St Peter

Gayhurst predates the Domesday Book, and the earliest known documented date for a church here is 1227, although the current church dates from a rebuilding of 1728 by the Wrighte family, then owners of the 16th century Gayhurst Manor, set close nearby.

Sir Nathan Wrighte obtained permission in 1724 from the Bishop of Lincoln to replace the ‘very old, uncomely and ruinous’ medieval church with a striking Renaissance design, very much in the style of a Georgian reception hall. The crypt of the original church was retained, and lies under the current nave. The single bell in the tower (dated 1678) and an early Hanoverian coat of arms are also likely survivals from the earlier church.

The design of the new church has been attributed to Wren, and it is most likely that Sir Nathan, as Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, would have known him at Court. However, as Wren died in 1723 it is unlikely that he was personally involved beyond any early discussions with Sir Nathan, although it is very possible that his studio may have used one of his designs. The Georgian Group consider the architect may have been local.

The church has remained essentially unmodified, and contains a range of important features, including ornate plaster ceilings, reredos panels of the Ten Commandments (one with a curious double negative), and a magnificent white marble monument with full size figures of Sir Nathan and his son George. Erected by George’s own son, George, it lacks any inscription, allegedly in his annoyance at having to pay for the work. The monument is of sufficient quality to have been attributed to Roubiliac, although the actual sculptor is unknown. It is notable that Nikolaus Pevsner, writing in ‘Buildings of England, Buckinghamshire’, thought the monument one of the grandest and most successful of its type in England.

Remembering Gayhurst’s role in World War Two the church displays a table runner embroidered with the names of one of the Watches of Wrens stationed here.

The original Parish Registers are still in use and have recently been documented for posterity using high quality photography.