The Building – A brief history.
St Peter’s Bromyard is an open Church which is well worth a visit. Generally the building is opened at about 9.15 a.m. when people meet for Morning Prayer and closed again between 5pm and dusk. It is light with a beautiful ambiance. It is a well cared for building and the congregation are keen to welcome and share it with visitors. A Guide is available at the back of the Church.
840 A.D. First documentary evidence of the ‘Monasterium’ or Minister or Great Church at Bromyard.
It served the townships of Grendon Bishop, Linton, Norton, Wacton and Winslow and was an important centre of Anglo-Saxon Christian mission.
No trace of the Saxon Church remains.
1175 A.D. The Chancel, North and South transepts and the Nave built. Norman work can be found in the walls of the transepts, the West wall and the lower stages of the central tower.
1200 A.D. North Aisle constructed to accommodate a growing town. The bases of the columns are Norman work and the difference in the capitals is clearly seen.
1300 A.D. The Chancel was enlarged and the arches between Chancel and nave and the Chancel and transepts were reconstructed. The Norman doorways, one in the north aisle and the other in the south were moved to the new walls. The south doorway has a carved figure of St Peter which recent research reveals is of Saxon origin and may well have come from the original building. A third Norman door opens into the north transept and there was originally a large west door which was sadly walled up in 1937.
1547 A.D. Transepts ceased being used as Chantry Chapels.
1700 A.D. During the 18th Century the building fell into disrepair.
1805 A.D. Work commenced on restoring the fabric. The roofs were rebuilt and the pitch altered. The ceiling was plastered over.
16th Century Altar Table brought to Bromyard from Hereford Cathedral.
1887 A.D. The plaster ceiling was removed and the south transept restored.
1839 A.D. A new 16 stop two manual pipe organ was purchased and installed in a West End Gallery.
1875 A.D. Two extra stops were added to the organ.
1883 A.D. Thomas Palmer of Bromyard makes a new pulpit from the wood of the old three decker pulpit.
1897 A.D. The Tower ceiling was restored and funds were raised for the restoration of the North transept to correspond with the South transept.
Pipe Organ entirely rebuilt and removed to North transept.
Norman Font moved from North transept to West end.
1912-
1913 A.D. The whole Church was re-floored and re-seated. The Chancel was elevated by one step and the Altar plinth by a further two steps in accordance with the trend of the Oxford Movement of the time.
1915 A.D. The Churchyard was declared closed.
1918 A.D. South transept converted into a Chapel and a War memorial was installed.
1935 A.D. Further modifications to the pipe organ were undertaken.
1937 A.D. West end door walled up.
1965 A.D. The new Vicarage was built.
1967 A.D. Extensive work was undertaken on the pipe organ in an attempt to make it more effective in Divine Worship. It being a low pressure organ the removal of it from its original West End Gallery and enclosure in the North transept had taken away much of its beauty.
1975 A.D. Extensive repairs were undertaken to the Tower which had developed a large crack.
1978 A.D. More extensive works were undertaken on the pipe organ. A new console was installed, Swell mixture added and a Great Trumpet inserted and some pedal stops removed. Comments on its present format and location include ‘accoustically unfortunate’ and ‘Acoustic disaster’.**
1992 A.D. The old vestry was demolished and a new Parish Room with kitchen and toilets was constructed by Jimmy Morris of Bromyard.
2000 A.D. 100 modern chairs were purchased and located in the North transept.
2003 A.D. The modern chairs were moved to the centre of the Nave by popular request of the congregation.
**Source: ‘Report on the Organ in St Peter’s Bromyard’ by Barry Williams -
The above text is based on the leaflet written by E.D.Pearson B.A.