St. Peter's Edensor - The Interior

A detail of the memorial to Henry Cavendish

During the time of my visit to St. Peter’s church, a sunny day had turned overcast and, with the levels of artificial light in its interior being quite low, I didn’t find it easy to use the available church guide and only had quick look at the principal features; however, I have since discovered that the arcades, which comprise alternating round and hexagonal columns, include mediaeval elements. 

A view east along the nave of St. Peter's church in Edensor

Sir George Gilbert Scott, along with other contemporary gothic revivalists, was often criticised for the over-restoration of the many churches and cathedrals in his care – with renewal of the mediaeval masonry and various fittings – but the Victorian architects also like to use decorative stone lavishly, and this can be seen to good effect at St. Peter’s church. 

A view west along the nave 

Along the nave, Hopton Wood limestone – applied to great effect in Leeds Central Library on the staircase – is used for the flooring, with both light and dark varieties providing the colour contrast that is very often achieved using Italian white and dark grey true marbles. 

Hopton Wood limestone used in the floor of the nave

Over the years, mining and quarrying has been extensively undertaken on the Chatsworth Estate and, although no longer in production, this included several varieties of Carboniferous limestone that were polished into decorative stone and Gilbert Scott used these in his designs for the new font and the pulpit. 

A general view of the font

Although the church was consecrated 12 years after the death of William Cavendish, the 6th Duke of Devonshire – who established the village of Edensor – it is fitting that such attractive stones have been used for these. Along with his mother, Georgiana Cavendish – and the 11th Duke - he was an avid mineral collector and greatly influenced the appearance of Chatsworth House as seen today. 

A detail of the font

Looking firstly at the font, the variety of Carboniferous limestone used to make its body has a characteristic grey/brown colour, but there is barely a fossil to be seen. I had not seen this decorative stone before or the blood red Duke’s Red 'marble' used like this in the columns to the base, which is given its colour by very high levels of the mineral haematite. 

A general view of the pulpit

Similar limestones have been also used in the base of the alabaster pulpit, together with crinoidal limestone and Ashford Black marble, a bituminous limestone that was used extensively for architectural elements, monuments and particularly for inlaid tables and other ornaments. 

Various Carboniferous limestones used for decoration in the pulpit

The most spectacular use of decorative stone is to be found in the Cavendish Chapel, for the memorial to Bess of Hardwick's sons Henry Cavendish and William Cavendish - who died in 1615 and 1625 respectively – which was originally located behind the altar in the mediaeval church. 

The memorial to Henry and William Cavendish

Considered to be one of the finest monuments in the count, along with those seen in the parish churches in Bakewell and Chesterfield, it is largely constructed of alabaster with Ashford Black marble for columns and tablets. It contains several finely carved figurative sculptures, with Henry Cavendish being gruesomely depicted as a skeleton. 

The memorial to Frederick Charles Cavendish

Other fine memorials in alabaster include the ornate plaque that commemorates the murder of Lord Frederick Cavendish, when visiting Phoenix Park in Dublin, and the large World War I memorial in the north aisle.

The World War I War Memorial in St. Peter's church in Edensor