St Peter and St Paul, the parish church of Albury
Our church is a unique and remarkable example of Victorian parish architecture.
The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul has stood half way up the hill
overlooking Albury village for more than a hundred and sixty years, since
it replaced the Old Saxon Church in Albury Park. If you look out of
its great west door, down the Tillingbourne valley, past St Martha's-on-
the-Hill, towards the valley of the Wey, you will see immediately why it was
sited here. St Peter and St Paul's looks out over some of the most beautiful
scenery in the county, completely at home in its surroundings.
In 1839 Henry Drummond M.P., of the mansion in Albury Park, began to
build two new churches. These were to replace the Old Parish Church
that neighboured his mansion. The new Catholic Apostolic Church,
near Sherbourne, was to accommodate his fellow Catholic Apostolics, or
Irvingites, with whom the Rector of Albury, the Reverend Hugh Neile,
had come to fall out. The other, the new Parish Church of St Peter
and St Paul, was built a mile away in the hamlet of Weston Street
that came to be known as Albury in later years. The Catholic Apostolic
Church was completed in 1840 and St Peter and St Paul in following year.
St Peter and St Paul's arched and ornamented red brick Romanesque
outside gives no suggestion of the fine proportions and clear vistas
of the uncomplicated interior.
As you enter through the west door, you will see to your left, the list of Albury Rectors going back more than 750 years and also the earliest monument in the church. This is dedicated to Elizabeth Margaret Plummer, who died in 1844, and to her granddaughter. Walking through the glazed doors, sense the proportions, openness and lightness and the way that your eye focuses immediately on the reredos behind the altar, with its red cross standing on a gold background.
The War Memorials
Half way down the south wall are the War Memorials to those from Albury
who died serving their country in the two World Wars.
A local artist, Gerald F. Metcalfe of Albury Heath, designed both and
a local postman was the model for the relief figure.
The First War memorial, with its arch and decoration, reflects the romanesque character
of the church's exterior. It is made of Hopton Wood stone, a kind of marble.
The painted insert above the names depicts an angel reading the names of
the fallen with two others praising and thanking God for the spirit of
sacrifice which He has instilled in mankind.
Metcalfe was dissatisfied with the second memorial. Restricted funds limited
his design and prevented him from using his chosen mason. These
disappointments were compounded when the two monuments were mounted
in a way that he did not expect and were made to stand out against a
light coloured wall-paint of which he did not approve.
The memorials commemorate the deaths of many young men whose families
still live in Albury.
Joan Drew
The Mothers Union Banner, which is displayed on the South wall, was completed at the beginning of the
1939 war in the week that 100 evacuees moved into the parish.
Some conservation treatment was carried out on the banner in 2002.
The St George Banner which is displayed on the west wall, was finished in 1945 as a commemoration of
the service and sacrifice of all who served the civilian population
during the war.
These are both the work of Joan Drew.
The Chancel
Look at the capitals of the pilasters that flank the windows in the chancel.
Each is different and is symbolic. They were designed by a local lady
in consultation with the Rector.
The present organ, with its triple manual, was not built until 1935.
It was the gift of Miss Capadose, who made other generous donations
to the church. Sir Harold Darke, the eminent organist, advised the
choice of this Compton organ, which is of exceptional quality. Its
installation required the conversion of the west gallery into an organ
loft and the introduction of the two oak pillars near the west doors
to give support.
The Rector (George Raymond Portal) donated the great eagle of the lectern when Sir Arthur
Blomfield added the chancel in 1869.
The Northumberland Memorial Chapel
Edward Maufe, architect of Guildford Cathedral converted the Chapel
from the north transept in 1939.
It forms a memorial chapel for the eighth
Duke of Northumberland, Alan Ian, whose Garter Banner hangs over the altar. His family,
who paid for the development, was to suffer the loss of the eldest son,
the ninth Duke, Henry George Alan, in the following year when he was killed
in action in France, and the Chapel also commemorates his death.
The sixth Duke's hatchment hangs on the west wall of the chapel.
Plaques commemorating other local men who died in the 1914-18 war as
well as some notable servants of the Albury community who died at other
times have been mounted on the north wall. There is also a plaque commemorating the Reverend George Portal
who was responsible for many of the donations and much of the work involved in
the 1870 extension and improvements. It notes his founding of the
National Provident Friendly Society in 1868.
The altar frontal is of the same material that was
used at the coronation of King George VI in 1937.
The windows
Most of the original stained glass windows of the church were destroyed or damaged by a flying bomb that fell on Weston Wood in 1944. Three original lights remain: the Good Shepherd window in the south wall of the nave, and the windows in the organ loft, half hidden since the installation of the organ in 1935.
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| Good Shepherd window | Small window in organ loft | Larger window in organ loft |
Most of those destroyed were replaced with plain glass, which was the extent for which the War Damage Commission would pay compensation. However, in 1949 public subscription secured new stained glass in the east end. Gerald Smith of A.K. Nicholson and Son designed these three windows
 Left window |
 Centre window |
 Right window |
The centre light shows Christ as Priest, King and Author of Life: He stands before the Cross and the Tree of Life, demonstrating the triumph of the Crucifixion and the defeat of agony and suffering. The pelican, feeding its young with its own blood, a symbol of His Sacrifice, is shown above. The light on the left shows St Peter and the other, St Paul. St Peter holds the Keys of the Kingdom and he is accompanied by the cock whose crowing called him to repentance and reconciliation. St Paul holds the Word of God and the Sword of the Spirit. There is reference to his missionary travels in the ship at his foot.
A remarkably fine new window was added in 1999 to celebrate the
millennium. The window, which is on the north wall, was designed by Susan Ashworth, a
member of The British Society of Master Glass Artists.
Working to a brief drawn up by the Albury PCC, Susan has created a stunning window depicting
Christ with Simon Peter and Andrew fishing on one of Albury's many ponds
with St Martha's in the background.
The original architecture
Its present appearance gives little
real indication of its original form. The building was finished in
1841. In May 1867 Louise's eldest son, Lord Warworth, presented the distinctive blue-faced tower
clock to the church to mark his 21st birthday and majority. In 1869 Sir Arthur Blomfield, was engaged to
extend William McIntosh Brookes's design of 30 years before by adding the apse,
chancel and choir vestry. These improvements, described at the time
as being aimed 'to bring church architecture in a purer form to Albury',
were also, more practically, designed to enlarge the seating in
the church. Much significant furniture and important detail were added
at the same time. Over the next few years, public subscription paid for stained glass to
replace the plain glass windows. A new pulpit, desk and choir lights were installed and the great
oak eagle of the lectern was given by the Rector, George Portal. At the same time an organ was installed
for the first time.
The addition of the apse
Blomfield, who designed the extension of the original church, had done
much work in the mid-century to 'improve' several local churches.
His wooden roof of the apse was regarded as a noteworthy feature,
and it certainly complements the plainness of the rest of the interior.
The extension moved the east wall sixty or seventy feet and provided
the semicircular apse that is a characteristic feature of many contemporary
church buildings. Some stained glass was removed at the same time to
give more light for an organ to be installed for the first time.
The removal of the altar eastwards, outside the original limits
of the building, necessitated a second consecration ceremony,
which took place in 1870.