About St. Peter's

A warm welcome to the Parish Church of St Peter-the-Apostle, Walton-on-the-Hill.

This is a Church of England Parish in the Deanery of Epsom, the Diocese of Guildford and the Province of Canterbury.

Our mission statement is "Seeking God-Sharing his love". We are centred around the worship of Jesus Christ and the service of all who live and work in Walton-on-the-Hill. We meet Sunday by Sunday to receive Christ's Word, Food and Commission.

The EXTERIOR
Before coming into the church, you will have passed under the lych gate. You may have noticed that three words in gold are etched on the "cross beam". They are Mors, Janua, Vitae (Latin for Death, Gateway and Life). "Lych" is old English for corpse and traditionally is where a coffin was briefly rested before being carried into church On the church side of the same arch is a dedication to Rev. Greenhill, Rector from 1882 to 1907. The churchyard is quite extensive, with many old and interesting tombstones. Traditionally, there is a yew tree near the notice board and a cross commemorating those in Walton who lost their lives in both world wars.

The INTERIOR
On entering the west door, turn left and you will see on the wall a list of Lords of the Manor and Rectors of Walton. The dates of these will tell you the age of the church. During all this time, many changes in layout and structure were carried out. For example, the nave was largely rebuilt in 1817 and the north aisle added in 1870. The Lady chapel was added in mid 19th century and contains an altar-piece which is a copy of Murillo's "The Madonna" in the Prado Museum Madrid. High on the outer walls are three hatchments (diamond shaped coats of arms) of leading families in past centuries. Other features in the church worth noticing are the carved wooden screen, the fine brass lectern and the pulpit.

The DEDICATION
This is to Saint Peter, the "rock" on which the Christian church is built. The favoured disciple to whom Christ gave the keys of Heaven, was a truly remarkable man - wild, passionate, outspoken, whose denial of Jesus was forgiven by the risen Christ. His symbolic keys are much in evidence throughout the church in stained glass windows and above the lampshades in the central aisle for example.

The CHANCEL & THE SANCTUARY
Past the Victorian wooden screen is the altar, behind which is a wooden reredos. On the right are three sedilias (seats carved into the wall) and a piscina (washbasin).

The MEMORIALS
These are many, varied and well worth reading. Often, they tell a story - sometimes a sad one, such as tragically early deaths. Others however tell of happy, long and fruitful lives. Some record achievements and success, many contain a prayer or a quotation. They are all part of our history and give us a glimpse of another era, another time, a time when churches were always full and services frequent.

The FONT
We are fortunate to have this very old (late 12th century) and rare lead font, one of only 29 in the country. Over the centuries, it has been reduced in size and lacks both lid and hinge. It is venerated however because it has been at the joyful centre of many many baptisms and the prayers and promises of so many proud parents and godparents.

The STAINED GLASS WINDOWS
We have many lovely and inspiring stained glass windows. Windows on to life in a tiny village in the heart of open and beautiful rural landscape. Many windows tell two stories - the one it depicts (often biblical) and a personal one (names and dates). They make a great contribution to the atmosphere and sanctity of the church. There are two that are particularly special. One is the glorious striking window behind the sanctuary at the eastern end of the church. It is Victorian glass, showing scenes from the life of our Lord from his nativity to his Ascension. The other is utterly different and contemporary. Ir is the first window in the north wall (Lady Chapel). It is our Millennium window and shows four scenes of our beautiful village and was especially commissioned from a distinguished stained glass artist It was the gift of the village to the church, where it is hoped that it will become parr of our heritage for future generations.

The BELLS
High in the tower and reached by a narrow staircase are three bells. Of the two that are inscribed the treble bell says, "William Eldridge made mee 1681" and the tenor bell says "Robertas: mot: me: facit: 1591".

We hope you will come to St Peter's to join us for worship, or simply to visit. Please say a prayer for all those people who have worshipped here, preached here, married here, been baptised here and laid to rest here.

Finally, a prayer for you to take away with you.

     The Lord bless you and watch over you;

     The Lord make his face shine on you

     and be gracious to you;

     the Lord  look kindly on you and give you peace.

     Amen