Kellys_1914_0024.jpg

10

HEADING DIHECTOUY— 1 9 1 4 .

T h e church o f S t. P e t e h , in the ecclesiastical parish of E arley, was
consecrated Sept. 21st, 1 8 4 4 ; it is an edifice of b rick in the Early
English style, consisting of chancel, nave of five b a ys, aisles, vestry,
organ cham ber, south porch and a tow er at the n orth-w est angle, con ­
taining one b e l l : in 1882-3 the transepts w ere rem oved and aisles and
a new chancel and other additions made, at a cost of £ 4 ,3 3 8 : the east
w in dow is stained ; the w est w in dow is a memorial to the R ev. George
P orch er and his tw o d a u g h te rs ; and there is another m em orial w indow
to M rs. Frances St. A u byn : th e church affords 500 sittings, o f w hich
300 are unappropriated : a lych gate was erected in 1902 as a m em orial
to Charles Stephens J .P . at a cost of £250. The register dates from
the year 1844. T he livin g is a vicarage, net yea rly value £ 2 6 0 , in ­
clu din g 2 acres o f glebe, w ith residence, in the g ift o f the vicar o f
Sonning, and held since 1904 b y the R ev. W illia m W eekes F ow ler M .A .,
D .S c. o f Jesus College, O xford, prebendary of L in coln , and surrogate.
The C atholic church, dedicated to St. James and situated near the
F orbu ry gardens, in F orbu ry road, was built in 1840 at the expense of
the late J. W h eb le esq. ofB u lm ersh e C ourt, from the designs of M r. A .W .
W elb y P ugin, architect, and is an edifice in the N orm an style, consisting
o f apsidal chancel, nave and a western gable bell-cote w ith one b e l l : the
font is form ed from a square block o f oolitic lim estone, found within the
limits o f the F orbu ry, in 1835, the upper paid of which form s a square of
27 inches, and lias a deeply-cut chain-like pattern o f stems and foliage
running continuously along its four s id e s ; below this, and at each
corn er, are rem ains o f carved capitals, exqu isitely w rou gh t w ith wreaths
and in tertw inin g knots ; in the presbytery are preserved a seal belon g in g
to one o f the abbots, and a m assive iron k ey, found in the abbey
g r o u n d s : in 1883 the sanctuary was decorated in colour, under the d irec­
tion o f M r. P h ilip W estla k e, o f L o n d o n : the church has about 250
sittings.
T he Catholic church o f St. W illiam o f Y o rk , in U pp er R edlands road,
is a sm all edifice o f brick, opened in 1906, and w ill seat 200 persons.
Thery are five C ongregational, eight B aptist, five W esleyan , tw o
Presbyterian, one U nitarian and five P rim itive M ethodist chapels, a
F rieq d s’ m eeting house, tw o room s where Brethren m eet, and Salvation
A rm y barracks ; a, non-sectarian service is also held every Sunday at
the A b b e y H all, K in g ’s road.
Caversham R oad Presbyterian church, built in 1902 at a cost of
£ 5 ,5 0 0 , is o f red b rick w ith stone dressings in the Perpendicular style,
and consists o f a nave and aisles, divided b y an arcading on stone
colum ns, and a tow-er w ith spire 80 feet in height a t the south-east
a n g le : there are sittings for 520 persons.
T rin ity C ongregational chapel, an edifice in the Lancet style, was built ia
1848 b y seceders from Broad Street church, w hich is the oldest in the
tew n , dating from 1662 ; there is also a Congregational chapel in Castle
street.
The General B aptist chapel is in K in g ’ s road, and claims, as a meeting
place fo r N on con form ists, som e a n tiquity, the con gregation h aving been
obscurely traced to the reign o f H en ry V III. ; it was first foun ded in