All Saints & St Andrew
Kingston, Cambridgeshire
A delightful medieval church to visit with some fantastic stories to tell in its medieval wall paintings and its important evidence of Civil War iconoclasm.
The main part of St Peter’s, the nave, dates from the 12th century with additions being made in the 14th and 17th centuries. The church suffered severe storm damage in 1636 and it was rebuilt in 1640 with further substantial work being undertaken in 1811. More recently, the east end of the church was completely rebuilt, the church was painted inside and we installed new lighting – thanks to the generosity of parishioners.
The first Rector was John de Furneaux who came to Boxworth in 1337. A particularly noteworthy Rector was John Bois, a fellow of St John’s College, who was one of the translating committee for the Authorised Version of the Bible published in 1611. The church has a number of windows by Charles Kempe, a noteworthy stained glass window designer of the nineteenth century.
The church has been the venue for thousands of services over the centuries including Harvest, Remembrance, Mothering Sunday, Christmas, Carol services and Easter. There have been 355 baptisms since 1893, 45 burials since 1993 and 23 weddings since 1991.
Normally kept open 24 hours of every day, St Peter’s has provided a place of tranquility and solitude for those who need it.