The
Anglican Church of St Mary the Virgin, Ewell is the civic church of the borough of
Epsom and Ewell
Epsom and Ewell () is a local government district with borough status and unparished area in Surrey, England, covering the towns of Epsom and Ewell. The borough was formed as an urban district in 1894, and was known as Epsom until 1934. It was ...
in the
county
A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...
of
Surrey in
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the first level of ITL for statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Berkshi ...
.
History
Early history
There has been a church dedicated to
Saint Mary the Virgin
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
in
Ewell
Ewell ( , ) is a suburban area with a village centre in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, approximately south of central London and northeast of Epsom.
In the 2011 Census, the settlement had a population of 34,872, a majority of wh ...
since the 13th century, a board above the south door in the current building recording
incumbents
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...
from 1239 to the present day. There were two reasons for the demolition of the old church (except for the 15th-century belltower, which still stands in the churchyard today): one was that the building was in such a parlous state of structural repair that it would come down whether demolished under control or allowed to collapse; another was that the
incumbent
The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position, usually in relation to an election. In an election for president, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the office of president before the election, whether seeking re-ele ...
at the time, Sir George Lewen Glyn (known to have been both
Rector
Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to:
Style or title
*Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations
*Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...
and
Lord of the Manor
Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...
simultaneously), resented his parishioners' carts all passing his rectory/manor house on their way to Sunday services, so had a new church built at the junction (one of two) of Church Road and London Road (both of which are arc-shaped) further away from the rectory.
Dedicated in 1848, the current building stands in a prominent position near the centre of the village of
Ewell
Ewell ( , ) is a suburban area with a village centre in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, approximately south of central London and northeast of Epsom.
In the 2011 Census, the settlement had a population of 34,872, a majority of wh ...
, on the old London Road. Designed by
Henry Clutton
Henry Clutton (19 March 1819 – 27 June 1893)Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , Photograph , http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pis&GScid=1366392&GRid=12186732&PIgrid=12186732&PIcrid=1366392&PIpi=3000944& was an English arc ...
, it was built in a simple, modest form of the Decorated
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
style (apart from an ostentatious
vaulted
In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...
west porch, erected c. 1905) and faced with
Swanage stone (not to be confused with
Purbeck Marble) with
Bath stone mullions and tracery. The North Aisle was enlarged in the late 19th century. The real glories, however, are inside. There is a fine marble
pulpit, as well as the medieval
font and chancel screen (which was extended somewhat to fit the larger chancel arch of the new church) from the old building.
Modern history
A fire in 1973, started by the explosion of the church's central heating boiler, destroyed the North Aisle and everything in it, including an organ built in 1865 by "Father"
Henry Willis
Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...
, except a print of ''
The Light of the World'' by famous painter and local resident
William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolis ...
, who painted the original by the disused gunpowder mills in Kingston Road. The church was lucky enough to buy a similar organ (closely similar to the famous instrument in
Truro Cathedral) from the church of St Augustine,
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was sit ...
,
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, which was under threat of closure (see below).
Recently, a set of
Stations of the Cross and Resurrection by the noted
artist and parishioner
Iain McKillop were dedicated for use at St Mary's, having been displayed at
Lichfield Cathedral
Lichfield Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, one of only three cathedrals in the United Kingdom with three spires (together with Truro Cathedral and St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh), and the only medie ...
.
The "Father Willis" organ
The organ was originally built in 1889 by the organ builder
Henry Willis
Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...
for the
Anglican parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
of St Augustine,
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was sit ...
. In 1975 there was a risk that the latter church would be closed—so, to protect the organ's future, they sold it to Saint Mary's, which had lost a similar instrument in a fire two years previously. However, in an ironic twist of fate, the church in
Highbury
Highbury is a district in North London and part of the London Borough of Islington
in Greater London that was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Roads.
The manor house was sit ...
was reprieved just days after the organ was removed and another nearby church, dedicated to
St John, closed instead (whose rather smaller organ was installed at St Augustine's). The Ewell organ was installed in its new home by the
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
-based firm of
Rushworth and Dreaper
Rushworth and Dreaper was a firm of organ builders, and later general instrument suppliers associated with Paul McCartney based in Liverpool. The manufacturer was founded in 1828 by William Rushworth, operating until 2002. Upon its liquidation, ...
, but was left much as it had originally been built. Some of the organ's finely stencilled front-pipes (those that formed the front at Ewell) were painted gold, in accordance with the fashions of the time. However, a few stencilled pipes can be seen from a few angles behind these (see image 6). This instrument is, despite its prestigious origins (it was often regarded as the best of several similar instruments built in the Highbury area), comparatively little-known. The Vicar of Ewell, the Parochial Church Council and the Director of Music have decided that efforts should be made to redress this situation and, to that end, are to promote the instrument through a number of recitals and concerts, the particulars of which can be viewe
here
Stop list
See also
*
List of places of worship in Epsom and Ewell
There are 29 churches and other places of worship in the Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough of Epsom and Ewell, one of 11 local government districts in the English county of Surrey. Another three buildings were formerly used for wor ...
Gallery
Image:Ewell-StMary-fromWNW-01.JPG, The west front
Image:Ewell-StMary-nave-lookingW-01.JPG, The west wall, showing the balcony and the Stations of the Cross and Resurrection by parishioner Iain McKillop
Image:Ewell-StMary-fromSE-01.JPG, The church from the South-East
Image:Ewell-StMary-fromS-01.JPG, The church from the South
File:EwellPCorgan-01.jpg, The West-facing pipe-front of the current organ, showing the stencilled pipes behind the front
File:EwellPCorgan-02.jpg, The console of the current organ
File:Ewell Church, by William Holman Hunt.jpg, A painting of the old church by William Holman Hunt
William Holman Hunt (2 April 1827 – 7 September 1910) was an English painter and one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. His paintings were notable for their great attention to detail, vivid colour, and elaborate symbolis ...
, 1847
Image:Hunt Light of the World.jpg, Hunt's The Light of the World. The original was painted in Ewell and a copy now hangs in the church.
External links
The official website of Saint Mary the Virgin, Ewell*
ttp://www.stmarysewell.com/music/music_events.html The Music Events page on the same siteSpecification of the first organ on the National Pipe Organ RegisterSpecification of the current organ on the National Pipe Organ Register
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Marys Church Ewell
1973 fires in the United Kingdom
Churches completed in 1848
19th-century Church of England church buildings
Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom
Epsom and Ewell
Ewell
Ewell ( , ) is a suburban area with a village centre in the borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, approximately south of central London and northeast of Epsom.
In the 2011 Census, the settlement had a population of 34,872, a majority of wh ...
Diocese of Guildford
Henry Clutton buildings