BerkshireUPPERWOOLHAMPTONStPeter(catherinelovellPERMISSIONBYEMAIL)1 CatherineLovell

St Peter

Pretty rural church with interesting stained glass windows in West Berkshire.

Upper Woolhampton, Berkshire

Opening times

Covid19 : Open on Wednesday afternoons for private prayer as part of our benefice re-opening programme.

[Normally open : 10am to 4 pm daily.]

Address

Woolhampton Hill
Upper Woolhampton
Berkshire
RG7 5TB

St Peter's church was originally built in the 13th century and was valued in 1291 at £4.13s.4d. It was probably associated with the Knights Hospitalliers (founded 1133), who owned the Woolhampton and Brimpton estate from 1159 to 1544.

The church was extended in 1861 by London architect James Johnson. It is built of flint with stone dressings and is cruciform in plan with a single aisled nave, chancel, north and south transepts and inner and outer vestries in the northeast corner. The roof is covered with red clay tiles with decorative ridges and there is a wooden bellicose and a shingle clad oak spirelet on the west gable with three bells. The church is not large and can seat 150 people. Pews, with dwarf doors and other fittings are made of sweet chestnut from the Woolhampton estate. The pulpit, made from Caen stone, has pleasant mouldings and is a feature of the church.

The church’s stained glass is perhaps its greatest treasure. The west end window, dated 1861 and donated by the Dowager Lady Falmouth, is one of the largest and best in any parish church is by Thomas Willement, the heraldic artist to George IV and artist in stained glass to Queen Victoria. The window is a blend of heraldic subjects connected with Lord Falmouth's family above and scriptural scenes below, the Widow of Nain and the Raising of Lazarus. Other stained glass windows in the chancel and north and south transepts depict various biblical scenes.

  • Spectacular stained glass

  • Social heritage stories

  • Fascinating churchyard

  • Walkers & cyclists welcome

  • Space to secure your bike

  • On street parking at church

  • Level access to the main areas

  • Dog friendly

  • Accessible toilets in church

  • Church of England

  • Cornerstone Grant, £15,000, 2020

  • Our Cornerstone Grants fund urgent repairs and essential community facilities such as toilets and kitchens to help keep churches open.

Contact information

Other nearby churches

Douai Abbey

Upper Woolhampton, Berkshire

Benedictine monastery under the patronage of St Edmund, King and Martyr.

St Paul

Ashford Hill, Berkshire

St Paul’s church, Ashford Hill is an elegant Victorian gothic church with a spire whose foundations were laid in October 1844.