St Peter's Church, Caversham

Church in Reading, England

51°28′6.84″N 0°58′50.86″W / 51.4685667°N 0.9807944°W / 51.4685667; -0.9807944LocationCaversham, ReadingCountryEnglandDenominationChurch of EnglandWebsitestpetercaversham.org.ukHistoryFounded1162DedicationSaint PeterArchitectureFunctional statusActiveHeritage designationGrade II*^[1]StyleNormanAdministrationDioceseOxfordArchdeaconryBerkshire

St Peter's Church is a Church of England parish church in Caversham, a suburb of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. It is situated close to the River Thames in Caversham Heights.

History

The church dates to 1162.^[2]

Royalists stationed troops in St Peter's Church during the Siege of Reading in 1643, and situated a cannon on top of the church tower. The Parliamentarians used artillery to destroy the tower. The church itself was also damaged in the process.^[3]^[4]^[5] The tower was initially replaced with a wooden tower. A south aisle was added in 1878, along with the present tower. It has eight bells, the oldest of which dates to 1637. Rectorial rights were restored in 1916.^[2]

References

^ "Church of St Peter, Reading". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
^ ^a ^b "Brief History". Retrieved 19 December 2022.
^ Phillips, Daphne (1980). The Story of Reading. Countryside Books. p. 62. ISBN 0-905392-07-8.
^ "Caversham (in Oxfordshire)". Royal Berkshire History. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
^ "Early History of Caversham". Caversham.info. Retrieved 11 May 2011.