Bohemia Village Voice

St Peters Church - Hall fund to be launched

St Peter’s is soon to launch an appeal for £180,000 – for renovations to its Church Hall. St Peter’s church, on the corner of St Peter’s and Chapel Park Roads, was consecrated in 1885. The architect was a Mr Brooke, who used the same design for a London church. St Paul’s used to stand in Ellenslea Rd, on the site now occupied by Norfolk House. In the days when nearly everyone was a regular churchgoer, St Paul’s was a wealthy Anglo-Catholic church, and built the first St. Paul’s School, where the YMCA is now. The current incumbent of St Peter’s, Father Alex Brown, served as Chair of the Governors at St. Paul’s School for 8 years. The children at St Paul’s come to the church 4 or 5 times a year; next time is Mothering Sunday. As society changed and the people who owned the big houses in the area moved away, St. Paul’s was made redundant. It was demolished in the 1970s, and the two parishes made into one: St. Peter and St. Paul. It stretches from Amherst Close in the north to Warrior Gdns, and from Magdalen Rd in the east to Tower Rd in the west. Father Alex has been at St Peter’s for 16 years. He is aiming to build up the congregation of 30, as “we’ve lost a lot through death and moving away.”  Fr. Alex sees the church hall as a venue for the Bohemia community, and he’ll soon be launching the renovation appeal for £180,000. The hall will then generate income. Currently it is used for Rainbow Guides, a badminton group, the Monday Lunch Club, Parish Meals, booksales, the Christmas bazaar and as a polling station. St. Peter’s Fellowship meets Weds, with some interesting speakers. A surprising amount goes on at the church, and the building itself is richly decorated and with beautiful stained glass.

Father Alex Brown

Organist Frank Jenkins

Father Alex

St Peters Baptistry