Description
St Peter's Church was built in 1840/41 to serve as the parish church for the new residential population of the De Beauvoir Town development. Next to the church is the former vicarage, No. 85 Mortimer Road. The churchyard is largely surrounded by the original brick walls with 3 pairs of wrought iron gates. A flower garden is planted in front of the church, where a path leads to the entrance.
Practical Information
| Site location | De Beauvoir Road |
|---|---|
| Postcode | N1 5AT |
| What3Words | ///necks.clip.icons |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Hackney |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted (check church opening times) |
| Facilities | St Peter's Crypt |
| Events | Concerts, exhibitions in church |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Haggerston then bus. Rail/Tube (Northern): Old Street then bus. Bus: 67, 76, 141, 149, 242 [243, 243A] |
| Research Updated | 1 June 2011 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
The mid C19th De Beauvoir Estate has been described as the 'first large-scale building enterprise in Hackney'. The land used to be part of the Balmes estate, named after two Spanish merchants who built a moated house here in the 1540s. In 1687 the estate was acquired by the de Beauvoir family whose land extended into Shoreditch. Balmes House was rebuilt in c.1635 for Sir George Whitmore and used to stand midway between what is now de Beauvoir Road and Downham Road, north of Regent's Canal. Plans for development of the area had begun in c.1818, in part due to the cutting of the Regent's Canal, when brick-maker and speculator William Rhodes acquired the building lease for housing development here on a site of 150 acres, which in 1834 was said to be the largest single amount conveyed to a speculative builder in London. A layout by James Burton shows four squares and a central octagon marking the position of de Beauvoir Square, but little of his plan was built at that time apart from the east side of de Beauvoir Square in 1823. Richard Benyon then inherited the family estate and wished to regain control of the property; ten years of lawsuits ensued that he finally won in 1834. The 1830s and '40s then saw the main period of development carried out by Benyon, who, having changed his name to Benyon de Beauvoir, gave his name to the new scheme. His 130-acre De Beauvoir Town estate was laid out by Robert Lewis Roumieu and Alexander Dick Gough and has been praised for its 'conspicuous consistency in the housing stock'. The other three sides of De Beauvoir Square were built in 1839 and by the C20th the area was densely developed.
St Peter's Church was built in 1840/41 to serve the new population of De Beauvoir Town. It was designed by W C Lochner and is built of stock brick in minimal Gothic style, with a west tower with corner pinnacles; its Romanesque chancel was added in 1884, designed by H R Gough. Since its early days, St Peter's Crypt has provided a wide range of services to its local community, seeing use as a community school, a soup kitchen and refugee centre, and now provides a cold-weather night shelter and community café among other uses. The churchyard, laid out as a garden, is largely surrounded by the original yellow stock brick walls, with stone coping and wrought iron railings above, and at intervals are octagonal brick/stone capped piers and 3 pairs of wrought iron gates.
St Peter's Church was built in 1840/41 to serve the new population of De Beauvoir Town. It was designed by W C Lochner and is built of stock brick in minimal Gothic style, with a west tower with corner pinnacles; its Romanesque chancel was added in 1884, designed by H R Gough. Since its early days, St Peter's Crypt has provided a wide range of services to its local community, seeing use as a community school, a soup kitchen and refugee centre, and now provides a cold-weather night shelter and community café among other uses. The churchyard, laid out as a garden, is largely surrounded by the original yellow stock brick walls, with stone coping and wrought iron railings above, and at intervals are octagonal brick/stone capped piers and 3 pairs of wrought iron gates.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ332841 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Church of England, Diocese of London |
| Site Management | St Peter's Church |
| Dates | 1840/1 |
| Designers | Church: W C Lochner |
| Listed Structures | LBC: St Peter's Church. LBII: walls around churchyard, with wrought iron railings and gates. |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Hackney |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | De Beauvoir |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | No |
Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.
Nearby parks and gardens
De Beauvoir Square is at the centre of the de Beauvoir Town Estate, which was developed on land owned by the de Beauvoir family since 1687. Plans for building date from 1818, particularly after the Regent's Canal was cut, and the east side of De Beauvoir Square was built in 1823. The main period of development took place in the 1830s/40s after Richard Benyon inherited the family estate. In the 1890s the circular central garden in De Beauvoir Square was leased by the owner to Hackney Borough Council, allowing some public access. The garden is surrounded by C19th iron railings and has raised lawns around its perimeter, a number of fine trees and extensive rose beds.
Stonebridge Gardens takes its name from a stone bridge over a tributary of the Hackney Brook nearby. In 1883 part of what is now the park was given to the Hackney Board of Works for public open space; this small area in the north has an obelisk, any inscription now obliterated. Although part of the park may be a remnant of Stonebridge Common, it was largely created following post-war house clearance. It was landscaped largely for recreational use with a concrete and mosaic snake play sculpture constructed in 1981.
Albion Square was laid out on part of an estate that was inherited in 1838 by Sir William Middleton, who commissioned the building of the square in 1844 as Hackney was being developed. In 1898 the central garden was saved from dereliction when it was acquired by Lady de Saumarez. A new garden was laid out by the MPGA, who gave it to the Hackney Vestry on condition it was properly maintained, and it was opened by MPGA Chairman Lord Meath in 1899. It remains an ornamental garden with symmetrical beds, grass and trees; the central drinking fountain was erected by the MPGT in 1910.