 Hucknall
St Peter and St Paul
History
Hucknall St Peter closed in 1962, but four years later, in 1966, a new church opened in Hucknall to serve the Ruffs estate on the south-west side of the town. This was St Peter and St Paul. The name of St Peter was taken from the old St Peter’s church, and it is believed St Paul was taken from St Paul’s chapel on the local RAF camp.
Built on the Ruffs Estate, on Ruffs Drive, the church was about a mile from the previous building on Watnall Road.
Originally consisting of just a brick hall, it was built in a unique variant of modernist style by the architect Vernon Royle, with a hexagonal shape and glass walls on two sides. The church’s design emerged from a conversation between Vernon Royle and Bishop F.R. Barry, the latter asking 'why don’t you design a circular church with the altar in the centre?' The alternate walls were made of granite from Charnwood Forest and the six vertical members projected from the flat roof like points of a crown. Central to the building is the altar made of Westmorland slate, with seating all around.
The building is connected to the community hall, and also comprises a nave, vestry and kitchen. The church was extended in 1985 and joins with St John and St Mary Magdalene to form the Hucknall parish.
| 
