religious
, 1505
Church Lane, off The Petersham Road, Richmond, TW10 7AB
St Peter's Church has Saxon origins. It was rebuilt in the 11th century and enlarged in 1505. Norman, Tudor and Georgian features can be viewed. The church has a small nave but large and unequal-sized transepts. It is best known for its Georgian box pews. The two-decker (originally three-) pulpit dates from 1796. The churchyard contains several memorials of historical and architectural interest.
Richmond
Richmond
371, 65
Buses 65 or 371 from Richmond Station to the nearest stop - The Dysart, Petersham. Parking for vehicles in Church Lane is very restricted.
The building has wheelchair access. Galleries accessed via steep stairs with handrails. Paths around the graveyard are uneven.
Information boards on display inside. A variety of guidebooks and postcards available for purchase. There are benches in the churchyard.
There has been a church on the site since Saxon times. The earliest record states that in 666AD certain lands here were endowed to the Benedictine Abbey of St Peter's at Chertsey. The church was rebuilt in the 11th century and a small part of the existing chancel dates from Norman times; the blocked Norman lancet window in the north wall can still be seen from outside. The church was enlarged in 1505. The lower part of the tower dates from the Tudor period, but the upper section was rebuilt in 1790 (the current bell - which replaced bells confiscated earlier - bears the date '1620'). Further enlargements were carried out in subsequent centuries., notably the Georgian period during which the box pews were installed.
There are many interesting memorials in the church and the churchyard. The most famous figure buried there is Captain George Vancouver (1758-1798), the explorer who charted the north-west coast of North America from Alaska to California. Vancouver Island was named after him. He lived latterly in Petersham which is why he is buried here. There is also a memorial to him in the church.