St Peter, Vere Street

St Peter’s stands on Vere Street, a quiet side street off Oxford Street in the City of Westminster. Built in 1722 by James Gibbs, it began as the Oxford Chapel for the growing parish of Marylebone. The Crown bought the building in 1817 and rededicated it to St Peter in 1832. For a time it was known as the Marylebone or Marybone Chapel. The chapel served All Souls Church, Langham Place, between 1940 and 1951 while the latter was repaired after war damage. The building is a fine example of Gibbs’s work, with brick walls, stone quoins and a Doric porch at the west end. A two-stage octagonal tower rises above the roof, and at the east end a Venetian window sits beneath a pediment. Inside, the elliptical nave vault rests on Corinthian columns, with galleries on both sides. Victorian stained glass by Edward Burne-Jones, made by Morris & Co., still fills the windows. The ground plan was copied for St Paul’s Church in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the earliest Anglican church in Canada. Visitors find a plain but elegant exterior with stone vases once marking the corners. The west door leads up steps to the porch, while the east end offers the Venetian window and pediment. Inside, the elliptical vault and Corinthian columns shape the nave, and the galleries give views of the space. The Burne-Jones windows cast coloured light across the interior. The chapel’s history is visible in every detail, from the removed De Vere coat of arms to the surviving Venetian window.