New life in old church

3:28pm Thursday 6th March 2008

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IT might seem peculiar to hear that a redundant church is a great success but that is a fair comment about St Peter and St Paul's Church in Marlborough.

St Paul usually gets forgotten and the building is now usually referred to just as St Peter's.

It has become a success because of its redundancy and largely because of the vision of one man, the late Jake Seamer.

Turn the clock back just over 30 years and Marlborough had three parishes, St Mary's, St Peter's and part of Preshute (St George's).

Rivalry was keen in bygone days between the two central parishes, St Mary's and St Peter's.

Folklore has it that the boys of the two parishes used to fight each other.

As the size of congregations fell off through the middle decades of the 1900s it became clear that Marlborough had too many churches.

For whatever reason - certainly the discovery of large scale dry rot played a part - the diocese decided that St Peter's was the one to be closed.

Perhaps the church hierarchy could not forget that Cardinal Wolsey, who had been ordained in St Peter's in 1498, died with a charge of high treason hanging over him.

But did they overlook the fact the Eglantyne Jebb - dubbed the White Flame - taught at St Peter's school in what is now the library, at the turn of the 20th century. Ms Jebb later founded the Save The Children charity.

The future of the church depended on a use being found for it. It was even discussed whether the church should become a controlled ruin, with the roof taken off and the building left open to the elements.

However it was agreed to keep the church entire and find a new use for it.

Among the ideas were a museum of marionettes to reflect the role of Pelham Puppets, one of the town's biggest employers at the time, and a military museum.

To the rescue came Jake Seamer, borough councillor, ex mayor, former College teacher and ex Somerset cricketer. He formed the St Peter's Trust that secured a long lease on the church to assure its future as a community centre.

Mr Seamer's perspicacity saved the church and over the years since it has been used for social events, exhibitions and music recitals. It also houses a restaurant, Mr Seamer - who became the only modern-day Freeman of the Borough in 2002 - died in 2006, just two years before today's 30th anniversary celebrations of the St Peter's Trust.

New floodlighting of the west side of the tower has already been switched on as part of the anniversary.