Between the Castle and the River



Parish of St Peter and St Paul Wisbech                           

 

 


Hello and welcome to the new blog that will be following us through the exciting new changes at St. Peter & St.Paul's Wisbech. The Lottery- funded works are part of the programme of preparing the church for the next 100 years at the centre of Wisbech, the Capital of the Fens. Join us on the journey. 


For the 900 years since Wisbech was recorded as having a church built of stone, that church, St. Peter's has been sandwiched between the site of the former Wisbech castle (and its moat) and the thoroughfare now known as Churchill Rd. The original Norman castle has been by turns a Tudor mansion, a Bishop's palace, a Regency house and, latterly, a Teachers' Centre. Meanwhile, on the other side, there was a large river, known as the Welle Stream, that drained water from Peterborough and Whittlesey into the great salt marsh that bounded the current churchyard and joined up with the Wash.  This river then dwindled to become a small stream. It then became a canal which was filled in during the 1960's to become Churchill Road as we know it today. As the Fens were drained, so the marsh receded from Wisbech leaving the landscape more familiar to us now.

Surrounded by all this change, St Peter's has never wavered from its key purpose of worshipping God and providing a central focus for the town. It has also undergone significant change in its layout and appearance over the centuries. This Lottery-funded opportunity allows us to continue the story and to shape the beautiful building for the 21st century and beyond.

                                                           

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