PETER MARY AND LAURENCE: Three Treasures in Slough Pt 1

St. Peter's Church Chalvey, 

Saint Laurence's Church

Peter Mary and Laurence  - three gems in the modern parish of Upton-cum-Chalvey, all in a row and it is five minutes on a bike between each. Which is what we did entering Slough on the south side from the Jubilee River.

St. Peter's Church Chalvey, because we are getting tight on space:

It’s the 1850s, space in St. Mary and St. Laurence's was insufficient to meet the needs of the expanding population of Slough; services in Chalvey were held in a schoolroom. 

CROWD FUNDED:  The congregations’ modest weekly subscriptions were helped by an appeal to which Queen Victoria gave £100. 

Plans for the church were drawn up by G.E. Street, an uber-church architect, and the contract was given to G. Harley of Slough. Many of the windows were the work of C.E. Kempe. (A stained glass top banana)  The first stone was laid in July 1860 and the church was consecrated on 7th September 1861. 

Job done!

More on St Peter’s http://www.sopse.org.uk/ixbin/hixclient.exe?a=query&p=gateway&f=generic_objectrecord_postsearch.htm&_IXFIRST_=77&_IXMAXHITS_=1&m=quick_sform&tc1=i&tc2=e&s=jsokJ_549_e

Saint Laurence's Church is the oldest building in Slough. 

In the twelfth century the wooden parish church of Upton was replaced with a flint building. Tower and outside walls of the Norman building form part of the present church. 

INSIDE THERE IS two other Norman features survive: the ancient baptismal font, and a Piscina. During the reformation, many of the ancient decorations were mutilated. A thirteenth century Italian allegorical image of the Trinity survived and was reassembled during the restoration of the church.

 

Dereliction and Restoration: By the early nineteenth century the church had fallen into such disrepair that it was decided to build a new church, Saint Mary’s, in the town centre. A local farmer who secured the outside walls and tower saved the Norman building from demolition. Saint Laurence’s was restored 1850-1851 and rededicated on 2 December 1851.

More on St Laurence

https://www.saint-laurence.com/history.html

TO BE CONTINUED