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St Peter's Church, Forncett

St Peters aerial crop Photo David AveryFOSP logo smallerA wonderful Grade 1 listed jewel nestled in the heart of Forncett, St Peter's is one of 7 churches in the Upper Tas Valley All Saints parish. Its Saxon round tower, built circa 1000 AD, is considered to be one of the best in the country and there are other Saxon/Norman features.Much of the main building is of later, mainly 14th and 15th century date. Look out for: the 1485 Drake tombcarved pew ends, a unique ancient staircase in the tower (access by appointment), fine ledger slabs in the chancel and nave, the memorial to Dorothy Wordsworth’s cousin, good examples of Victorian coloured glass windows and the ring of six bells.

Sadly, St Peter’s is now on the ‘At Risk’ register due to ingress of water through the roof and other structural problems. Having existed for over 1000 years, project work is now underway to secure it for the next 1000 years. To help this happen Friends of St Peter’s link has been set up to raise funds to firstly get the church off the ‘At Risk’ register and secondly upgrade facilities to make it a vibrant community hub. The Friends of St Peter’s Project Committee is a group of village volunteers who coordinate the fund raising and restoration project. The main Committee is supported by three sub committees: Steering Group, Publicity, Activities. 

Much money has already been raised thanks to many supporters:heritage fund logo smaller

The love of the local community for St Peter’s is demonstrated by the fact that Forncett residents have also raised over £30,000 from donations and activities such as Saturday Markets, fund-raising dinners and quizzes.