History

St Peter and St Paul’s is a large parish church which dates from the late C12, with important additions in the early C13, C14, and late C15. It was restored by R. C. Carpenter, 1850-4 with contributions from Clayton Bell, Crice and Hardiman. The stained glass is magnificent, and well worth a visit, as are the many medieval features but beyond that is the whole of the restoration, commissioned by the Squarson of the day, Basil Beridge, and carried out by the finest craftsmen of the day – contemporaries of Pugin, whose influence can be detected in much of the decoration.  It was described by one visiting parson as Hogwarts on the Fens!

The project to restore St Peter and St Paul’s involves plans to establish a local history research centre in the church that will act as an archive of information relating to all periods of history at the church and the village of Algarkirk. Local residents are being encouraged to participate in the development of the heritage centre through a range of researching and recording opportunities. A small group of volunteers are already busy cataloguing documents, recording oral histories and mapping the churchyard. To find out more about how you can get involved please contact us.