St Peter's Church, Belgrave Village, Leicester

Image: © David Hallam-Jones Taken: 16 Aug 2017

Belgrave House, Belgrave Hall and St Peter's Church, plus a couple of (now converted) ancillary buildings, are clustered near each other at one end of a short, privately(?) maintained, road, i.e. Church Road, in a hamlet-like setting. The main part of the present church dates from the C13th century, although some features from the C12th church have been preserved, including the south doorway and the two lower stages of the tower. The north porch - ahead - was added in 1912. Belgrave is regarded by some as the cradle of the Roman Catholic revival in Leicester. From at least the last quarter of the C17th until the early years of the C18th, the Byerley family of Belgrave Hall had a Franciscan chaplain, and the Franciscans were probably succeeded by Jesuits. There were said to be five Roman Catholics at Belgrave in 1676 and 18 Catholic families out of a total of 60 in 1709. The Dominican mission to Leicester was revived at Belgrave in 1746 and moved into the town in 1777. Loughborough Road is a 2-3 minute walk away behind the photographer and a more modern road of terraced and detached houses - i.e. Vicarage Road - lies behind the church linked to this spot by the closed end of this cul-de-sac and a short footpath. The church is Grade II* listed, redundant and apparently "For Sale".

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