St Peter’s Church, Hepworth stands at the high point of the village, visible from a distance. It is an ancient building, Grade 2 listed, mostly dating to the 14 th and 15 th centuries, although there are stones from an earlier, 11 th or 12 th century building. It survived a fire in 1898, when the thatched roof caught fire and was reroofed with the red tiles we see now. There are registers of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials held at the church back to 1688, yet there was a marriage and several burials this year too.
The churchyard is a peaceful place to walk or to just sit and listen to the sounds of Hepworth. The earliest snowdrops flower alongside Church Lane while the edge of the graveyard at the rear has masses of snowdrops in the Spring. Quiet visitors may disturb deer feeding underneath the trees, particularly in the colder months.

This building has not survived over the generations without serious maintenance, which has left it looking over us in the village. Today is no different and in the coming months there will be serious fundraising efforts to secure grants to retile the roof, which has begun to leak during the recent very wet weather. The consequent damage to the plaster will need to be repaired too, alongside guttering replacement. The initial indications are that we are looking for £200,000.

On a smaller scale, there is work to be done on a much more manageable level. The mediaeval doors need to be sealed and the ironwork treated. There is ivy growing up the walls of the church which will damage the stonework and window frames if we ignore it.

We are hoping to recruit a band of helpers to work on the churchyard and on these jobs each month, following a very successful morning in May 2024.

If you are interested in joining us from 10am to 12 noon, on the 2nd Saturday of each month please contact me. I suggest we start from Saturday 8th March, when the spring will have started.

Jane Duffield 0776 2549963