Hall, St Peter's And Victoria Street Church, Victoria Street, Stromness

St Peter's and Victoria Street Church is a 3-bay gable-ended rectangular-plan church built on raised ground set back from the road, designed by Richard Spence and dated 1862. A church hall was added circa 1897.

The main church is constructed of stugged red sandstone ashlar with cement-rendered and lined dressings. It features a birdcage bellcote with round-arched openings and a short stone spire mounted on consoled gablehead support. The nave bay is defined by shouldered square-headed buttresses, with pyramidal-capped octagonal angle piers at the corners. A base course, continuous cill course functioning as a hood-mould over the door, and long and short borders to the eaves course provide horizontal definition. The building is characterised by Tudor-arched openings, chamfered reveals to windows, stone mullions, and long and short margins.

The principal east elevation comprises a 2-tier stone flight leading to wide 2-leaf timber panelled doors with a Tudor-arched fanlight; a date stone sits at the arch apex. Above this is a tall 3-light mullioned window with simple tracery, topped by the gablehead bellcote. Windows in each aisle bay flank this central composition.

The rear west elevation has a 2-bay gabled design with tall simply traceried windows in each bay and a corniced block rising to the gablehead.

The north and south side elevations are 2-storeys with 5 bays regularly fenestrated. The ground floor has square-headed windows, while the upper floor features tall pointed-arched windows.

The roof is covered in grey slate with a stone ridge, leaded square ridge vents, and cement skews. Windows are fixed timber-framed lying pane type, with leaded stained glass to the west end. Modern uPVC rainwater goods have been installed.

The interior contains fluted cast-iron columns with acanthus capitals supporting a timber-panelled U-plan gallery around the east end. Original tiered timber pews are accompanied by boarded dado at each level. Architraved timber-panelled doors lead through the vestibule, which is flanked by stone flights to the gallery beneath consoled and plaster-panelled arches. The central timber-panelled pulpit is reached via a timber perron staircase and is surrounded by decorative cast-iron banisters and timber handrails.

The organ case and pipe screen, made by J J Binns in 1906, is set against the west wall. It is flanked by 2-light leaded stained glass windows depicting scenes from the life of Our Lord, added after 1922. A plain timber altar with Doric columnar legs stands before it. A grey marble octagonal pedestal font with quatrefoil motifs around the bowl is also present.

The ceiling is panelled timber with plaster ribs and floriate motifs at intersections, with decorative plaster ceiling roses incorporating vents and light fittings.

The church hall is a single-storey gabled structure to the rear along the west elevation. It is constructed of harl-pointed roughly coursed squared rubble with cement margins to openings. The south elevation features a large 4-centred arched timber-mullioned window with a timber-panelled door to its right. The gablehead is ball-finialied. The roof is grey slate with stone ridge, ashlar skews, and a corniced rubble gablehead stack to the east end, with regularly disposed rooflights to the west pitch.

The hall interior has architraved timber-panelled doors, clap boarding to dado rail height, and a plain cornice. A pilastered and corniced blocked surround marks a blocked fireplace on the east wall.

The gatepiers, garden wall and railings date to circa 1862. Square-plan cream sandstone ashlar gatepiers mark the eastern entrance to the church from the road, with plinths and string course below a cavetto-moulded cornice. Each has a pedestalled convex pyramidal cap. A cast-iron linking arch with a central light spans between them. A low cement-rendered and lined garden wall borders the road, topped with a curved ashlar cope. Fleur-de-lys and arrowhead cast-iron railings run along the boundary, though those flanking the steps to the church are missing.