Monday afternoon I decided to visit a local church. I didn't want to go far as we were going for a meal in the evening and I had to get back. In the end I decided to visit St Peter's, Birley, which is slightly less than 30 minutes drive away and has family connections. It was dry when I left Hatfield but it was drizzling slightly when I arrived at the church.
My great great grandfather Noah (born 1830) who was a Gamekeeper/Farmer lived at Birley for a while and married an Anne Galliers. Their first child, a daughter Ada, was born on 24th February, 1867, at Birley. They later moved to the Sarnesfield area of North Herefordshire.
St Peter's is a Grade 1 Listed Building built in the C13th and extended in the C14th. The West Tower is early C13th and the shingled pyramidal roof is probably C17th.
The manors of Birley were in the possession of two important Marcher families - de Lacy and Mortimer and were run by tenants. In 1086 the tenants were Godmund (tenant Roger de Lacy) and Richard (tenant of Ralph Mortimer).
War Memorial
The South Chapel is C14th and the timber framed gable was probably added in the C17th.
The churchyard was full of Buttercups and in some places Cowslips.
The South Door is probably C12th.
It is always good to see a sign that the church is open :)
The interior of the church was very dark and, although I tried, I couldn't find a light switch anywhere and so I used high iso for most of the photos, except the windows, and even then I was only getting a slow speed.
The church was restored in 1873/4 by Henry Ward.
This window from 2000 is by Richard Mather.
Encaustic floor tiling from the Restoration which Pevsner describes as "strident"!
The C12th chalice shaped font is the only evidence that a Romanesque church was here.
Ogee headed C14th stoup.
Kneelers
Stained glass window by Jones and Willis 1902.
Pulpit from 1633
C14th chancel arch with ballflower decoration. The piers are decorated with human faces and the heads of floppy eared puppies.
C14th Piscina in the chancel
The East Window (1887) is by Jones and Willis.
Looking from the chancel down the nave towards the West Tower.
Rose Window
The South Chapel
Victorian Memorial Glass
Looking from the chancel towards the West Tower
Back outside the rain had stopped - ignore any raindrops on the lens in the initial photos of the exterior!
Birley Court is opposite the church
As usual I missed a few features mainly fragments of medieval stained glass and my photos of the reredos were rubbish!
All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one or one of my son's I would appreciate an email first - thanks).
Reference: "Buildings of England Herefordshire" by A Brookes and N Pevsner (Yale University Press 2017
