ONE of Burnley's oldest landmarks has been propelled into the 21st century thanks to a new website.

The 12th century St Peter's Church, in Church Street, has gone online to offer an insight into the history of the church and the town.

The site has been developed by Burnley computer firm P3 and follows the opening of the Heritage Centre last year.

St Peter's is first mentioned in 1122 when it marked the original centre of what was then just a medieval village.

The website follows the growth of the town to the present day and the part the church plays in the life of the community as well as featuring some of the town's prominent historical figures.

Phil Whitehead, a director with Healeywood Road-based P3, built the website and is now managing it. He said: "The site serves as a great resource for people young and old to begin research on the area.

"There are some fascinating images of historic Burnley, some great insights into the past and what has happened to make Burnley what it is today.

"It was a great privilege to work on this project, which has helped me glean a lot of information." The site was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Lloyds TSB Foundation and the Stocks Massey Bequest.

Edward Stocks Massey (1850-1909) was the owner of Massey's Burnley Brewery and the council continues to allocate annually the income from the Trust investments as required by his will.

Work is continuing to replace the tower pinnacles and parapet of the church.

The £50,000 project will see the existing pinnacles taken down and replaced with new stainless steel ones. The website's address is www.burnleystpeterheritage.co.uk.