St Peter’s Church in Thurston, Suffolk is a large and beautifully crafted 19th-century building that remarkably rebuilt from scratch in record time after its tower had collapsed in 1860. The inspiration behind its structure was John Henry Hakewill, the younger brother of the popular Victorian Suffolk architect Edward Hakewill. Edward’s typical approach was to add a north aisle and curate the church’s internal details to create a middle-brow sacramentalism. Whereas John Hakewill was required to start from scratch after the incident of March 18, 1860, when the tower fell. Thurston was a neglected church during the 18th and early 19th centuries and required a significant revamp, and John was proposed to do this. But just days before the rebuild, the tower collapsed under its weight and falling rubble destroyed everything else, including the nave and aisle roofs, pulpit, and lectern. If it wasn’t for the parishioners who took refuge in the chancel for their services, the church would have disappeared.
The new church was rebuilt accommodating the new structure’s style to the surviving chancel and porch. John Hakewill was of the prevailing opinion that Decorated was the only design style acceptable for medieval churches. However, Hakewill’s vision brought the church to life, and the exterior is particularly striking with a recognizable and imposing tower with ‘correct’ Dec design.
Inside the church, there is a Tudor-inspired font, 15th-century glass, and a set of royal arms commemorating Queen Elizabeth II. The woodwork in the nave is of decent quality, which was installed for the same commission as the church’s rebuilding. Father Ernest Geldart and his studio in Essex created a distinctively beautiful reredos in the church’s chancel. The Greene family is also commemorated in Thurston, particularly Sir Walter Greene, who paid for the chancel restoration. The memorial windows to the Greene family were created between 1890 and 1920 by the stained-glass firm Ward & Hughes.
Despite experiencing difficulty accessing the church for many years, St Peter’s Church is now accessible to everyone, and pilgrims can freely visit every day.
Posted by Simon Knott on 2018-02-07 19:35:26