St Peter

St Peter’s had a close relationship with the city authorities, and in the C13 the first ‘Pentice’ was built against the south wall.

Initially a timber structure, a later illustration suggests that it was rebuilt in stone, probably in the late C17 or early C18.

The City Assembly also maintained the church clock from at least 1460s, and established a fund for the repair of the church in 1574, rebuilding the porch chamber in 1584.

St Peter’s was the guild church of the fraternity of St George, and in the C15 they had a chapel in the church, probably in the south aisle.

The church continued to retain its importance through the C17 and into the C20.

The present structure is C14, C15 and C16

was significantly altered and restored in the C17, C18 and C19.

A more extensive restoration was carried out in 1886 by John Douglas, an architect influential in Chester’s Vernacular Revival style, but who was also involved in the restoration of many of its medieval churches.

Below the floor level of the north aisle was the undercroft of a medieval townhouse which was filled and paved over.

The tower formerly had a spire, which was removed and rebuilt in the C16, taken down in the C17, then rebuilt and finally removed in the C18.

The north-east pier has a damaged medieval fresco around a niche, which held a Virgin and Child.

The northern arcade is Perpendicular and dates to 1535-38.

These have carved foliar bosses and carved spandrels of three trusses.

Galleries in this church were first recorded in 1637, but were altered in the C18 and C19.

Two carved corbel stones project from the south wall.

Fittings include a C15 bronze, which is said to commemorate a lawyer.

The east window glass dates to 1862 and 1963

A monument on the north wall of around 1750 is for Henry Bennett.