Building Beyond: Soane Reimagined

Aim

St Peter’s is a Grade I listed Soane masterpiece, a much-loved church at the heart of Walworth, urgently needing conservation for the future

We’ve taken an exciting first step towards securing the future of St Peter’s. Thanks to £438,000 of development funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, we’re now creating detailed plans to conserve and restore this remarkable building, improve accessibility and help St Peter’s thrive as a welcoming, inclusive church at the heart of its community.

In Spring 2027, we plan to apply for a further £3 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards the restoration. But we can’t do it alone. We need to raise another £1.5 million through donations, grants, local fundraising and community partnerships.

That’s where you can make a real difference. Every donation or pledge will bring us closer to protecting St Peter’s historic fabric, opening it up to more people, and ensuring this much-loved church can continue to serve Walworth for generations to come.

Building Beyond: Soane Re-imagined

Our vision is simple: to open up St Peter’s and its extraordinary heritage to everyone.

For 200 years, St Peter’s has stood at the heart of Walworth. It is not only a Grade I listed architectural masterpiece by Sir John Soane, but a living, welcoming church and a place where people come together for worship, music, culture, friendship and support.

Building Beyond: Soane Re-imagined is our ambitious plan to protect this remarkable building and give it a vibrant, sustainable future.

There is an urgent need to act. St Peter’s is of national and international architectural importance and, while it is not currently on the Heritage at Risk Register, its historic fabric needs significant conservation and repair. With your support, we can care for this magnificent building now, before its condition deteriorates further.

But this project is about much more than repairing a building. We want to make St Peter’s more accessible, welcoming and sustainable, creating a place that works better for the people who use it today and for generations to come.

We also want to share the extraordinary stories held within its walls. St Peter’s has witnessed two centuries of change in Walworth – from the Blitz to the arrival of the Windrush generation and the growth of the wonderfully diverse community that surrounds us today. These stories deserve to be discovered, celebrated and shared much more widely.

What will Building Beyond achieve?

• Restore a masterpiece
  We will conserve and restore St Peter’s so that Soane’s extraordinary architecture can shine again, while ensuring the building meets the needs of the people who use it today.
• Open St Peter’s to more people
  We want to make the building as accessible and welcoming as possible – physically and digitally – so that more people, with a wide range of needs and neurotypes, can enjoy everything St Peter’s has to offer.
• Bring our heritage to life
  We will preserve and share the stories of the building and the many communities that have shaped St Peter’s and Walworth over the past 200 years, celebrating different cultures, faiths and identities.
• Create a thriving cultural hub
  We want St Peter’s to be a place where creativity can flourish right on Walworth’s doorstep – from spoken word and community events to chamber music, informal gigs and larger performances.
• Create new opportunities to learn
  A new Soane Room and an exciting heritage programme will help schools, community groups, local people and visitors discover St Peter’s architecture and history, using both digital technology and hands-on activities.
• Support and celebrate our volunteers
  Volunteers are central to St Peter’s. New facilities, training and opportunities will help people get involved, develop skills and feel part of something special. We also hope to build connections with volunteers at Sir John Soane’s Museum, Pitzhanger Manor & Gallery and other heritage organisations.

St Peter’s is the finest and best-preserved of only three churches designed by Sir John Soane. With your help, we can protect this extraordinary heritage while creating an open, welcoming and thriving St Peter’s for the next 200 years.

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made by 29th December 2026 at 12:00pm