The church in Shoreham is situated in the Darent Valley which has had a Christian presence since Roman times. It seems very possible that there may have been a Saxon church built of wattle and daub on the site of the present church. The oldest part of the current structure, dating from the late 12th century, is part of the original Norman church, in the form of an arch between the west end of the nave and the tower. For hundreds of years Shoreham parish was what was termed a peculiar – under the control of the Archbishop of Canterbury rather than the Bishop of Rochester. The long list of clergy on the board in the church dates from the first rector, Simon of Offeham, in 1242 and includes some cardinals who probably never set foot in the parish and paid other clergy to minister to the spiritual needs of the inhabitants.
A major expansion period in the fabric of the church was in the early Tudor period from 1485 to 1530 when the south chancel was built. This was constructed at the same time as the porch. One of the great glories of the church is the rood screen which dates from the early Tudor period. In 1547 the parish had new patrons in the form of the Dean and Chapter of Westminster Abbey; they are still the patrons today and collaborate with the parish in choosing new vicars. The period 1674 to 1785 is remarkable in that there were only two vicars during this time. One of them was Vincent Perronet, who welcomed John and Charles Wesley, the founders of Methodism. Charles Wesley received a very hostile reception when he first preached in the church. After his virtually inaudible sermon he was chased by people he termed “wild beasts” back to the Vicarage where he was staying. |
In the 18th century the church was completely re-ordered with a three-decker pulpit on the north wall and box pews facing the pulpit, sidelining the altar, at a time when taking communion was rare and preaching was at the heart of Anglican services.
In 1774 a fire in the tower destroyed it; the new one made of flint and brick was completed a year later. There was further internal re-ordering in the 19th century when the western gallery – which had once housed a barrel organ and the choir – was demolished, as was the eastern gallery on the rood screen, which had at various times been used for storage and as a family pew.
In 1774 a fire in the tower destroyed it; the new one made of flint and brick was completed a year later. There was further internal re-ordering in the 19th century when the western gallery – which had once housed a barrel organ and the choir – was demolished, as was the eastern gallery on the rood screen, which had at various times been used for storage and as a family pew.
Canon Edward Repton, at one time Prebendary of Westminster Abbey, used his links there to acquire a pulpit from the Abbey, part of the choir stalls and also the organ which had been used on the coronation day of George II – a recycling which benefitted Shoreham. In 1856 the box pews were removed and the current benches were put in, this time facing eastwards towards the high altar. The chancel was rebuilt in the 1860s and the north-east vestry constructed. Irish yew trees were planted and the red brick path built through the churchyard, both still key features of the churchyard today.
In the long history of the current building there was a huge change in the nature of the worship within the building. The Tudor Reformation saw the end of the Latin Mass and its replacement by services in English conducted by vicars who could be married. It is now hard to imagine how in the late 19th century there was such uproar at the presence of a cross and candlesticks on a ledge behind the high altar, owing to a strong anti-ritualism sentiment amongst many in the Church of England. During the 20th century the traditional Book of Common Prayer Matins as the principal service on Sunday was gradually replaced by a greater focus on communion services, but the style and nature of the worship continues to evolve.
The room currently used as a vestry on the north side of the church was built as a chapel by Thomas Buckland, after whom this room is now named. For some time until the mid-20th century it was reserved as the private family pew of the Gregory family who lived nearby in Shoreham House. That other great family which dominated the village until 1950, the Mildmays of Shoreham Place, had what is still known as the Mildmay Chapel for their exclusive use in services. Both these parts of the church have beneath them deep vaults which contain the leaded coffins of a number of notable village families.
The church’s stained glass was all destroyed in a World War Two air raid, except arguably the finest one – the Burne-Jones window. The most recent new window is the Millennium Window which was designed to reflect aspects of village life through the seasons. Controversial plans for a church extension on the north side of the church at the start of the 21st century were scaled down and a new set of rooms very much in keeping with the existing architecture of the church was officially opened in 2019. This provided toilets, a kitchen, an office and a meeting room in order to better equip the church to function effectively in the community.
Until the induction of Diane Rees as the first woman vicar in 2015, all the incumbents had of course been men. Two of the 20th century vicars had spent time in prison – although before their time as incumbents in Shoreham. Paul Gliddon, vicar from 1944 to 1952, had been incarcerated twice as a young man, once for assaulting David Lloyd George in his support of votes for women and a few years later for being a conscientious objector during World War One. Geoffrey Simpson, the vicar in the 1980s, was arrested and put into a cell in the United States because of his part in a civil rights Freedom Ride in the 1960s. These were just some of the long line of very varied clergy who served in what is today the last remaining place of Christian worship in Shoreham.
Much more information on the history of St Peter & St Paul's Church, along with photos and more of Ken Wilson's drawings can be found in the History Society's 56-page booklet "1,000 Years of Shoreham Church" by Rev. Richard Freeman.