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St Mary's Church, Wimbledon, is a
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 Brit ...
church and is part of the Parish of Wimbledon, south-west
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 ...
, England. It has existed since the 12th century and may be the church recorded in the
Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
in the Mortlake Hundred. It is still in active use today, and has been
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 I ...
since 1949.


History

There have been four churches on the site since 1086: * The Medieval Church — 11th century to 13th century. * The Second Church — Late 13th century until 1786. * The Georgian Church — 1780s to 1840s. * The Victorian Church — Completed in 1843 and exists today.


The Victorian Church

The present church dates from 1843, and was designed by
Sir George Gilbert Scott Sir George Gilbert Scott (13 July 1811 – 27 March 1878), known as Sir Gilbert Scott, was a prolific English Gothic Revival architect, chiefly associated with the design, building and renovation of churches and cathedrals, although he started ...
, then working for the architects 'Messers Scott and Moffat'. Scott was given the brief of building the church without exceeding a strict budget of £4000, which he succeeded in doing by incorporating parts of the earlier building. It is still possible to see these older parts today. Another visibly notable addition was the tower and spire, which is 196 feet tall. The beams in the chancel roof were re-discovered during renovation work of the chancel in 1860. They are thought to be Medieval in origin. The beams are decorated with a chevron and flower pattern and were restored in 1993 as part of the church's 150th anniversary celebrations.


Memorials

The oldest memorial in the church dates back to 1537; it is in memory of Philip and Margaret Lewston and was commissioned by their daughter Katherine Walter, who has a memorial also within the present church. Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon, Lord of the Manor of Wimbledon has his sarcophagus situated within the eponymous side chapel that he had commissioned in the 1620s. The chapel was notably originally lit with six small windows to commemorate his two wives and four daughters. In 1651, Dorothy Cecil left an endowment for the upkeep of her father's tomb, with any surplus to be used for the education and apprenticeship of local children. Sir Richard Wynn, a 17th-century Member of Parliament, is buried within the nave; he had notably taken care of
Wimbledon Manor House Wimbledon manor house; the residence of the lord of the manor, was an English country house at Wimbledon, Surrey, now part of Greater London. The manor house was over the centuries exploded, burnt and several times demolished. The first known ma ...
for
Henrietta Maria Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She was ...
, wife of
Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...
, after she fled to the continent in 1642 during the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polici ...
. Sir Theodore Janssen, Lord of the Manor of Wimbledon, who was one of the founders of the Bank of England and director of the ill-fated South Sea Company, is also commemorated. Two more modern brasses commemorate the abolitionist William Wilberton, of the nearby Lauriston House, and
Walter Reynolds Walter Reynolds (died 1327) was Bishop of Worcester and then Archbishop of Canterbury (1313–1327) as well as Lord High Treasurer and Lord Chancellor. Early career Reynolds was the son of a baker from Windsor, Berkshire, and became a clerk, ...
, who was formerly the rector of the church and, later, the
Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Just ...
. The most recent memorials commemorate
Leslie Godfree Leslie Allison Godfree (27 April 1885 – 17 November 1971) was a British male tennis player who was especially successful in doubles and mixed doubles. Biography Educated at Brighton College, Godfree played at the Wimbledon Championships fro ...
and
Kathleen McKane Godfree Kathleen "Kitty" McKane Godfree (née McKane; 7 May 1896 – 19 June 1992) was a British tennis and badminton player and the second most decorated female British Olympian, joint with Katherine Grainger According to A. Wallis Myers of ''The Da ...
who were highly successful tennis players in the early 20th century.


Burials

At the east end of the churchyard is the large mausoleum of Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, the renowned engineer of the Embankment and the sewer system in
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 ...
around 1858. There is also a memorial stone to Sir Joseph within the church, while a number of his descendants are in the book of remembrance. In the churchyard are buried the artist
Fred Barnard Frederick Barnard (16 May 1846 – 28 September 1896) was an English illustrator, caricaturist and genre painter. He is noted for his work on the novels of Charles Dickens published between 1871 and 1879 by Chapman and Hall. Life and work ...
(1846-1896) and the bibliographer and Shakespearian scholar Alfred W Pollard (1859-1944).


Church halls

Fellowship House was built in 1974 and replaced a small room above a shop in
Wimbledon Village Wimbledon () is a district and town of Southwest London, England, southwest of the centre of London at Charing Cross; it is the main commercial centre of the London Borough of Merton. Wimbledon had a population of 68,187 in 2011 which includes ...
. It was used for many activities both by the church and outside groups. Today, it is a day nursery during the week and is used by the church at weekends. The Parish Office is located in Fellowship House. The Garden Hall was completed in 2003 due to the need of more space for church activities, especially the growing
Sunday School A Sunday school is an educational institution, usually (but not always) Christian in character. Other religions including Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism have also organised Sunday schools in their temples and mosques, particularly in the West. ...
. The building is of modern design, and has won architectural awards. One wall is a large glass window, part of which opens to give access to the grass area outside. It was officially opened on 3 May 2003 by
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy (Alexandra Helen Elizabeth Olga Christabel; born 25 December 1936) is a member of the British royal family. Queen Elizabeth II and Alexandra were first cousins through their fathers, King George V ...
.


Bells

St Mary's has 8
church bells A church bell in Christian architecture is a bell which is rung in a church for a variety of religious purposes, and can be heard outside the building. Traditionally they are used to call worshippers to the church for a communal service, and ...
. In 1984, there was a refit of all the 8 bells. The oldest is the original No. 7 dedicated to St. Bartholemew. This bell was made by a London Bell Foundry, circa 1520.


Services

Sundays: * 8:00am — Holy Communion * 9:30am — Sung Eucharist * 11:15am — Informal Worship * 6:30pm — Evensong


Live Streaming Services

St Mary's has a full streaming system to stream onto both Zoom and
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. Every service is streamed apart from the 11:15. A full refit of the streaming system came in January 2022 and has since proven very effective in introducing more members to the church services.


Other local churches

''See: Parish of Wimbledon''


In Wimbledon Team Ministry

* St Mark's Wimbledon * St Matthew's Wimbledon * St John's Wimbledon


In local area

* Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon. * Christ Church, West Wimbledon * Holy Trinity, South Wimbledon * Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon (Roman Catholic) * Trinity Church, Wimbledon (URC)


See also

* Parish of Wimbledon *
Wimbledon Manor House Wimbledon manor house; the residence of the lord of the manor, was an English country house at Wimbledon, Surrey, now part of Greater London. The manor house was over the centuries exploded, burnt and several times demolished. The first known ma ...


References


External links


St Mary's Church website

A Church Near You Listing





History of St Mary's Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary's Church, Wimbledon Wimbledon Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Merton Wimbledon Wimbledon Buildings and structures in Wimbledon, London Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom 19th-century Church of England church buildings George Gilbert Scott buildings History of the London Borough of Merton