St Paul's Church, Clapham
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St Paul's Church is a
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...
in
Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...
, London. There has been a church on the site since the 12th century. The current building was completed in 1815 and is
Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
. In the grounds, which hold the
Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...
, are some fine tombs including many early 19th century sarcophagi and a community garden, Eden. The
incumbent The incumbent is the current holder of an office or position. In an election, the incumbent is the person holding or acting in the position that is up for election, regardless of whether they are seeking re-election. There may or may not be ...
is Revd Canon Jonathan Boardman.


History

The original parish church of Clapham was St Mary's Church which dated from the 12th century. St Mary's was renamed Trinity Church after the
Reformation The Reformation, also known as the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation, was a time of major Theology, theological movement in Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the p ...
. It was taken down under an act of Parliament in 1774 and a new
Holy Trinity Church Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
was built on
Clapham Common Clapham Common is a large triangular urban park in Clapham, south London, England. Originally common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, it was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878. It is of gr ...
in 1775. The north aisle of the former church was left standing for the performance of burials. St Paul's Church was built at the beginning of the 19th century on the site of the former St Mary's/Trinity Church. The building was completed in 1815 as a
chapel of ease A chapel of ease (or chapel-of-ease) is a church architecture, church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently, generally due to trav ...
to Holy Trinity, Clapham. It was assigned a separate Ecclesiastical District in 1861.


Architecture

The architect was Christopher Edmonds of Newington, Surrey. The church was built from
stock brick London stock brick is the type of handmade brick which was used for the majority of building work in London and South East England until the increase in the use of Flettons and other machine-made bricks in the early 20th century. Its distincti ...
, with a fairly low pitched
slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...
roof and is in the
classical style Classical architecture typically refers to architecture consciously derived from the principles of Greek and Roman architecture of classical antiquity, or more specifically, from ''De architectura'' (c. 10 AD) by the Roman architect Vitruvius. Va ...
. The original construction was a plain rectangular building with interior galleries at the west end and sides. In 1875, the church was extended at the east end by
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 ...
with a transept, a chancel and lower half octagonal
apse In architecture, an apse (: apses; from Latin , 'arch, vault'; from Ancient Greek , , 'arch'; sometimes written apsis; : apsides) is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical Vault (architecture), vault or semi-dome, also known as an ' ...
. St Paul's is a
cruciform A cruciform is a physical manifestation resembling a common cross or Christian cross. These include architectural shapes, biology, art, and design. Cruciform architectural plan Christian churches are commonly described as having a cruciform ...
church with a west entrance porch and a wide nave with aisles. The Victorian
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
and
transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...
by Blomfield have round arched windows with roll moulding and pediments at each end of the transept. The side galleries were removed in 1928. The most severe damage caused to the church by the bombing during World War II occurred on the night of 10 May 1941. Incendiary bombs lodged in the roof and burned through before they could be extinguished, damaging the chancel and sanctuary. The building was completely restored and redecorated after the war and on 14 July 1955, the church was designated a
grade II* listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
. Following a further internal reorganization in 1970, the south semitransept is now a
Lady chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...
.


Present day

St Paul's stands in the central
tradition A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common e ...
of the
Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
. The parish of St. Paul, Clapham is part of Archdeaconry of Lambeth in the
Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark ( ) is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient ...
.


Organ

The pipe organ at St Paul's was built in 1886 by
Forster and Andrews Forster and Andrews was a British organ building company between 1843 and 1924. The company was formed by James Alderson Forster (1818–1886) and Joseph King Andrews (1820–1896), who had been employees of the London organ builder J. C. Bisho ...
. The organ originally stood in the south semitransept, the current location of the Lady Chapel, before the 1970 reorganisation of the building. A complete, historically congruent rebuild of the organ was finished in 2019 by Andrew Cooper & Co. Ltd.


Community Centre

The East End extension designed by Blomfield was converted into a
community centre A community centre, community center, or community hall is a public location where members of a community gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may be open for the whole community or for a sp ...
in 1970, reducing the church to its original size. The centre is home to a
Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...
nursery school and a number of user groups including a community choir. The church is used as a performance space by an opera company, a
chamber music Chamber music is a form of classical music that is composed for a small group of Musical instrument, instruments—traditionally a group that could fit in a Great chamber, palace chamber or a large room. Most broadly, it includes any art music ...
ensemble and for theatrical productions by Paul's Players.


Churchyard

The churchyard was closed for burials in 1854. Among those buried in the churchyard were
Roundhead Roundheads were the supporters of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War (1642–1651). Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I of England and his supporters, known as the Cavaliers or Royalists, who ...
soldiers killed in the
English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...
. The churchyard has largely been cleared of gravestones but the Revd TC Dale made a record in the 1920s of all gravestones and monumental inscriptions existing at the time. The churchyard is home to "Eden at St. Paul's", a popular community garden. It is one of Lambeth's longest standing
Green Flag Award The Green Flag Award is an international accreditation given to publicly accessible parks and open spaces, managed under licence from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, a UK Government department, by Keep Britain Tidy, ...
-winning sites.


