Church of St Peter

Church of St Peter

An Anglican church built in 1967-1968 to designs by Kenneth Nealon Tanner and Partners, with interior fittings by Frank Roper. The building stands set back from the junction of Lords Mead and Frogmore.

The church is constructed of buff brick elevations with concrete dressings. The nave roof is tiled and topped with a steel spire. The building is single-storey overall, arranged as a complex of distinct functional elements unified by consistent concrete plinths, eaves bands, and sections of brickwork between full-height window openings.

The plan comprises a hexagonal nave at the south-west, entered from an eastern narthex. A cranked range projects north-east from the nave, containing the Lady Chapel, vestries, and other service and meeting rooms accessed from a perimeter corridor. The church hall to the north is excluded from the listing.

The hexagonal nave is a double-height space with a shallow pyramidal roof topped by a steel spire. The south elevation of the nave is dominated by the St Peter window, consisting of eleven full-height vertical lights separated by projecting concrete fins. These lights contain etched and lens glass depicting Peter as fisherman, disciple and apostle, with smaller images and text relating to his experiences. The west elevation, where the altar stands, is blind, flanked by narrow windows. Clerestory windows light the nave above the narthex and Lady Chapel. The roof structure comprises deep concrete radial rafters from a tension ring beam at the wall plate to an apex ring in compression, with an intermediate ring beam and bracing. The cavity between the concrete framework is filled with strip timber and aluminium panels laid concentrically from the apex.

The rectangular narthex adjoins the nave on the east, with elevations largely glazed with narrow full-height openings in exposed concrete frames. It is entered via a pair of timber double doors with glazed panels on the east; a corresponding south entrance has been infilled with glazing. The flooring is reconstituted stone tiles and the ceiling is tiled. Fitted units flank the door, with a cast aluminium ceiling light fitting.

The rectangular Lady Chapel adjoins the nave on the north-east, with a glazed north-west elevation of five vertical lights. Its backdrop is a five-light etched glass window of Mary presenting the Son of God to the sons of men. The chapel has a simple altar rail and reconstituted stone mensa on a dais, a reconstituted stone piscina, and a clerestory window on the rear wall.

The south-facing elevations of the cranked range are largely glazed with an alternating pattern of wide, full-height three-light windows with horizontal glazing bars separated by narrow full-height openings, all with projecting fins. There are sections of brickwork at the angles and to the meeting room at the east. The north elevations replicate the glazing pattern but with larger sections of brickwork.

Internally, surfaces are simply finished and enriched by an extensive collection of fixtures, fittings and artworks. Fitted furniture, doors and joinery are in American ash, repeating the fin detailing and verticality of the external window frames. The collection includes etched glass by Frank Roper and stained glass made in collaboration with his wife, Nora. Various polystyrene-cast aluminium features include sculpture, screens, light fittings and door furniture.

The nave floor is laid in parquet block mainly in stack bond with aisles in perpendicular bond and marginal detailing. The south-east, east and north-east walls each have eleven narrow vertical full-height openings in concrete frames. The east wall openings contain etched glazing with a double doorway to the narthex and clerestory above. The north-east has a cast-aluminium screen containing a fish motif, the Paschal Lamb and dove, with a clerestory above. The altar stands on a two-stepped dais with an altar table of polished reconstituted stone. Above it is Roper's Crucifixion in cast aluminium with blue enamelling. Nave furniture includes pulpits on either side of the altar, radiator covers, dado panelling and an organ case with pipework above. Six angular aluminium light fittings are suspended from the roof.

The cranked range has a corridor running along the south, fully glazed and containing the Stations of the Cross by Nora Roper. Flooring is parquet block and the ceiling is tiled. Rooms within this range are plainly detailed.