St Peter's Church, Harrogate

St. Peter's Church, Harrogate

St. Peter's Church, Harrogate
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Broad Church
Website www.stpetersharrogate.org.uk
History
Dedication St. Peter
Administration
Parish Harrogate
Diocese Leeds
Province York
Clergy
Vicar(s) Revd Tony Shepherd
Assistant Revd Tim Hurren
Laity
Organist/Director of music Oliver Longstaff
Organist(s) John Longstaff

St. Peter's Church, Harrogate is a parish church in the Church of England located in Harrogate.

History

The church was formed out of the parish of Christ Church, High Harrogate.

A subscription for the erection of the church was commenced and the foundation stone was laid in April, 1870. The church is of the decorated style of architecture, from a design by Mr. Hirst, of Bristol, and consists of a nave of five bays, 70 feet in length by 27 feet in breadth, with north and south aisles, each 15 feet 9 inches wide; the last bay at the eastern end of the aisle on each side projects outwards to double its former breadth, in the form of a transept, which is gabled outwardly; the chancel will be about 35 feet in length by 22 feet in breadth, terminating in a circular apse, the interior of which will be arcaded. A tower, bearing a spire, is situate at the west end of the south aisle. The living is a curacy or vicarage, the income of which is £100 a year, paid by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The first incumbent - the Rev. L. F. W. Foote - appointed in 1870.[1]

List of Vicars

Organ

The church has a pipe organ which has evolved over a long period of time from an original organ by Edmund Schulze in 1867. This was moved to St. Bartholomew's Church, Armley and a smaller organ installed in 1869. There have been restorations by Brindley & Foster, Abbott & Smith, Binns, J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd, and Prested.

A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

List of organists

  • J Harry Hodgson 1970 - 1976
  • Adrian Selway 1976 - 1981
  • Ian Linford 1980 - 1984
  • Ralph S Franklin 1984 - 1987
  • Hugh Shelton 1987 - 1988
  • Nigel Holdsworth 1988 - 1993
  • Philip Wilby 1993 - 1997
  • Richard Hunt 1997 - 2003
  • John Longstaff 2003 - current

Bells

St. Peter's has a fine ring of eight bells in the tower which were cast by John Taylor of Loughborough. They achieved a certain notoriety when they became the first tower in the United Kingdom to have an injunction made on the bells for an offence of noise pollution.

References

  1. "The History and Topography of Harrogate and the Forest of Knaresborough" by William Grainge, 1882
  2. Yorkshire Evening Post - Wednesday 17 August 1892
  3. Who's who in Music. Shaw Publishing. 1937. p.215
  4. Dictionary of Organs and Organists, First Edition. 1912
  5. Who's who in Music. Shaw Publishing. 1937. p.215

Coordinates: 53°59′36″N 01°32′26″W / 53.99333°N 1.54056°W / 53.99333; -1.54056

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