St Peter's Church
St Peter's Church, North Hill, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1DZ
In 1066, St Peter's was the richest church in Essex and had two priests. Little of the medieval church remains today, partly due to extensive repairs undertaken in 1758 following damage to the church sustained during an earthquake in 1692. The internal appearance of the church was also changed in the Georgian period with the addition of galleries to accommodate large congregations; to the north and west in 1791 and the south in 1815. During the 19th century there were two partial restorations by Hayward in 1857-9 and the Plymouth firm of King & Lister in 1895-6.
The church has an unusual 'Bone-hole' or crypt of c. 1510 and an impressive south door with ironwork attributed to Thomas of Leighton (Buzzard), c. 1300. It is also notable for its memorials which are in some cases to Colchester weavers. These include five brass plates of 1509-1610 and the elaborate tombs of George Sayer (d. 1577) and Martin Basill (d. 1623). There is also a memorial by William Bremer (1843) to the Protestant martyrs of Colchester who died during the reign of Queen Mary I.
St Peter's has an unusual claim to fame as the church where the coffin of Queen Caroline, the wife of George IV, lay in state overnight on its journey to Harwich in August 1821. In recent centuries English kings and queens are normally buried at Windsor, but Caroline's body was en route to Brunswick in Germany where she had been born.
The Vicar, the Rev. Mark Wallace, will provide historical tours of the building on request.
Timings & Tours
- Friday 12 September:
- 1000-1600
- Saturday 13 September:
- 1000-1600
- Sunday 14 September:
- 1200-1600
- Friday 19 September:
- 1000-1600
- Saturday 20 September:
- 1000-1600
- Sunday 21 September:
- 1200-1600
Location & directions
St Peter's Church, North Hill, Colchester, Essex, CO1 1DZ
- Directions:
- What Three Words location is ///teams.flops.poster
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking not required
