St Peter's Church, Congleton

We were appointed as architects to lead a project of repairs to this landmark Grade I listed 18th century church.

The present church, built in brickwork between 1740-42, stands on the site of a medieval church, which was demolished with the exception of the lower levels of the stone tower. The tower was then raised in 1786 to its current height with a parapet and pinnacles. In 1839-40 the church was further extended by one bay on the West end either side of the tower with a porch added facing the street.

The church is rectangular in plan form, seven bays long with two tiers of windows, round headed above and segment arch headed below. The Venetian East window is set in a pediment brick projection with niches either side.

Phase 1 - we were commissioned to undertake the Quinquennial Inspection of the Church. The recommendation within the report was that the replacement of the roof finish should be undertaken as a priority repair item along with associated structural timber repairs. The church was covered in concrete tiles which were heavily degraded and the replacement of these with Welsh slate formed the basis of a successful grant application to English Heritage under the Listed Places of Worship Repair Scheme, with a grant being awarded.

Phase 2 - BTP worked with the Church on a second phase of priority repairs, which received HLF grant funding. The works involved repairs to an ornate decorative ceiling to the nave of the Church and the replacement/reinstatement of cast iron windows.