2007 is a special year for the Church in Filkins. It is the 150th anniversary of the completion and consecration of St Peter's, Filkins and a programme of celebration and rededication is being arranged. Announcements will be made here and on the various official notice boards around the village, but for further information contact the Churchwardens or any member of the Parochial Church Council.
There is no missing the church at Filkins as it stands alongside the main road through the village.
However, interestingly enough, they are one parish now but it was not always so as the two places are separated by the Broadwell Brook, and Filkins, originally part of the parish of Broadwell, never had its own church until the nineteenth century.
Visually one community, at Filkins and Broughton Poggs it is not obvious where one village finishes and the other begins!
It was built to the designs of George Edmund Street in 1855-7. Plans had been drawn up earlier in 1851 by the local squire but Street, the diocesan architect, was asked to comment on them, and comment he did aplenty ! He said he disliked the fact that there was no architect's name on the plans, the roof was too wide and poorly supported, there were no gutters, the vestry had a flat roof and the openings for the proposed bell were too small. The spaces between the pews were too little and he felt the people would be unable to kneel. For the same money such a wide church could be replaced by a nave and aisle for much the same money. Street therefore had to produce a plan of quality if he was to avoid the same sort of examination and comparism to the original plans ! He did.
St Peter's consists of a nave with west bellcote, small south porch, north aisle and an apsidal chancel with north vestry.
