St Peter Babraham (RGL2026)

St Peter, Babraham

History of St Peter Babraham

Listed building:

West tower c.1200, chancel early C13, nave and aisles, south porch mid C15.

1914 12 11
War Wedding at Babraham.—A large congregation assembled at St. Peter’s Church, Babraham, on Saturday morning, on the occasion of the marriage of Miss Sibell Eleanor Maud Adeane and the Hon. Edward James Kay-Shuttleworth. The bride is the second daughter of Mr. C. R. W. Adeane, Chairman of the Cambs. and Isle of Ely Territorial Force Association, and a prominent worker in the county, and Mrs. Adeane, of Babraham Hall. The bridegroom is the younger son of Lord and Lady Shuttleworth, of Gawthorpe Hall, Burnley, and Barbon Manor, Kirkby Lonsdale. Mr. Shuttleworth, who is a barrister-at-law, .has received a commission in the 7th Rifle Brigade. The ceremony was of a private nature, the number of guests in attendance being somewhat limited. 14 12 11

1915 10 27
Lord Lieut’s daughter married. The wedding of Miss Madeline Adeane, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adeane, of Babraham, and Capt, Denis Grey Wigan, 60th Rifles (brother of Sir Robert Wigan. Bart.) was solemnised at St. Peter’s Church Babraham on Thursday last. The service was largely attended by county people, great interest being centred on the happy event. It was a military wedding. The bride’s father, besides being the Lord Lieutenant of the County, is the chairman of the Cambs. and Isle of Ely Territorial Force Association, and has as such, perhaps, done more than any other man to obtain such a splendid rally of Cambridgeshire men to the Flag, whilst Mrs. Adeane is the President of the County branch of the British Bed Cross Society. The bridegroom, who joined the 60th Rifles in August, 1914, went to the Front in the following November. He was educated at Eton and Oxford, played cricket for Eton in 1910 and 1911 and was captain of the Eton eleven in 1912. 15 10 27 CIP

1916 01 19
Death of Lady Biddulph. — General regret has been felt throughout the county at the bereavement sustained by the Lord Lieutenant, Mr C. R. W. Adeane by the death of his mother, Lady Biddulph, who passed away on Wednesday night. Her ladyship was a well-known figure in society for many years. Born in 1834, she was the eldest child of the fourth Earl of Hardwicke. She left her father’s house, historic Wimpole, in 1860, to marry Mr. H. J. Adeane and live at Babraham, only a few miles distant. 16 01 19 (Mike Petty)

1918 10 23
Babraham war memorial unveiled – 18 10 23c

1919 04 02
County wedding. — At the church of St. Peter, Babraham, on Thursday, the marriage took place of the Hon. George Lyttelton, son of Viscount and Viscountess Cobham, and Miss Pamela Adeane, eldest daughter of Mr. C. R. W. Adeane, Lord Lieutenant of the County, and Mrs. Adeane, Babraham Hall. The church was beautifully decorated and the ceremony took place in the presence of a large congregation. A reception was afterwards held at Babraham Hall, and later the bride and bridegroom left for “Normanton,” Wiltshire, lent by Lord and Lady Glenconner. 19 04 02 CIP

Standing at the end of a quiet lane beside Babraham Hall, St Peter’s Church is one of South Cambridgeshire’s most rewarding parish churches. Built largely of local clunch and flint, its simple East Anglian exterior gives little hint of the artistic treasures within. Although the church retains medieval features, including 17th- and 18th-century benches, box pews and a handsome Perpendicular pulpit with its clerk’s desk, it is best known for two works of art separated by nearly three centuries.

The first is the extraordinary Bennett memorial in the south aisle, created by the sculptor Jasper Latham in the mid-seventeenth century. It commemorates Sir Richard and Sir Thomas Bennet, whose striking white marble figures stand against a dark background. Their remarkably lifelike faces, expressive gestures and dramatic poses make this one of the finest Baroque monuments in Cambridgeshire. Rather than presenting the brothers as passive effigies, Latham captures them in what appears to be an animated conversation, lending the memorial an unusual sense of movement and personality.

Equally remarkable is the modern east window, designed by the celebrated artist John Piper and executed by Patrick Reyntiens. Installed in the twentieth century, it depicts the emblems of St Peter, including the keys, fishing boat, cock, chains and anchor. The rich colours fill the church with light and demonstrate how modern stained glass can complement a medieval building without overwhelming it.

The church also preserves hatchments of the local Adeane family, reflecting Babraham’s long association with the neighbouring Hall. Together, its medieval fabric, distinguished Baroque sculpture and outstanding modern stained glass make St Peter’s an exceptional example of a living parish church whose treasures span more than five hundred years of English art and architecture.

Reference: based on the description of Babraham in Simon Jenkins, England’s Thousand Best Churches, together with general architectural and historical context.