Bridport LIVE

Peter's Church was built to cathedral-like proportions in 1865 following the gift to the parish of a sizable private donation. In effect a Chapel, it has always been a subsidiary of St. John the Baptist, Symondsbury. This wonderful Victorian Church has commanding views over Lyme Bay. Sadly, with dwindling congregations, the rector, concerned with possible closure of the Church within a few years,

came up with the idea of making it also a centre for the arts. The opportunity to develop the idea came from the Wallbridge Trust which was set up by the family of a local woman, buried in the churchyard and who, in her lifetime, was strongly supportive of community projects. The trust gave £200,000 for the alterations. St.Peters - now called 'Eype Centre For The Arts' adds a new dimension to the public spaces available for the performing and visual arts in West Dorset. The venue has also been used very successfully as a music recording venue. Local resident P J Harvey recorded her 2011 album ‘Let England Shake’ at the venue in the spring of 2010. The album and P J Harvey went on to win the Mercury Prize in 2011, the first person to have won the prize twice. She was the first woman to be awarded the Mercury Prize ten years previously.