UK Construction Journal - Issue 1 - April 2026 - Flipbook - Page 72
St Peter’s Church,
Ruthin, Denbighshire
The Church of St Peter is the Anglican parish church of Ruthin, an ancient market town which lies
within the Vale of Clwyd in Denbighshire, northeast Wales.
Both naves have magnificent timber roofs, added in the
early Tudor period (c. 1500–40). The northern nave roof is
particularly elaborate, with decorated beams and over 400
panels carved with an immense variety of devices, flowers,
badges and heraldry of baronial families. The later, southern
roof is simpler, with plain panels but decorated bosses.
In 1282, when Edward I had completed his conquest of
Wales, his close friend Reginald de Grey, baron of Wilton
created Ruthin a chartered borough.
During the turbulent years of the fifteenth century, the church
continued to serve the community, but suffered damage during
the Owain Glyndŵr uprising, when the town of Ruthin was
raided on 16 September 1400 and again in 1402, when the
3rd Lord de Grey was captured and ransomed by Glyndŵr.
The church building has just been handed back following a
£1.6m transformation project. The re-ordering has created a
kitchen, toilets, meeting space, a balcony, level access and
new underfloor heating. The interior now provides a more
flexible space for community use, as well as worship, with
the chancel area being lifted and the high altar lowered.
Most of the pews have been replaced by more comfortable
and movable seating. Next door, the cloisters have been
renovated to offer pilgrim accommodation with three ensuite
rooms, including one with accessible facilities.
The church has been much altered since, particularly by a
Victorian restoration in 1854–59, when its trademark spire –
the only spire in the Vale of Clwyd – was also added. Inside,
the most immediately striking feature of St Peter’s is that it is
double-naved, consisting of two rectangles of equal length,
built side by side and divided by a row of pillars.
This arrangement resulted when the originally “single rectangle”
church was laterally doubled in size in the late 14th century.
Uncommon elsewhere in Britain, the double-naved form was
much favoured in the Vale of Clwyd, becoming a distinctive
local style. There are now no less than 21 such double-naved
churches in the district.
As part of this project a new audio system has been designed,
installed and commissioned by the experienced specialists
Richard King Systems.
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