Tombs

* The Hibbert family, George (1792–1795) first child of
George Hibbert George Hibbert (13 January 1757 – 8 October 1837) was an English merchant, politician and ship-owner. Alongside fellow slaver Robert Milligan (merchant), Robert Milligan, he was also one of the principals of the West India Dock Company which ...
and Elizabeth Margaret Hibbert * The Atkins family, Sir Richard Atkins 1st Baronet of Clapham


Notable clergy

* Helen Cunliffe, later Archdeacon of St Albans, served as the church's first female vicar from 1994 to 1995, having been deacon-in-charge since 1989. * Justine Allain Chapman, later Archdeacon of Boston, served as vicar from 1997 to 2004 * Deborah Matthews, now vicar of the Parish of
Verwood Verwood is a town and civil parish in eastern Dorset, England. The town lies north of Bournemouth and north east of Poole as the crow flies. The civil parish comprises the town of Verwood together with the extended village of Three Legged Cr ...
, served as the parish's third consecutive female vicar from 2004 to 2017 (Area Dean 2013 - 2017)


Memorials

*
Atkins baronets The Atkins Baronetcy, of Clapham in the County of Surrey, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 13 June 1660 for Richard Atkins. The second Baronet sat as Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire. The title became extinct o ...
, memorial attributed to William Stanton *
Bartholomew Clerke Bartholomew Clerke (1537?–1590) was an English jurist, politician and diplomat. He became Dean of the Arches and a contemporary of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford. Background He was grandson of Richard Clerke, gentleman, of Livermere in ...
, Lord of Clapham Manor *
John Hatchard John Hatchard (1769–1849) was an English publisher and bookseller, in Piccadilly, London. The Hatchards bookshop there is still in business. Early life Hatchard had a trial at the works of the printer Thomas Bensley. He then served on appren ...
, publisher and bookseller *
William Hewer William Hewer (1642 – 3 December 1715), sometimes known as Will Hewer, was one of Samuel Pepys' manservants, and later Pepys's clerk, before embarking on an administrative career of his own. Hewer is mentioned several times in Pepys' diary an ...
, large, unsigned Baroque memorial, attributed to
Francis Bird Francis Bird (1667–1731) was one of the leading English sculptors of his time. He is mainly remembered for sculptures in Westminster Abbey and St Paul's Cathedral. He carved a tomb for the dramatist William Congreve in Westminster Abbey and s ...
and modelled on the Memorial to Maria Raggi by
Gian Lorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, ; ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 1598 – 28 November 1680) was an Italians, Italian sculptor and Italian architect, architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prom ...
in
Santa Maria sopra Minerva Santa Maria sopra Minerva is one of the major Church (building), churches of the Order of Preachers (also known as the Dominicans) in Rome, Italy. The church's name derives from the fact that the first Christian church structure on the site was b ...
in Rome *
Martin Lister Martin Lister (12 April 1639 – 2 February 1712) was an English natural history, naturalist and physician. His daughters Anne Lister (illustrator), Anne and Susanna Lister, Susanna were two of his illustrators and engravers. J. D. Woodley, 'L ...
, physician to Queen Anne * Henry Thornton, leading member of the
Clapham Sect The Clapham Sect, or Clapham Saints, were a group of social reformers associated with Holy Trinity Clapham in the period from the 1780s to the 1840s. Despite the label "sect", most members remained in the Established Church, established (and do ...
*
Henry Venn (Clapham Sect) Henry Venn (2 March 1724 – 24 June 1797) was an English Anglican clergyman and writer who co-founded the Clapham Sect, an influential evangelical group within the Church of England. Life He was the third son of Richard Venn, vicar of St Anth ...
* John Broadley Wilson (1764–1835), Treasurer of the Baptist Missionary Society, by
Francis Leggatt Chantrey Sir Francis Leggatt Chantrey (7 April 1781 – 25 November 1841) was an English sculptor. He became the leading portrait sculptor in Regency era Britain, producing busts and statues of many notable figures of the time. Chantrey's most notable w ...


Contested heritage

A review commissioned by
Lambeth Council Lambeth London Borough Council, which styles itself Lambeth Council, is the local authority for the London Borough of Lambeth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, one of the 32 in London. The council has been under Labour ...
, following the
Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...
protests during 2020, to identify locations in Lambeth with historic direct and indirect links to the trans-Atlantic slave trade and colonialism, included both the memorial plaque to William Hewer and the Hibbert family tomb as having proven associations. The incumbent vicar of St Paul's is an ex officio trustee of the Hibbert Almshouse Charity, which manages the Hibbert Almshouses which stand within the parish boundary.


In popular culture

St Paul's was the filming location for the funeral scene in the 2003 Richard Curtis film ''
Love Actually ''Love Actually'' is a 2003 Christmas film, Christmas romantic comedy film written and directed by Richard Curtis. The film features an ensemble cast, composed predominantly of British actors, many of whom had worked with Curtis in previous pro ...
''.


References


Bibliography

*Lush, Sarah. ''St. Paul's, Clapham''. London: PCC of St. Paul's Church Clapham *Dale, TC. ''Our Clapham Forefathers''


External links

*
A Church Near You entry
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Paul's Church, Clapham
Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...
Clapham Clapham () is a district in south London, south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (including Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Ea ...
Grade II* listed churches in London Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Lambeth History of the London Borough of Lambeth Clapham Churches bombed by the Luftwaffe in London