Home
Our church was founded in 1866, making it the youngest of three Anglican Churches in Devizes, but it has a colourful and fascinating history. It has been served by a number of talented and enthusiastic Vicars. Our Parish Paper editor, Terry Gaylard, wrote in his 125th Anniversary (1866-1991) A History of the Church and School:
'As you enter the Church, the first impression is of the purpose of the building - designed for worship, to glorify God.
'Its congregation is drawn not only from the parish itself, but from much further afield.
'People seeking sustenance for their spiritual needs have found in St Peter’s a haven of rest, a centre of inspiration and teaching, a place of prayer and re-dedication for their lives. Today at St Peter's the "worship of God in the beauty of holiness" - as the well known hymn so aptly puts it - is expressed in an atmosphere of devotion, reverence and spirituality.'
In the first 68 years of its history St Peter's had only three Vicars. The picture below taken from Terry's book is an early postcard of St Peter's with a picture of the third Vicar, Canon Frederick Phipps who held the office from 1901 to 1934,
A copy of Terry's book, with a Foreword by a previous Vicar Father Brian Tigwell, may be purchased in the Church for £3 or borrowed on free loan.
It may also be downloaded in PDF format - click here to download. Note that this PDF file is over 7 Mb in size and the download will tie up your telephone line for some time if you do not have broadband.
