White's Directory of Nottinghamshire, 1853

Nottingham, St. Peter

The Parish

St. Peter's parish, the smallest of the three parishes of Nottingham, is encompassed by St Mary's and St Nicholas' parishes, and averages about 450 yards in length and 200 in breadth. It extends from Timber Hill, the Poultry and Bottle Lane, to the north bank of the Leen; and is bounded on the east by Sussex Street, Middle Hill, Middle Pavement, and the buildings behind Market Street and Fletchergate; and on the west by Greyfriargate, the Independent Chapel and friends' Meeting House, and the north end of Friar Lane. Its principal streets are Bridlesmithgate, Timber Hill and the Poultry. Its public edifices are the Parish Church and the Assembly Rooms.

The Church

St Peter's Church stands upon the declivity which falls westward from Bridlesmithgate to the foot of Wheelergate, Houndsgate, and the Low Pavement. It is a Gothic structure with a tower at the west end, supporting a spire, and containing a peal of eight bells cast in 1771, and said to be the best attuned and the most melodious of any within many miles. The fabric is supposed to have been built in the early part of the 15th century. It was greatly damaged in the civil wars, when the garrison threw several bombs into it to dislodge a party of loyalists who had taken possession of it. Since then it has been frequently repaired, and in 1789 a mason by the name of Wooton took down and rebuilt four yards of the spire, without the aid of scaffolding. The interior is peculiarly neat and has a good organ, which was purchased by subscription in 1812. A large square window at the east end, which contained a variety of coats of arms in stained glass, was built up in 1720, when an altar piece was placed against it, representing the Last Supper, but which has since been removed to make room for a beautiful painting by Mr Barber of Christ's agony in the garden. Upwards of 700 free seats for the use of the poor were erected in the church a few years ago. In 1831, a new burial ground, containing 16,000 square yards, near the Workhouse in the Broad Marsh, was opened for the use of St Peters Parish. The benefice is a rectory, valued in the King's books at £8 7s 6d. It is in the patronage of the crown, and now in the incumbency of the Rev. Robert White Almond M.A.

[Transcribed by Clive Henly]