St Peter

The church of the Manor House and later the Hall, it is situated in the original settlement on Tankersley and offers visitors a most interesting and peaceful visit. We know from the Doomsday survey that the church existed in 1086. There is Saxon stone built into the outer wall on the south side of the chancel.

The oldest part still standing is the arcade dividing the nave from the north aisle, which is 12th century. The chancel was built in the early 13th century, and the roof was altered in 1300 to allow the insertion of clerestory windows.

There was much building activity between 1460 and 1500, evidence of which is interesting to spot. It includes the distortion of the chancel arch, as it was altered to take different Rood Screens.

The porch contains fragments of coffin lids from 12-13th centuries. In the chancel is the tomb of Thomas Toytill, a priest who died in 1492, and there are cannon balls reputedly from the Battle of Tankersley Moor in 1643. The Bishop’s chair is constructed from 12th century oak beams from St Magnus Cathedral, Orkney. It was made into a copy of the chair Queen Mary sat on when she married Phillip of Spain.

In the south aisle is the lovely Ellen Walker memorial window, designed by Byrne Jones and made by Morris & Co in 1879. The porch gates were designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1901. The village’s beautiful Arts & Crafts War Memorial is housed within the church. The churchyard contains memorials reminding us of an industrial past.