HERITAGE STATEMENT ST PETERS CHURCH THETFORD For THETFORD COUNCIL

More documents

Recommendations

Info

CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION 2.0 STATUTORY CONSTRAINTS 3.0 A HISTORY OF THE SURROUNDINGS 4.0 A HISTORY OF THE CHURCH 5.0 THE CONTENTS OF THE CHURCH 6.0 STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE 7.0 THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS 8.0 ASSESSMENT OF THE PROPOSED WORKS 9.0 NEEDS AND JUSTIFICATION
1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 St Peters Church is a medieval flint and stone church dating from the 15 th Century with additional and alterations throughout its life up to the 20 th Century. Sited centrally in Thetford adjacent to the Council Offices in Kings House, the church has not been used for religious purposes for several years and was de-consecrated in 2008 1.2 During the last years of its use as a church, the congregation dwindled and the interior of the church was adapted to reflect this with a re-ordering in the 1970’s at which time the font and the pulpit were moved into the Chancel which retained its pews, the rest of the church being cleared for secular use. 1.3 The more recent de-consecration of the church is indicative of the changing patterns of worship in Thetford and this led to the purchase of the church by the Council in 2009 with the intention of securing the building against decay and promoting a range of new viable uses to work towards achieving a sustainable self supporting future. 1.4 The church is currently unoccupied and unused with the exception of the continuation of its bell ringers. There is a long history of bell ringing in the church, its fine peal of bells is maintained and is viewed as an important element to be preserved and continued into the future. 1.5 The interior of the church is suffering from lack of use, with the inevitable decay which this brings through the absence of heating, ventilation and regular attendance to minor items of repair, which then become major problems in time. The WCs which are sited in the extended 19 th Century Vestry are in a poor state and require overhaul before further use. 1.6 The building is in need of a wholesale refurbishment, supported by a viable future pattern of use. This application forms the first phase of this project and in intended to enable the early reoccupation of the building by undertaking the minimum amount of work to allow this. 2.0 STATUTORY CONSTRAINTS 2.1 St Peters Church comprises the church and associated churchyards and boundary walls to its north and south sides together with a vestry, now converted to lavatories on its east side. It is linked by the wall of the Council Works Department on its east side to the single storey works building and its associated two storey cottage which forms an extension to King’s House. Together the buildings form a group, but St Peters Church is clearly a different building and should be viewed as separate and distinct. 2.2 St Peters Church is Listed Grade II*. It was listed on 13 th May 1951, 10E Number 384849. The listing description is as follows: THETFORD TL8683 WHITE HART STREET 617-1/5/171 (South East side) 03/04/51 Church of St Peter II* Parish church. C14 and C15. West tower rebuilt 1789. Flint and flushwork with ashlar dressings. Tile nave and chancel roofs and lead north aisle roofs. West tower, nave, north nave and chancel aisles and chancel. 4-stage tower with diagonal west buttresses and side east buttresses. Ogeed west doorway with multiple mouldings below date: 1789. Ringing chamber with 2-light Y-tracery north and south windows; upper ringing chamber with one 3-light Y- tracery west window. 2-light louvred belfry windows. Crenellated parapet. Four 3-light Perpendicular south nave windows under 4-centred arches separated by stepped buttresses. Gabled nave roof. North nave aisle has a 3-light Perpendicular west window, an arched north doorway with double sunk-quadrant mouldings and two 3-light cusped windows under flat hoods.
Page 1: HERITAGE STATEMENT ST PETERS CHURCH
Page 5 and 6: The fortunes of the town and number
Page 7 and 8: As noted, the population quadrupled
Page 9 and 10: How much this drawing of St Peter
Page 11 and 12: We know from the 1851 Ecclesiastica
Page 13 and 14: the Nave 8 attributed to G.B.Burrel
Page 15 and 16: and the decline of Thetford in nati
Page 17 and 18: The phase one works which constitut
Page 19 and 20: The need to remove the pews and the
Page 21 and 22: introductions. They are as describe
Page 23: The justification for direct connec

HERITAGE STATEMENT ST PETERS CHURCH THETFORD For THETFORD COUNCIL

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?