St Peter, Westcheap
| St. Peter, Westcheap | |
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Current photo of site
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| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Anglican |
St Peter, Westcheap, sometimes known simply as “St Peter Cheap”,[1] was a parish church in the City of London. It stood at the south west corner of Wood Street in the ward of Farringdon Within. Parts of the parish were also in Bread Street and Cripplegate Wards [2] Of medieval origin, it was destroyed by the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt.
History
St Peter Westcheap was originally built in the twelfth century.[3] Both church and steeple were rebuilt with funds left in his will by Sir John Shaw, following his death in 1503; one of Shaw's stipulations was that the church should be reconstructed with a flat ceiling.[4] The sixteenth century church was an aisled building;[4] Richard Newcourt noted that, notwithsanding Shaw's bequest, "Thomas Wood, Goldsmith was accounted a principal Benefactor, because the Roof of the middle Isle was supported by Images of Woodmen." [4][5] Repairs were carried out in 1616-17, at a cost to the parishioners of £314.[4]
The patronage of the church belonged to the Abbots of St Albans until the dissolution of the monasteries. Henry VIII then granted it to Lord Wriothesly, and it was inherited by his descendants the Earls of Southampton.[4] The rector of the church from 1529 to 1534 was Thomas Goodrich, later Bishop of Ely and Lord Chancellor.[4]
On 14 January 1559, during a royal progresses through the City, Queen Elizabeth was presented with a Bible in English as she passed the church door.[6]
Destruction
Along with the majority of the churches in the City, St Peter's was destroyed by the Great Fire in 1666. A Rebuilding Act was passed in 1670 and a committee set up under Sir Christopher Wren.[7] It decided to rebuild 51 of the parish churches, but St Peter's was not amongst them. Instead the parish was united with that of St Matthew Friday Street.[3]
The site of the church was retained as a graveyard, and turned into a public garden in the nineteenth century. Three gravestones survive, as do the railings, which date from 1712.[8]
References
- ↑ “The London City Churches”, Norman,P.: London, The London Society, 1929
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- ↑ According to Robert Seymour, Thomas Wood also "built a beautiful Front of the Houses in Cheap, over against Wood-street End ... garnished with the likeness of Woodmen"Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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External links
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