There has been a church on the site of St Peter’s West Molesey for 900 years. Here is a little bit of information about some of the things you can find inside the building itself.
The Clock
The church clock was given to the people of West Molesey by Mrs Joseph Palmer in 1815, and built by Thwaites & Co of Clerkenwell in 1813, with a birdcage movement. It is 40 years older than Big Ben in London. It was repaired and restored in 2000.
The Chancel
If, on entering, you turn right, you will see the Chancel and High Altar at the east end of the church. Originally there was a lancet window behind the high altar, consisting of three lights filled with plain glass, with a simple reredos in the shape of a cross in front of it. This was replaced some time during Fr Sydenham’s incumbency by a smaller one carved by the vicar himself. The window was bricked up when the glass started to deteriorate, and replaced by the present picture of Christ. At this time, the reredos was transferred to the Lady Chapel, where it stands today. The marble steps were added in 1959, the flooring prior to that being at one level. The altar was moved to its present west-facing position in 2003. Reserved Sacrament is kept in the Tabernacle.
The Side Chapel
The hand-carved reredos to the Lady Chapel altar was carved by a previous vicar, Fr. Sydenham. It originally stood behind the high altar, but was moved when the window was bricked up. It was originally much taller than it is now, blocking out the stained glass window behind. It was reduced to its present height in 1996, when the chapel was re-ordered and dedicated to Margaret Yeend, wife of Revd. John Yeend, vicar from 1945-1997. The carved altar table is late Tudor. The casket for the paintings was constructed by Mr Peter Pownal of Mottram St Andrew in Cheshire. The painted panels are the work of local artist Iain McKillop, who also repainted the carved reredos when the church was refurbished in 2002.
The Pulpit
The pulpit, which stands between the Chancel and the Lady Chapel, was built in the time of James I. It is a panelled and carved structure in oak with a fine hexagonal canopy. It originally stood in the south corner where the present statue of St. Peter now stands.
Stained Glass Windows
The east window behind the Lady Chapel altar is in memory of the Rt. Hon. J W Croker, whose bust is at the back of the church, the two lights representing the Nativity and the Ascension.
The West window is situated in the tower, and, sadly, not easily visible from the nave. It consists of three lights, each commemorating a patron of the church. The first light contains the arms of Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester and founder of Corpus Christi College Oxford (1509). His arms, which consist of a pelican feeding her young, which are depicted in the window, can also be seen above the outside of the west (tower) door of the church, though this carving has badly deteriorated with the years. The second light bears the arms of the Dowager Queen Adelaide, consort to King William IV. The third commemorates Charles Richard Sumner, Bishop of Winchester 1828-1869.