St Peter's Church, Hargrave

St Peter’s Church stands in the quiet village of Hargrave, Cheshire, built of red sandstone with a red-tiled roof and a small bell turret at the west end. The building combines a five-bay nave and chancel under one roof, a vestry, and a south porch with Jacobean stonework. A clock on the turret shows two faces, one to the south and one to the west. The porch holds a 1774 panel with the Moulson family coat of arms and a founding inscription. Inside, the hammerbeam roof from 1774 remains, while the octagonal font survives from the original furnishings. The church owes its existence to Thomas Moulson, a former villager who became a master grocer in London. As Lord Mayor of London in 1634, he set up a trust in 1638 to keep the building in use. By 1812 the schoolroom within had closed, and the church fell into disrepair until a £600 restoration between 1878 and 1890. The first Duke of Westminster gave £200 towards the work, and John Douglas designed the new vestry and reredos. Outside, two Commonwealth war graves lie in the churchyard, marking soldiers from the First World War. The registers begin in 1631, recording early parish life. The simple interior contrasts with the rich Jacobean porch, where the Moulson arms and inscription recall the founder’s gift. The churchyard’s quiet grass and mature trees frame the modest stone building.