Explore Religious Heritage Across Europe

An unusually complete Victorian interior with a breathtakingly elaborate chancel, featuring cusped and gilded roof rafters.

The beautiful church of St Peter in Great Haseley dates mostly from the 13th and 14th centuries and includes some fine Early English and Decorated features.

St Peter's is in a windswept location, in open farmland, with ancient yew trees and a patina of great antiquity. Abutting the north side of the tower, and entered from the church, is a rare medieval priest's house.

In what had been a promontory clifftop overlooking the north of the harbour and estuary of the River Wear, 60 hides of land were given by King Ecgfrith for Benedict Biscop to found the monastery of St Peter in the name of the Archbishop Theodore of Canterbury in 673 AD. This was the beginning of a new project a movement to bring learning, culture and the Christian religion to the north of Saxon Britain.

St Peter's was of some importance particularly in Anglo Saxon times in giving its name to one of the thirteen Hundred districts into which Surrey was divided. It is popular with walkers who find it featured in most walking guides to the area particularly as it has the second largest Yew tree in UK.

St Peter's was completed in 1879 to a design by GE Street as the founding mother church of Bournemouth. The building incorporates work by some of the finest Gothic Revival architects and artists, including Street, George Frederick Bodley, Ninian Comper, Arthur Blomfield and Edward Burne-Jones, with stained glass and frescoes by Clayton and Bell. The chancel has been described as 'one of the richest Gothic Revival interiors in England'.

In mid Victorian days, interest in health and in travel coincided with the building of Harrogate around its new Spa and new railway station. Fine houses and streets began to spring up, and it was clear that another church should be built to meet the needs of a rising population. Mrs Mary Anne Fielde donated her house to be the Vicarage, and her garden for a church and a school to be built.

A lovely village church with interesting features to be discovered including early 14th century stained glass depicting three medieval family shields of the Percy, Umfraville and Beaumont families. The yellow silver stain used in this stained glass is quite indicative of its very early age.

The tall, graceful spire is visible for miles around. It was used by sailors and others returning by boat along the river Great Ouse to the port of St Ives as a welcoming landmark, and it may even have had a lit beacon to aid their way. Lying on the Via Devana, the Roman road that linked the army camps at Godmanchester and Cambridge, Fenstanton was the site of a Roman villa. It is also in the Domesday Book.

St Peter & St Paul is on the east coast of Suffolk and looks out to sea. It is rich in history, and there is a magnificent window by John Piper in memory of Benjamin Britten. The tower is the oldest part of the church, and it is such a notable local landmark hat it was used for many years by mariners to pilot their ships.