Dear Friends
Please join us in preserving the rich heritage of St. Peter’s, our local Anglican church in Château d’Oex.
September 2024 will mark 125 years since the original building of St. Peter’s was completed. Despite the harsh conditions of the Alpine winters and the summer storms, the building has weathered well. Over the years, however, time has taken its toll. A recent assessment by our architect, Beat Wampfler, together with the Swiss Monument Protection Society, has revealed that it is urgent that we restore the façade and address related areas of concern on the exterior.
Your support and generosity in contributing to this renovation will ensure that future generations in the Pays d’Enhaut will continue to find solace, inspiration and a sense of community at St. Peter’s.
Repairs and restoration
Work will be undertaken on the façade, specifically the rough plaster protective surface, the limestone window casings and the wooden soffits supporting the roof. Scaffolding will be in place throughout the work, not only to facilitate access for the workers but also to protect the recently refurbished stained-glass windows.
Repairs to the west façade – where the entrance to the church was originally located – will include the replacement of:
a) the ill-fitting wood panel that currently seals the gap where the former entrance door was, and b) the two windows on either side with new triple-glazed windows.
These repairs will stop the cold air that currently comes through this wall and significantly reduce the energy consumption of the church.
The finishing touch to the building – once all the work on the strengthening, repairing, replacing, renewing is complete – will be the painting of the entire façade. It has never been painted before so a colour will be chosen in keeping with that of the other churches in the village.
St Peter’s Château-d’Oex will be renewed to continue as an integral part of the Pays-d’Enhaut and the English-speaking community, providing an Anglican sanctuary to serve the spiritual needs of the valley.
DAMAGE ON NORTH FACADE OF ST. PETER’S CHURCH
The plaster on the façade is seriously in need of attention. The external walls have never been painted and are still covered by the original gray Wormser plaster applied in 1910. The photos below illustrate the characteristics of the plaster (photo 1); the deterioration that has occurred with time (photos 2-4); and the temporary repairs that have been made (photo 5).
1. Typically, Wormser plaster has a rough surface and a strong capillary suction force.
2. In parts, the plaster is soft and brittle…
3. …in places it has cracked…
4. … and In some of the lower areas chunks of plaster are falling off.
5. Over the years stop-gap measures have been taken to repair the damage with a hard cement plaster. Unlike the Wormser plaster, the cement is not porous so moisture accumulates where the two materials abut. The resulting humidity leads to damp inside the church and flaking of the paint on the inner walls.
6. The window sills and surrounds, made of natural hard limestone with strong capillarity, need cleaning to preserve their marble-like appearance..
7. The soffits – wood installed to cover the underside of the roof overhang – are badly weathered and need to be repaired, treated and painted. The wooden doors will also be sanded and oiled as necessary.
8. Rusted metal cladding on the tower needs to be replaced by a plumber.
History of the building
An English-speaking community has thrived in the Pays d’Enhaut since the mid-1850s. The establishment of a chaplaincy in 1866 marked the start of regular services, fostering a sense of belonging and spiritual growth. Services were initially held at the Protestant Reform Church (on the hill) and, as the years passed, the congregation grew; records from 1885 show an attendance of 150 at Sunday morning services.
In 1897, the Berthod Brothers generously gave land to the English community, paving the way for the creation of St. Peter’s Church. The foundation stone was laid on 28 June 1899 and, 3 months later, the construction of the church was completed. The Anglican community gathered on Sunday, 9 September 1899, for their inaugural service. Three years later, on 3 May 1902, St. Peter’s was consecrated by Bishop Wilkinson, solidifying its significance locally as a place of worship and community.
Attendance continued to grow and, in 1910, when it became apparent that the building was too small to accommodate the ever-growing congregation, an extensive expansion project began. This transformed the simple structure of the original building, effectively making it more of a church by adding a chancel, a third aisle, a vestry, and a new entrance. These renovations increased the church’s seating capacity by an additional 158 places, allowing a total of 268 people to be comfortably accommodated. At that time parts of the roof were also replaced and repaired, the rough-cast crepis finish applied, a second ventilator installed and the turret repaired.
In the past ten years the interior of the church has undergone major renovation. All the stained-glass windows have been repaired and double glazing added to reduce heat loss; the pews removed in the north aisle to add space for other functions; the heating system upgraded; the electrical wiring renewed and an audio-visual system installed. The latter has enabled our friends around the world to join weekly services. The most recent addition has been the creation of a kitchen space in a corner of the entrance hall.
Our fundraising goal
All donations – large or small – are urgently needed and gratefully received.
Thanks to the prudent management of our church accounts and some advance donations, we already have a significant amount saved towards this project.
We need to raise a further CHF 75,000.
Payments may be made either to:
St. Peter’s bank in Switzerland, as a non tax-deductible gift, by bank transfer in Swiss francs to:
• IBAN: CH08 0076 7000 K055 3316 0
• BIC/SWIFT: BCVLCH2LXXX
St. Peter’s Church Château-d’Oex
Banque Cantonale Vaudoise
Château d’Oex
or to the:
Intercontinental Church Society (ICS). UK residents can make GiftAid donations in sterling to Intercontinental Church Society (ICS). Payments in Euros are also welcomed by ICS. Intercontinental Church Society website:
www.ics-uk.org/chateau-doex
• Sterling account: sort code 20-31-52 account 90517968
IBAN: GB40 BUKB 2031 5290 5179 68
• Euro account: IBAN:
GB40 BUKB 2031 5290 0956 22
If you are a member of the Association des Amis de Château-d’Oex et du Pays d’Enhaut you may also choose to support the Association with its do-nation to the project. In this case please use the reference “église anglicane” on your contribution and make your payment to:
• l’Association des Amis de Château-d’Oex et du Pays d’Enhaut
Banque Raifeisen, Château-d’Oex
IBAN CH84 8080 8002 2864 7163 1
For Swiss residents donations to the Association des Amis de Château-d’Oex et du Pays d’Enhaut are deductible for Swiss income tax purposes.
Mark Fletcher, Chaplain
Marilyn Dyrbus, Church Warden
Christopher Weller, Treasurer and Fundraising Coordinator
Contact: appeal@stpeters.ch