St Richard's Church, Ham is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church on Ashburnham Road,

Ham Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in '' Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term '' ...

in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

. It was founded in 1964 and is dedicated to

St Richard of Chichester Richard of Chichester (1197 – 3 April 1253), also known as Richard de Wych, is a saint (canonized 1262) who was Bishop of Chichester. In Chichester Cathedral a shrine dedicated to Richard had become a richly decorated centre of pilgrimag ...

History

The church was built as part of a substantial housing development on land given by the construction company Wates. The foundation stone was laid on 19 September 1964 by Norman Wates. During the construction, Wates provided access to a workmen's hut for the new and rapidly growing congregation to worship in. Architect Ralph Covell based the design on the six-pointed

Star of David The Star of David (, , ) is a symbol generally recognized as representing both Jewish identity and Judaism. Its shape is that of a hexagram: the compound of two equilateral triangles. A derivation of the Seal of Solomon was used for decora ...

creating an hexagonal space for worship to bring congregation and clergy closer together, as encouraged by the

Second Vatican Council The Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, commonly known as the or , was the 21st and most recent ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. The council met each autumn from 1962 to 1965 in St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City for session ...

. The six sections of the star-shaped roof comprise alternate

hyperbolic paraboloid In geometry, a paraboloid is a quadric surface that has exactly one axis of symmetry and no center of symmetry. The term "paraboloid" is derived from parabola, which refers to a conic section that has a similar property of symmetry. Every pla ...

(hypar) shells and pyramidal structures. The triangular points of the star form, clockwise from the east, the entrance,

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 ...

, parish room (''Nash Room''),

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government of a parish in England, Wales and some English colony, English colonies. At their height, the vestries were the only form of local government in many places and spen ...

, kitchen and children's area.

Henry Haig Henry Haig (9 February 19306 December 2007) was an English abstract artist, painter and sculptor but notable predominantly for his stained glass work. Early life and education Born in Hampstead in 1930, Haig's talent was recognised and encourag ...

, then teaching at

Kingston School of Art The Kingston School of Art (KSA) is an art school in Kingston upon Thames, part of Kingston University London. It was first established in 1899 as the Kingston School of Science and Art. In 1930 it was established as a separate school and has b ...

, was commissioned to create the fourteen

stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...

windows. Haig also painted the

sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christianity, Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is us ...

doors and made the original processional cross. The

non-figurative Abstract art uses visual language of shape, form, color and line to create a Composition (visual arts), composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. ''Abstract art'', ''non-figurative art'', ''non- ...

designs of the windows and paintings are inspired by aspects of the life and work of St Richard. (Information sheet) The pair of window panels behind the altar of the lady chapel depict the

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'cup', taken from the Ancient Greek () 'cup') is a drinking cup raised on a stem with a foot or base. Although it is a technical archaeological term, in modern parlance the word is now used almost exclusively for the ...

of St Richard. Running clockwise from there the next window depicts the miracle of the fishes. The following pair represent St Richard's gentleness and humour. The ruling bishop's mitre features in the next panel. The next three panels, to the right of the altar, are a group that show St Richard's power and strength in the outer panels with the central one representing the initial suppression of Richard's power by Henry III. The following panel represents St Richard's miracle at

Candlemas Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday, Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of ...

and the next two represent St Richard the gardener and the growth of plants. The next depicts birth whilst the pair flanking the entrance represent St Richard's death with one showing hands pressing down on the chalice and releasing the soul whilst the other shows gifts left at the tomb. The tracker organ with electric blower, single manual keyboard, small pedal keyboard and nine stops, originally made in about 1900 by Bevington and Sons of London, was rebuilt in the church in 1965 by N. P. Mander Ltd. On 20 May 1966 the church was consecrated to

by the Right Reverend

Mervyn Stockwood Arthur Mervyn Stockwood (27 May 1913 – 13 January 1995) was a Church of England bishop who served as vicar of St Matthew's Church, Moorfields, then of Great St Mary's, Cambridge, and finally as Bishop of Southwark, retiring in 1980. Early li ...

, then Bishop of Southwark. The kitchen and facilities for disabled people were improved in 1998. The children's area was developed in 2003 with the addition of folding screens and a mural. A large wooden cross that stands on the mound outside the church was constructed by local young people in 2006. The church was listed Grade II in February 2024.

Church activities

A weekly Parish Communion is held at 10 am on Sunday and is followed by tea and coffee. A Said Communion is held on Tuesday at 10 am.

Community use

The church is linked to the adjacent St Richard's CE Primary School which uses the church for assemblies and other activities. The church space is also used by various community groups as well as those connected with the church. Users include a play group, a choir and a

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

group.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Richard's Church, Ham 1964 establishments in England 20th-century Church of England church buildings

Churches completed in 1966 Churches in Ham, London Grade II listed churches in London Grade II listed churches in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Ralph Covell buildings Stained glass windows