Altar and Choir, July 2022
On this page you will find information about our history and location.
St Peter’s from the south, June 2018
St Peter's is a parish church in the Church of England. It is part of the wider Chipping Barnet Team Ministry, that includes St John the Baptist, Chipping Barnet; St Mark's, Barnet Vale; and St Stephen's, Bells Hill. It is one of very few churches in Greater London that are in the Diocese of St Albans.
St Peter’s, early 20th century (Barnet Museum Archive)
HISTORY OF ST PETER'S
Arkley is at one of the highest points in Greater London, almost 500 feet above sea level. There has been a settlement here for probably 1,000 years, and the name itself was recorded in the 14th century.
St Peter's began life as a private chapel in 1840, built by Enosh (or Enoch) Durant (c1768-1848), a City silk trader of High Canons, Shenley, to serve his tenants and those who worked in his nearby brick works. The nave and transepts are built of bricks made in Arkley. It was initially licensed for worship by the Lord Bishop of London, in whose diocese Arkley then lay. After Durant’s death, the chapel was given by his heirs to the Church of England and became a chapel-of-ease of St. john the Baptist, Chipping Barnet. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the church was enlarged and a new parish of Arkley was created in 1905, with St Peter's, a Grade II listed building since 1950, as its parish church. The Lady Chapel was added in 1921. A stained glass window by Charles Kempe was installed above the altar in 1903. The village war memorial opposite the church, also Grade II listed, was unveiled in 1920. It commemorates 30 local servicemen who gave their lives in the World Wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45, as do memorial tablets in the church.
A marble tablet recording Enosh Durant’s role in St Peter’s foundation was erected in the church by his widow in 1849. A contemporaneous portrait of him, of which we have a copy, is held by the National Portrait Gallery. Go to: www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp121902/enoch-durant
The ashes of the actor Trevor Howard (1916-88) are buried in the Garden of Rest.
Arkley is at one of the highest points in Greater London, almost 500 feet above sea level. There has been a settlement here for probably 1,000 years, and the name itself was recorded in the 14th century.
St Peter's began life as a private chapel in 1840, built by Enosh (or Enoch) Durant (c1768-1848), a City silk trader of High Canons, Shenley, to serve his tenants and those who worked in his nearby brick works. The nave and transepts are built of bricks made in Arkley. It was initially licensed for worship by the Lord Bishop of London, in whose diocese Arkley then lay. After Durant’s death, the chapel was given by his heirs to the Church of England and became a chapel-of-ease of St. john the Baptist, Chipping Barnet. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries the church was enlarged and a new parish of Arkley was created in 1905, with St Peter's, a Grade II listed building since 1950, as its parish church. The Lady Chapel was added in 1921. A stained glass window by Charles Kempe was installed above the altar in 1903. The village war memorial opposite the church, also Grade II listed, was unveiled in 1920. It commemorates 30 local servicemen who gave their lives in the World Wars of 1914-18 and 1939-45, as do memorial tablets in the church.
A marble tablet recording Enosh Durant’s role in St Peter’s foundation was erected in the church by his widow in 1849. A contemporaneous portrait of him, of which we have a copy, is held by the National Portrait Gallery. Go to: www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp121902/enoch-durant
The ashes of the actor Trevor Howard (1916-88) are buried in the Garden of Rest.
Enosh Durant, who founded St Peter’s in 1840: Christmas 2018
ST PETER'S AND ITS ENVIRONS
In 1983 St Peter’s became part of the Chipping Barnet Team Ministry.
We are a small, friendly church on the edge of town and country - a short distance from a tube station (High Barnet) and a few miles from the M25; yet our parish is full of working agricultural land, as well as housing. Chipping Barnet, on whose western outskirts Arkley lies, retains some of its historic features as a coaching stop on the Great North Road and the site of an Elizabethan grammar school. The Battle of Barnet, an important encounter in the Wars of the Roses, was fought to the north of the town on Easter Day, 1471, and the Physic Well, visited by Samuel Pepys in the 17th century, is near St Peter's. Barnet Road (A411), in which the church is located, links Arkley village to Chipping Barnet to the east, and the Barnet By-Pass (A1) at Stirling Corner to the west. In addition to the church and war memorial, local landmarks include the Gate inn, which dates from the 18th century, and Arkley Windmill (Barnet Gate Mill) from the early 19th century. In the late 1930s Arkley became the temporary home to a large number of Basque refugees from the Spanish Civil War. During the Second World War a number of “listening posts” were established in the village to assist Allied intelligence.
The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-1 coincided with our 180th anniversary, St Peter’s was closed for public worship for a total of nine months, but we streamed a number of services online for the first time. Our present Vicar, the Revd Cindy Kent, a well-known singer (with the Settlers in the 1960s) and broadcaster, was installed in the church on 17 January 2024.
In 1983 St Peter’s became part of the Chipping Barnet Team Ministry.
We are a small, friendly church on the edge of town and country - a short distance from a tube station (High Barnet) and a few miles from the M25; yet our parish is full of working agricultural land, as well as housing. Chipping Barnet, on whose western outskirts Arkley lies, retains some of its historic features as a coaching stop on the Great North Road and the site of an Elizabethan grammar school. The Battle of Barnet, an important encounter in the Wars of the Roses, was fought to the north of the town on Easter Day, 1471, and the Physic Well, visited by Samuel Pepys in the 17th century, is near St Peter's. Barnet Road (A411), in which the church is located, links Arkley village to Chipping Barnet to the east, and the Barnet By-Pass (A1) at Stirling Corner to the west. In addition to the church and war memorial, local landmarks include the Gate inn, which dates from the 18th century, and Arkley Windmill (Barnet Gate Mill) from the early 19th century. In the late 1930s Arkley became the temporary home to a large number of Basque refugees from the Spanish Civil War. During the Second World War a number of “listening posts” were established in the village to assist Allied intelligence.
The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-1 coincided with our 180th anniversary, St Peter’s was closed for public worship for a total of nine months, but we streamed a number of services online for the first time. Our present Vicar, the Revd Cindy Kent, a well-known singer (with the Settlers in the 1960s) and broadcaster, was installed in the church on 17 January 2024.
Christmas Eve 2022
Whatever your age, background or style of worship, we hope that St Peter's can offer you a warm welcome, whether you are popping in for one of our services, or looking for a church to call home.
War Memorial opposite St Peter’s: Remembrance Sunday, 2017
