Phone +44 1945 780252 | ||
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Address Church Rd, Walpole St Peter, Wisbech PE14 7NS, UK Similar St Andrew's Church, Round‑tower church, Ely Cathedral | ||
St Peter's Church is an active Anglican parish church located in Walpole St Peter, Norfolk. One of the largest churches in the county, it is known as "the Cathedral of the Fens". It lies in the Diocese of Ely. The largely Perpendicular building is Grade 1 listed, and is often regarded as one of England's finest parish churches. It is said to be a favourite of Prince Charles, and John Betjeman described it as "the finest of all". It was also listed as one of Songs of Praise's favourite churches in Britain.
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History
The oldest section of the church is its tower, which dates from the 13th century. By the 15th century a huge church, 160 feet long, was added. Whilst the windows are in the Perpendicular style, and whilst some benches date from the 15th century, the overall ambience is Jacobean, including a carved Poor Box dated 1639 and a huge chandelier dating from 1701. Victorian "restoration" is thankfully very limited in its scope: being restricted largely to the chancel.
Trivia
St Peter's was used as the parish church of the fictional village of Fenchurch St Paul in the 1973 television dramatisation of Dorothy L Sayer's novel The Nine Tailors, starring Ian Carmichael as Lord Peter Wimsey.