St Mary the Virgin, Mortlake, is a

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, ...

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many centu ...

, in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in southwest London forms part of Outer London and is the only London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller council areas amalgamated under the London ...

. It is part of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

and the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

. The

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 ...

is The Revd Canon Dr Ann Nickson. The building, on Mortlake High Street, London SW14, dates from 1543 and is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The first chapel in Mortlake, founded in 1348, stood on the river side of the High Street, on a site later occupied by Mortlake Brewery. The only surviving relic is a 15th-century

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a typeface. Each font is a matched set of type, with a piece (a "sort") for each glyph. A typeface consists of a range of such fonts that shared an overall design. In mod ...

presented to this church by Archbishop Bourchier (c.1404–86). The present churchyard and church were given to the parish by

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disag ...

in 1543, an event commemorated by a stone in the west front of the tower. Its inscription "VIVAT RH8 1543" is dismissed by

Cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The nam ...

and

Pevsner Pevsner or Pevzner is a Jewish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Aihud Pevsner (1925–2018), American physicist * Antoine Pevsner (1886–1962), Russian sculptor, brother of Naum Gabo * David Pevsner, American actor, singer, dan ...

as "bogus". The 1543 building has undergone many alterations and enlargements during its long history and, of the original Tudor church, only the tower remains. The belfry and the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, most often dome-like, tall structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome. The word derives, via Italian, from ...

are a distinctive feature of the tower which appears as a

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures or f ...

in many historic prints and pictures of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

bank. The current appearance of the church is mostly the work of local architect Sir

Arthur Blomfield Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

, who built the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ove ...

in 1885; his firm built the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

in 1905. The

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

house dates from 1670. It was restored in 1979/80.

Internal fittings

The church's

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

was installed in 1902 in memory of Albert Shadwell Shutt, who had been the church's vicar from 1866 to 1896.

Memorials

The earliest surviving tomb in the churchyard is that of the astrologer

John Partridge John Partridge may refer to: *John Partridge (artist) (1789–1872), British portrait painter *John Partridge (astrologer) (1644–1710s), English astrologer *John Partridge (actor) (born 1971), English actor, singer and dancer *John Bernard Partrid ...

, who died in 1715. There are memorials to other famous people including a British Prime Minister,

Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth, (30 May 175715 February 1844) was an English Tory statesman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804. Addington is best known for obtaining the Treaty of Amiens in 1802, an ...

(1757–1844) and three

Lord Mayors of London List of all Lord Mayor of the City of London, mayors and lord mayors of London (leaders of the City of London Corporation, and Citizen, first citizens of the City of London, Middle Ages, from medieval times). Until 1354, the title held was M ...

. A memorial to

John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, teacher, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divinatio ...

(1527–1609), who lived opposite the church and is buried in an unmarked spot beneath the

, was unveiled in June 2013.

Present day

Together with

Christ Church, East Sheen Christ Church, East Sheen, is an inclusive and welcoming Church of England church on Christ Church Road, East Sheen, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Part of the Diocese of Southwark the Parish of Mortlake with East Sheen is served ...

and All Saints' Church, East Sheen, St Mary's forms the parish of Mortlake with East Sheen. The parish publishes a monthly magazine, ''Parish Link''. The church stands in the

Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

and

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

traditions A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...

of the Church of England. Services are held on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Mortlake Quiet Gardens are based around the landscaped churchyard and are affiliated to

The Quiet Garden Trust The Quiet Garden Trust is a non-profit organisation which encourages the provision of gardens where people can set aside time for contemplation, prayer and renewal. The opening of Quiet Gardens is controlled by the respective owners, and the trus ...

Gallery

St Mary the Virgin Mortlake South door.JPG , South door John Dee memorial plaque at S Mary the Virgin Mortlake.jpg ,

memorial plaque installed in 2013 inside the church St Mary the Virgin mortlake tower north face.JPG , The north face of the tower St Mary the Virgin Mortlake front door detail.JPG , Sculpture by the front door File:Mortlake, St Mary the Virgin's church, east window.jpg, East window File:Mortlake, St Mary the Virgin's church, memorial for Ursula Mary.jpg, Memorial File:Mortlake, St Mary the Virgin's church, altar.jpg, Altar

References

External links

Official website

Terry Roberts (2013): ''St Mary the Virgin, Mortlake: An Historical Guide''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary the Virgin, Mortlake 1348 establishments in England 1543 establishments in England 16th-century Church of England church buildings

Arthur Blomfield church buildings

Churches in Mortlake, London Churches on the Thames John Dee Gardens in religion Grade II* listed churches in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames