St Peter And St Paul, Bromley
History
Previous church
The pre-World War II church, generally in the Perpendicular style with a square embattled tower having a turret at one of the angles, had its north aisle rebuilt in 1792 and was completely refurbished and enlarged in 1830. Virtually the whole church—with the exception of the tower—was demolished by a bomb on the night of 16 April 1941. Arthur Gresley Hellicar (1835–1905) was Vicar of Bromley from 1865 to 1905.
Present church
On St Edward the Confessor’s Day, 13 October 1949, the foundation stone of the new church was laid by then Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II). Eight years later, the last phase of rebuilding was complete and on 14 December 1957 the new church was consecrated by the Bishop of Rochester, Christopher Maude Chavasse. The present church incorporates the medieval tower and much of the flint and fragments of the original stone building.
Items of interest
Stained glass
Several of the modern windows (including two illustrated below) were designed by M. E. Aldrich Rope, a prolific Arts and Crafts stained glass artist. The Baptistery window is by Clare Dawson, her pupil and co-worker.
Organ
The organ, built in 1991 by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd, was designed to support congregational worship, to accompany a traditional choir, and as a recital instrument for use alone or with other instruments. It has three manuals and pedals, 40 speaking stops, six couplers, and three tremulants, and comprises 55 ranks with 2,708 pipes. The manual and pedal actions of the organ are mechanical; the stop control is electro-magnetic with a solid state capture combination action. The instrument was made and first assembled in Walker's workshops in Brandon, before being dismantled and installed in the church—it weighs approximately 12 tons. The organ cases, gallery woodwork and carved pipeshades were designed by David Graebe.
The Specification is below;
PEDAL ORGAN (30 notes)
16' Open Diapason
16' Subbass
10⅔' Quint
8' Principal
8' Bass Flute
4' Choral Bass
IV Mixture
32' Contra Trombone (ext.)
16' Trombone
8' Trumpet
Choir to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
CHOIR ORGAN (58 notes)
8' Open Diapason
8' Stopped Diapason
4' Principal
4' Open Flute
2⅔' Nasard
2' Gemshorn
13⁄5' Tierce
III Fourniture
8' Trumpet
8' Cromorne
Swell to Choir
GREAT ORGAN (58 notes)
16' Bourdon
8' Open Diapason
8' Chimney Flute
4' Principal
4' Harmonic Flute
2' Fifteenth
IV Fourniture
16' Double Trumpet
8' Trumpet
V Cornet (from middle C)
Choir to Great
Swell to Great
SWELL ORGAN (58 notes)
8' Diapason
8' Voila da Gamba
8' Voix Celeste
8' Stopped Flute
4' Gemshorn
2' Flageolet
IV Mixture
16' Bassoon
8' Trumpet
8' Hautboy
Tombs
Famous people buried at St Peter and St Paul have included:
- John Yonge or Young, bishop of Rochester
- Elizabeth Johnson, wife of Samuel Johnson: her memorial was salvaged after World War II and re-erected in the rebuilt church On Easter Monday April 23, 1753, Samuel Johnson attended church here "to take leave of Tetty", he was relieved having done so and was glad to have felt a cooling of his desire to have a new wife.
- John Hawkesworth, writer, editor, and friend of Johnson
- Zachary Pearce, bishop of Rochester
- John Gifford, British political writer and supporter of Pitt the Younger
- Sir Claude and Sir Edward Scott, first and second baronets of Lychet Minster
Gallery
-
Altar -
Interior looking east -
Baptismal font -
Interior -
Interior -
Organ -
Pulpit -
South aisle -
South chapel -
Interior looking west -
Stained glass window -
Detail of stained glass window depicting Christ the King
See also
References
- ^ "Church of St Peter and St Paul (1084373)". English Heritage. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ James Thorne, Handbook to the environs of London, alphabetically arranged (London, 1876), pp. 61-62 [1]
- ^ A Topographical Dictionary of England (1848), pp. 395-400
- ^ Margaret Agnes Rope and Margaret Edith Rope: Stained Glass Artists of the Arts and Crafts Movement
- ^ Eberhard, Robert. "Stained Glass Windows by Clare Dawson in All Counties". Church Stained Glass Windows. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
- ^ Bromley Lost Memorials
- ^ The Personal History of Samuel Johnson, author Christopher Hibbert, 1st published 1971, also penguin books 1984, page 100
External links
