The circular shape of St. Peter’s with it’s green slate spire make it both a local landmark and a strong sign of God’s love. On 18th February 1999, St. Peter's was designated by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport as a Grade II listed building. The designation describes St. Peter's as as a most handsome and lavish church of its date with fixtures and fittings of exceptional quality and completeness.

Though the Church was not built until the 1960’s, Anglican worship in this part of Sheffield goes back to the 1890’s. At that time there was a Church room somewhere in the area. Curates attached to St James, Norton, our mother church, were actively involved in building up a Christian fellowship. An Anglican Sunday School attached to Norton Church had been held in Greenhill Old Village School for many years.

During the Second World War the Village School was requisitioned for war purposes and the Sunday School was held in Greenhill Methodist Church. Services and a Sunday School also met in the Bradway Mission Hall, now part of the Bradway Community Hall, throughout the period from the 1890s to the 1960s, though again with the exception of the War years. Our longstanding links with activities at the Community Hall are still reflected in our Vicar being ex officio Chairman of Friends of Bradway Community Hall, the charity trustees who are now responsible for managing that building.

In 1953 a dual purpose Hall and Church was built and dedicated by Bishop Rawlinson on the corner of Reney Avenue and Reney Road. In 1959 Fr. Frank Andrew moved to Greenhill and became the first Vicar of St Peter’s Parish. He was responsible for the building of the Vicarage in 1961 and then the raising of funds and construction of the new Church which was actually built in 1964. He had past connections to St Peter’s Howden. When that ancient Minister Church found out the dedication of the new Church at Greenhill was going to be to St Peter they presented a stone plaque to show their love and unity. It can still be seen in the west wall of St Peter’s to this day.

When the Church was consecrated St Peter’s was part of the Derby Diocese. On 1 January 1974 we and 10 other parishes together with the Liberty of Beauchief were transferred to the Sheffield Diocese. Those parishes also included St John’s Abbeydale, St James Norton, Christ Church Dore and All Saints Totley. This also involved a move from the Province of Canterbury to that of York. This part of Sheffield may well therefore have been affected by a very unusual boundary change. It is possible to identify only four examples since the Middle Ages of major ecclesiastical reorganisations being reflected in transfers between the two English Provinces. Though we cannot completely rule out the possibility of other minor and unrecorded changes to the Provincial boundary, this seems unlikely. Boundary changes for dioceses are rare except at the point at which new dioceses are created.

St Peter’s Parish covers not only the Village of Greenhill and the housing developments around but also the entire Lowedges Estate and the older part of Bradway. The present church was designed by Oxley & Bussey of Sheffield and built by Wm. Drabble of Mosborough in the early 1960’s. It was consecrated on 22nd May, 1965 by the Rt. Revd. Francis Allen, Bishop of Derby. The main framework of the building is supported by four laminated timber legs which go right to the top of the spire. The walls, inside and out are constructed of Brindle facing bricks and the spire is finished in Westmorland green slate. The floor is muhuhu wooden blocks and the pews are afromosia.

In 1999 the building’s architectural merit was recognised when it was one of only three modern churches to be Grade II listed in that year, A new Parish Centre was added in 1995. St. Peter’s has been described as “an early example of the influence of the Liturgical Movement, bringing the celebrant closer to the people and ensuring the whole congregation have a clear view of the altar. The success of the design is demonstrated by the almost complete preservation of the original arrangements”.

The altar stands at the centre of the church and is the focus for worship. It is made of Old Derbyshire Marble, carved with five crosses and was donated by scholars of the Old Greenhill Village Sunday School. Above the altar hangs the stainless steel cross which measures 8ft long and 4ft across, suspended by high tensile wire. It is designed to catch the light from the windows during the day and from the spotlights at night. Around the altar, the altar rails are made of afromosia and stainless steel. The font is made from Old English Marble quarried in Matlock. It was donated by Mr. & Mrs. Moorwood in memory of their son, Graham.

Next to the font is the Jerusalem Stone – here we go back to the beginning in Jerusalem. This piece of stone was sent to St. Peter’s by the Archbishop of Jerusalem, Archbishop Campbell, who visited and preached during the building of the new church. The Parish has supported the Jerusalem and the East Mission.

The present organ was installed in 1971 at a cost of £1,800. It came from the United Methodist Church, Old Basford, Nottingham where it had been installed as a memorial to those who died in the 1914-18 war. It was built in 1922 by Sweetland of Bath, a rare maker in this part of the world.

At the Shrine of Our Lady is the statue of the Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus with a pricket stand in front for candles. The shrine is in memory of Susan Hartley. A lamp burns reminding us that a lamp burns for this church at the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham in Norfolk. A prayer desk commemorates Clara Lomas (1898-1968). Visitors are welcome to pray and light a candle here if they wish.

All around the inside walls of the church hang fourteen banners – the Stations of the Cross – which tell the story of Jesus’ last journey to Calvary. They depict his condemnation by Pontius Pilate through to his death on the cross and being laid to rest in the tomb. The banners were designed and made by members of the congregation and are used especially during Lent to remind us of Jesus’ crucifixion.

Announcing the commencement of every service, the calling bell is rung, which is a former petrol tanker ship’s bell, inscribed with the name of HMS Nurden 1931.

THE CHAPEL

The chapel was formerly known as the Blessed Sacrament Chapel and contained the altar and reredos from the former Hall-Church that stood on the site. In the mid 1980’s the Sacrament was moved to its new position in the main church and the Chapel was re-designed as we see it today. It is now known as the Chapel of Healing and Reconciliation.

The beautiful stained glass window in the chapel shows features associated with St. Peter. Bottom left is the cockerel; the crossed keys of the Kingdom of Heaven are diagonally across the window; and on the right is the Cross of Christ. Behind the cross, the Light of Christ is rising to dispel the darkness of the world.

The altar in the chapel was dedicated to the Glory of God the Most Holy Trinity and in honour of St. John Vianney by Rt. Revd. David Lunn, Bishop of Sheffield, who placed a relic of St. John Vianney in the altar.