St Peter's has a congregation that varies in age from the young to the young at heart! We aim to be a caring, sharing community that encourages each other and demonstrates the love of God out into the wider population of Carlton Colville and wherever we may roam.
We are a Church of England parish church with an open evangelical tradition with a variety of worship styles.
Our church was led by the Rector, Reverend Sarah Quantrill, who joined us in November 2020 but left in October 2023, so we are currently in vacancy but still building on each other. We are also blessed to have a Licensed Lay Minister, Mark Ellis and an Authorised Worship Assistant, Sally Krykant, and an Authorised Pastoral Assistant, Sharon Brown.
We currently have a vacancy for a Lay Pastor.
Our History
The first Rector is recorded as William de Weston, appointed in 1326. It is thought that there had probably been a Saxon Church on the site; as, in those days, such appointments were usually for just such situations. There have been a total of forty-one subsequent appointments ranging through tenures of just two years up to one of sixty-one years.
One of those with a longer stay as Rector, William Hale Andrews, was reported in some local newspapers, as having had the whole church rebuilt from ground level at his own expense. The roof is definitely of Victorian vintage as is the pulpit, choir stalls the reredos and also things no longer in view, such as the pews and tessellated tiling on the floor. However, other evidence would indicate a large but partial reconstruction; the join can be clearly seen on one of the external walls. You cannot always rely on newspapers to state the whole unembroidered truth.
Our Building
St Peter's has been modernised with a floor being raised to the height of the outside outside ground level in an effort to allow access for wheelchairs and those with mobility problems. The pews were found to be, mostly, in poor condition. So they were removed and replaced with modern upholstered chairs. Towards the back of the seating area, youngsters have their own area to share with parents or grandparents. We have recently installed the latest projector and ceiling mounted screen augmented by our already installed professional speakers.