The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Stanwell, 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 Britai ...

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, ...

in the village of Stanwell, Surrey. It dates to the 12th-century and is a

grade I listed building 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 ...

. It has

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

and Gothic architectural elements including a 14th-century spire.

Parish

Stanwell parish is the west of the historic county of

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

. The parish was 3,934 acres (a little over 6 square miles) in 1930. Around the parish are the town of Staines, the river Colne, and

Hounslow Heath Hounslow Heath is a local nature reserve in the London Borough of Hounslow and at a point borders Richmond upon Thames. The public open space, which covers , is all that remains of the historic Hounslow Heath which covered more than . The prese ...

. A church was endowed at Stanwell in 1204; a vicarage existed by 1254. In 1415 the

advowson Advowson () or patronage is the right in English law of a patron (avowee) to present to the diocesan bishop (or in some cases the ordinary if not the same person) a nominee for appointment to a vacant ecclesiastical benefice or church living ...

(patronage) of the parish was acquired by

Chertsey Abbey Chertsey Abbey, dedicated to St Peter, was a Benedictine monastery located at Chertsey in the English county of Surrey. It was founded in 666 AD by Saint Erkenwald who was the first abbot, and from 675 AD the Bishop of London. At the same time ...

, but returned to the Crown in 1537 with the Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII.

History

Stanwell's 12th century church of St Mary the Virgin has

and Gothic architectural elements including a 14th-century spire. The church contains a fine monument to Lord and Lady Knyvett. A memorial to Sir Charles Brisbane, a

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

officer who served during the American War of Independence and with distinction under Lords Hood and Nelson, also lies in the chancel. On 11 August 1952, the church was designated a

Present day

The

Parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one o ...

of Stanwell in part of the Archdeaconry of Middlesex in the Diocese of London. The church stands in the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

tradition 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

. As they reject the ordination of women, the parish is under the

alternative episcopal oversight A provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), popularly known as a flying bishop, is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who on grounds of theological conviction, "are unable to receive the ministry of ...

of the Bishop of Fulham (currently Jonathan Baker).

Gallery

Stanwell Church west side.JPG, From the west, the spire is visibly not vertical St. Mary's Church at Stanwell - geograph.org.uk - 2048467.jpg, The church from the east side Lych Gate at St Mary's Church in Stanwell.jpg, The

lych gate A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, lyke-gate or as two separate words lych gate, (from Old English ''lic'', corpse), also ''wych gate'', is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style ch ...

Churchyard Yew Trees at Stanwell.jpg, Yew trees in the churchyard Tapestry work in Stanwell Church.JPG, Florentine tapestry work around a St George's Cross kneeler Tomb of Lord Knyvett in Stanwell Church.JPG, Tomb of Lord Knyvett

Bibliography

References

External links

{{Commons category-inline, St Mary the Virgin, Stanwell Churches in Surrey Stanwell Stanwell Anglo-Catholic churches in England receiving AEO Diocese of London