Oh how times have changed as there's a new religion - rampant consumerism - with western society pre occupied with the acquisition of consumer goods indifferent to the consequences. St Peter's best days are likely behind it, but it has an impressive history and it's going nowhere any time soon. It has been in Marlborough from 1100. It was built as a Roman Catholic chapel to serve the needs of those who worked in the Norman castle, which had been built nearby, but who lived outside its walls. It originally contained two chapels for the occupants of the castle. The castle grew to prominence in the thirteenth century, but after the death of Henry III in November 1272 the castle ceased to be occupied so frequently, and by the end of the fourteenth century it was already beginning to fall into ruin. There are no records for the construction of the church that is there today, but the trustees believe it would have been begun around 1460. The basic structure was as it is now, though the south porch with the priest's room above it and the door on the south of the chancel were all added in about 1500. The stone vaulting of the chancel is unusual in a small parish church, and it was here that Thomas Wolsey, later Cardinal, Archbishop of York and Chancellor of the Kingdom, was ordained priest in 1498. The Wolsey connection is its lasting claim to ecclesiastical fame. At that time there were three chantries or side-altars - for the Jesus Fraternity, the Blessed Trinity, and St Katherine. There was also a chapel to "Our Lady of Pity". We are all short on pity these days. In 1627 a gallery was constructed at the west end of the church, and an organ was installed there in 1776.  A few hundred years and two world wars later St Peter's today is a community hub, offering a venue for events, exhibitions and activities. There are few if any church services annually and it is de consecrated. The religious way of decommissioning. We were warmly welcomed and treated to a fabulous tour by some genteel trustees, including them telling us a story about a local bishop and a crocodile; there aren't many crocodiles in village England, there's also a small wooden engraving of a crocodile that one would just walk past and miss. They clearly enjoyed re telling the story to us. Visitors can still walk up the 139 steps of the Church Tower and reach one of the highest points in Marlborough for a splendid 360 degree view of the area. It's so hard to grasp that a 1000 years of history and wars, hundreds of generations now gone, is overhead and underfoot as we walked around. Worth a visit if you are nearby you'll be made graciously welcome. read more