St Peter and St Paul's Church, Kettering explained

St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Kettering
Pushpin Map:United Kingdom Northamptonshire
Map Caption:Location within Northamptonshire
Coordinates:52.3968°N -0.7266°W
Location:Kettering, Northamptonshire
Country:England
Denomination:Church of England
Dedication:Peter and Paul
Heritage Designation:Grade I listed
Spire Height:179 feet (55 metres)
Parish:Kettering[1]
Deanery:Kettering
Archdeaconry:Oakham
Diocese:Peterborough

St Peter and St Paul's Church is a Church of England parish church in Kettering, Northamptonshire.[2] It is a Grade I listed building.

History

Little is known of the origins of the church, its first known priest becoming rector in 1219–20. The chancel is in the Early Decorated style of about 1300, the main fabric of the building being mostly Perpendicular, having been rebuilt in the mid 15th century. The crocketed spire reaches a height of 179 feet (55 metres).[3]

Whether the current building replaced an earlier church on the site is unknown. Two medieval wall paintings, one of two angels with feathered wings, and one of a now faded saint, can still be seen inside the church.[4]

Parish status

The church is in a joint parish with St Michael and All Angels’ Church, Kettering.

Organ

The organ was rebuilt by Kenneth Canter of Bury St Edmunds in a case of 1892/3 by Arthur Blomfield. A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Bells

The peal of 12 bells dates from 2004 and was cast by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry in London.[5]

Carvings

The statues of St Peter and St Paul above the North Door were carved by local author and publisher J. L. Carr to replace carvings destroyed in the Reformation.[6] A service of dedication was held for the carvings on Sunday 7 October 1984.[7]

Anecdotal Stories

During the war, fighter pilots would look out for the towering spire - higher than anything around, to navigate to the local airbase at Grafton Underwood.With nothing else even close to the height, it was seenas the ideal marker for pilots to aim for.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: St Peter & St Paul, Kettering . . A Church Near You . The Church of England . 26 September 2017 .
  2. Book: Pevsner. Nikolaus . Cherry . Bridget . 1973 . The Buildings of England. Northamptonshire . Penguin Books Limited . 978-0-14-071022-9 .
  3. Flannery, Julian (2016). Fifty English Steeples: The Finest Medieval Parish Church Towers and Spires in England. New York City, New York, United States: Thames and Hudson. pp. 338–343. .
  4. Book: Greenall, R . 2008 . A History of Kettering . Phillimore & Co Ltd . 21 . 1-86077-254-4 .
  5. Web site: Kettering, Northants SS Peter & Paul . . 18 February 2017. . Dovemaster . 26 September 2017 .
  6. Byron Rogers (2003) The Last Englishman, The Life of J.L. Carr London: Aurum Press
  7. Kettering Evening Telegraph, Tuesday, 9 October 1984