

On 17 June 1965 the church was the wedding place of Olympic athletes, swimmer Anita Lonsbrough and track cyclist Hugh Porter.[11] On 17 February 2017, the church was the location of the funeral of Gorden Kaye, the Huddersfield-born television actor and star of 'Allo 'Allo!.[12]

Parish

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On weekdays, the church is open from 9:00am until 4:00pm and on Saturdays from 10:00am to 2:00pm. There is a short service of daily prayer said on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday at 12:35pm. Midweek Holy Communion is celebrated on Wednesdays at 12:35 in the side chapel.

On Sundays, there is a Book of Common Prayer communion service at 8:30am, and a Sung Eucharist at 10:00am.

Choral Evensong is held every second Sunday at 6:30pm during term time. Every fourth Sunday at 6.30pm there is alternately 'Holy Ground' which takes the form of a more informal and contemplative service or 'Rainbow Eucharist', a service designed to explicitly affirm and uphold the LGBTQIA community, as part of the Inclusive Church network.

The 10am Sung Eucharist, Choral Evensong, Rainbow Eucharist, and some special services are also livestreamed on the Parish Church YouTube channel[13] [14]

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  • The church in 1904
    The church in 1904
  • Interior in 1906
    Interior in 1906

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Blagdon-Gamlen, P. E. (1973) The Church Travellers Directory. London: Church Literature Association; p. 74
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Parish Church of St Peter, Huddersfield from British listed buildings, retrieved 6 March 2015
  3. ^ Deaneries at Diocese of Leeds, accessed 13 July 2016
  4. ^ a b Nostalgia: With gallery - A glimpse inside Huddersfield Parish Church St Peter’s history from Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 19 September 2012, retrieved 6 March 2015
  5. ^ a b "Our Building: History". Huddersfield Parish Church. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  6. ^ "History". Holy Trinity Huddersfield. Archived from the original on 16 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  7. ^ Gibson, Keith; Booth, Albert. "Buildings of Huddersfield" (PDF). Huddersfield History Society. Retrieved 7 March 2015.
  8. ^ Huddersfield Music Society website
  9. ^ Big grant for Huddersfield Parish Church from Huddersfield Daily Examiner, 20 March 2012, retrieved 7 March 2015
  10. ^ Church of St Peter, Kirkgate, Huddersfield - Kirklees from English Heritage, retrieved 7 March 2015
  11. ^ "Fifty years for Wolverhampton's golden couple". www.expressandstar.com.Report of Golden Wedding when couple had relocated to Wolverhampton.
  12. ^ "Gorden Kaye: Funeral of 'Allo 'Allo! star held in Huddersfield". BBC News. 17 February 2017. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  13. ^ https://www.youtube.com/@huddersfieldparishchurch996
  14. ^ Huddersfield - St Peter from A Church Near You, retrieved 7 March 2015
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