'The floating phantom'
Dated as far back as the 11th century St. Peter's church stands proudly in Hereford's St. Peter's square which is situated in the town centre and with a well known ghost story and so much history linked to the church St. Peter's is a must see for the cities regular visitors. The building is originally made from a mixture of two very old rocks. The first part of rock is old red sandstone which carries a remarkable date, it dates back to the Devonian geological period which was 395 million years ago. The other part of rock is new sandstone which is 230 million years old. The church itself originally stood in an open triangular market and then stalls in the Hereford market gradually became permanent structures which were the forerunners of the building to the left of the church.
The church carries a rareness as it is the oldest remaining medieval parish church in the city and in the past it as been described as “the leading Evangelical Church of the West Midlands” by the great John Venn who was the vicar from 1833 - 1870. The Church’s first recorded vicar was Provost Bernard Quarre in the 11th century and many parts of the church such as the bespired tower goes back to the late 13th century, however the most ancient part of the existing church is the chancel which marks the date of the 12th century. Many alterations and restorations have occurred to the church over the years, the Nave was rebuilt in C. 1300, the South Chapel was rebuilt and enlarged in the 14th century and in the 1800's further restorations took place. The main feature inside the church are the 15th century quire stalis which were bought from St. Guthalic priory which was then situated on Hereford's castle green, this was bought at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, also the misericords show carved roses.
The church was originally built as a great collegiate church in 1070 by Walter De Lacy who was one of William the Conqueror's chief lieutenants, Walter accompanied him from Normandy when he set out to conquer England and became the king. The church Walter built was outside the city walls and in the cities market place, the location of this church is where the present St. Peter's church stands today, disaster struck in 1085 when Walter De Lacy who was the hero of Hastings fell suddenly from the battlements of the church of St. Peter or he could have been pushed, however Walter was killed instantly. Another story is that a monk was murdered at the alter of the church by the Welsh when they raided the city.
The church was changed from a priory church to a parish church when Robert De Bethune became Bishop of Hereford in 1131. The ghost sightings around the church and the war memorial in the square seemed to be a somewhat mystery on who the ghost is, some believe it to be the lost soul of Walter De Lacy, however the ghost sightings are of a medieval monk and this phantom as been seen in white or dark clothing floating across the square and drifting in to the old solid oak door of the church and as also been seen inside the church praying at Christmas time.
The most known sighting of the apparition was when two police officers were walking past the square and saw a figure by the war memorial, the two policemen thought the figure was a drunk at first glance but taking a second look they saw that the misty figure was hovering above the ground. This mystery monk seems to be seen mostly in December. The glorious church plays a fine role in the city and is a pleasant part of St. Peter’s Square.