The church of St Peter, Filkins stands on a triangle of land carved from the field which was until recently attached to the Clark family's bakery almost opposite the church. C R Smith of Filkins Hall wanted the church built further into the field, near where the bus shelter now stands. It is also said that he offered a peal of bells to try to get his way. However a house or barn belonging to Dee's Farm, which lies behind the church, was demolished to make way for St Peter's. The freestone came from the Windrush quarry belonging to the Jackson family, who also build the church.
St Peter's is approached through a wrought-iron gate made at the village forge belonging to the Trinders, a Filkins family of blacksmiths for three generations - and still going strong. There used to be an ironwork arch over the gate incorporating an oil lamp as a war memorial.
The church itself is "simple and subtle in local stone", according to John Betjeman who attended the centenary service in 1957. This subtlety is reflected in the apsidial east end which is semi-circular at ground level but grades vertically towards polygonal.
It was a habit amongst medieval builders to incorporate design features used elsewhere in the area, a practice revived by Street and his contemporaries to good effect. The south porch arch is based on the moulding of the west window rear-arch at St George's Kelmscott.
The church consists of a nave, choir and north aisle, and inside, the north aisle arcade is supported on round pillars whose capitals and bases all have different mouldings. This theme of "different but similar" also occurs in the window tracery. No two windows are the same, a feature very clearly illustrated by the windows in the north aisle. The church is surprisingly light and airy with several clear glass windows and those in the north aisle, though stained with interesting non-figurative ornament are translucent enough to admit substantial extra light.
One south wall window has a later stained glass, in memory of Lady Kathleen Weaver, which was installed in 1927 by her husband Sir Lawrence Weaver, a friend of the Cripps family. This window combines with the chancel and east window stained glass to illustrate the entire life of Christ from annunciation to resurrection. In the top panels of the east window are angels with the words "Sanctus" which draw the eye towards the convenient translation "Holy" on the painted beam against the starry sky-scene of the chancel vault.
After his damning words about the proposed church roof, Street ensured that his church was well lidded. The trusses are substantial, though graceful, and supported on decorative corbels. The choir ceiling is completely lined with timber, and there is the unusual rood beam positioned behind the chancel arch.
G E Street had a large practice in Oxford and then in London, from which he designed the Law Courts in the Strand. At one time he employed both William Morris and Philip Webb, later practitioners in what became known as The Arts and Crafts Movement. He encouraged the movement's commitment to "total design", insisting wherever possible on overseeing the design and production of all the fittings in his buildings. Street probably designed the embroidered alter frontal, for instance, which now hangs in the handsome oak case on the south wall. The rain water heads, with their Gothic motifs cast into the metal also show this attention to detail. Street and Morris shared a keenness to use the most indigenous materials. The pews here are in elm, the same timber that Morris later used in reseating Kelmscott Church.
George Swinford relates that "the pulpit was originally on the other side" but was moved when the vestry was enlarged by R Farmer. He also remembered the Choir-boys vestry at the west end being installed by Mr W Trinder, and helping to lay the square black and white tiles on the chancel steps. The tiles were a gift from Sir Stafford Cripps. George Swinford also carved the list of Vicars of Filkins on the board on the west wall.
In the vestry there is another, painted, board, detailing the various charities in the Parish of Broughton Poggs cum Filkins. This is an interesting relic of a very short lived joint parish. Now of course, 120 years later, it is correct again.
The brass altar rail is supported by some fine twisted iron-work pillars laden with bunches of grapes worked up from horse-shoe nails by the resourceful Blacksmith Holloway, late of Filkins.
The piscina is a copy of that at Broughton Poggs but with a stone credence table inserted.
Although some of the pews have, over the years, been altered or removed (the choir stalls are now in oak and three of the old elm pews are now in the coffee-shop at nearby Cotswold Woollen Weavers) it is still possible to tell the children's pews, set at 24" centres (Street's own measurement) in the north aisle, from the adult pews, at 33 1/2 " centres in the nave.
Outside, a walk around the church reveals two rather soulful stone heads carved on each side of the west window moulding staring at nothing in particular. These are the extent of obvious external decoration with the exception of a fine set of crosses, one in feathery wrought iron, the others in stone which crown the south porch and march along the roof ridge towards an excellent open bell cote. This has been modified, since originally it housed two bells. George Swinford Senior remembered them saying "Who'll help - we two, we two" answered by Broughton's single toll of "I,I". His son, also George Swinford remembers them simply as "Ting" and "Tang" - a reflection of their poor sound. The single bell was recast from this old pair and rehung in memory of Dr Colin Ede by his widow.
The vicarage (the one bought by the unfortunate CR Smith of Filkins Hall) was originally the house standing to the west of the church. It is suggested that this building replaced, or was itself intended once to be, an inn, and has in consequence been known as Green Dragon House. Beyond it is St Peter's House built between the wars as a retirement home by the then vicar. It was never used as such. To the north again lies the new vicarage built in 1950 at an inclusive price of £5477/7s/9d.
The present (1993) Vicar is Bill Glazebrook. Within the last few years Filkins has again joined to Broughton Poggs, and Mr Glazebrook now also looks after Broadwell, Kencot, Langford, Little Faringdon and Kelmscott in addition to Broughton Poggs cum Filkins. In a sense William Hervey and others who strove mightily to split up the large Parish of Broadwell have ultimately been frustrated by history.
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