Roman Catholic Church Of St Peter

Roman Catholic Church of St Peter, Royal Leamington Spa

Church built 1862–1864 with a tower added in 1877. Following a fire in 1884 that damaged the roof and structure, the church was restored and largely rebuilt to the original designs. A chapel was added to the north transept in 1894, and further embellishments were made in 1901. Mid-20th-century additions include a garage and boiler house to the nave.

The original architect was Henry Clutton of London, with G Gascoyne of Newbold Terrace, Leamington as builder, working for Canon Jeffries. Following the fire, restorations were undertaken by architect GH Cox of Birmingham with contractor GF Smith. The transept chapel was designed by architect AJ Pilkington and designer AE Purdie for CJ Shaw. The craftsmen and manufacturers involved included Boulton and Company of Cheltenham, Hardman and Company of Birmingham, Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, Minton, and EH Cox and AB Wall of Cheltenham.

The church is constructed in pinkish-brown brick in Flemish bond with Bath stone dressings and a plain tile roof, in the Gothic Revival style with Early English characteristics.

The plan comprises a south-west bell tower and tower passage, a five-bay aisled nave with clerestory, short transepts, transept chapels, and an apse.

The tower has stepped buttresses to full height clasp angles. The entrance to the south side features a pointed-arched opening with triple-chamfered head and double-chamfered base. A rounded stair turret rises to the west at the lower stage. The tower is divided by bands into stages, with slit windows to three and then four sides, corbel tables, pairs of blind pointed-arched openings, and pairs of pointed-arched bell openings. A single-storey range connects the tower to the west end, which has a geometric-style quatrefoil window.

The west end has a chamfered plinth and angle buttresses with stepped buttresses flanking the entrance. The recessed central double entrance is set within a decorative surround featuring statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary and an angel between the doors. The surround comprises a roll-moulded pointed-arched opening with four three-quarter engaged columns with foliate capitals and hollow-moulded bases on either side, with floral and quatrefoil decoration above. A continuous impost band supports two outer lancet windows above, with a further band and a rose window with fleurons to its surround. The roll-moulded band continues around the church at eaves level. Two lancets in the gable, supported by a continuous impost band and a further band, are topped by a cross with gable copings.

The nave and clerestory feature lancet windows with chamfered surrounds, roll-moulded impost and eaves cornices. The transepts have single-stage buttresses, a band, cinquefoil rose windows, further bands, and gable copings. The east chapel of the north transept displays a statue of St Peter on its gable end. The aisles' east ends have lancet windows.

The apse features, at first stage, a band with pairs of lancet windows with geometrical tracery to their heads, a continuous impost band and hoodmoulds, and a further band, topped by decorative ridge tiles.

The interior contains an organ loft supported on three banded columns with foliate capitals. The pointed-arched arcade has roll-moulding and is supported by double-shafted columns divided midway by a moulded annulet with foliate capitals and water-holding bases on square plinths decorated with foliate and floral motifs. The responds at the east end are similar double-shafted half-columns. The aisles have a continuous sill band and corbel table, with a continuous moulded cornice acting as sill band to the clerestory windows. The windows have chamfered surrounds and the roof is of wagon type. Similar arches continue to the transepts and chapels with comparable double-shafted columns and responds.

The north transept chapels have mosaic floors. The north-east Chapel of the Sacred Heart contains an alabaster, Caen stone and marble altar, reredos and super-altar designed by AJ Pilkington and AE Purdie and executed by Boulton. To the south-east, the Chapel of St Joseph has an altar by Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin, brought from the former Leamington Mission on George Street.

The chancel has altar rails on a brass balustrade and a Minton tile floor featuring symbols of the paschal lamb and pelican. The apse sanctuary contains moulded, decorated panels at first stage with images of Popes by Hardman and Company, with F Hill as artist to designs by D Powell, dating from 1901. Five pairs of pointed-arched windows with Geometric-type tracery to their heads contain stained glass by Hardman and Company. The high altar is of alabaster, marble and Bath stone by AB Wall of Cheltenham, and the font is by Hardman, Powell and Company.

Dormer Place, on which the church stands, was laid out around 1822 and was originally known as The Promenade.