St Botolph's Church is a church building in

Ruxley Ruxley is a small settlement in southeast London, England, with no present formal boundaries. It is located southeast by east of Charing Cross,Nicholson Greater London Street Atlas Comprehensive Edition p.186 (2003) shows borough district ...

, in the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is the southeasternmost of the London boroughs that make up Greater London, bordering the ceremonial county of Kent, which most of Bromley was part of before 1965. The borough's population is an estimated 332,33 ...

, southest London, England. It was constructed in the thirteenth century and dedicted to

Botwulf of Thorney Botolph of Thorney (also called Botolph, Botulph or Botulf; later known as Saint Botolph; died around 680) was an English abbot and saint. He is regarded as the patron saint of boundaries, and by extension, of trade and travel, as well as vari ...

. St Botolph's was used as a church for around 300 years but was

deconsecrated Deconsecration, also called secularization, is the act of removing a religious blessing from something that had been previously consecrated by a minister or priest of that religion. The practice is usually performed on churches or synagogues to b ...

in 1557. The church was then used a farm building for over 400 years and the remains of an

oast house An oast, oast house or hop kiln is a building designed for kilning (drying) hops as part of the brewing process. They can be found in most hop-growing (and former hop-growing) areas and are often good examples of vernacular architecture. Many re ...

are still adjacent to it. In the 1960s archaeological work was carried out on the site and found evidence of an older wooden building, suggesting there may have been an older Saxon church in the same location. Today the church is a

Grade II 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 I ...

and a

scheduled ancient monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

on the grounds of Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, although many features are still intact, the church is in disrepair and

English Heritage English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses. The charity states that i ...

have agreed to pay a grant to help preserve the building.

Location

Today St Botolph's Church is located to the east of Ruxley Wood, on the grounds of Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, within

, in the northeast corner of the

, just south of the border with the

London Borough of Bexley The London Borough of Bexley () is a London borough in south-east London, forming part of Outer London. It has a population of 248,287. The main settlements are Sidcup, Erith, Bexleyheath, Crayford, Welling and Old Bexley. The London Borough ...

.Ruxley church marked on Ordnance Survey map, accessed fro
Streetmap.co.uk
/ref> The church is south of and accessed from Maidstone Road, part of the B2173 road, and north of Sidcup Bypass, part of the A20 road. It is also around southeast of Ruxley Corner roundabout where Edgington Way and North Cray Road, part of the

A223 road List of A roads in zone 2 in Great Britain starting south of the River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the ...

connect. The 233 bus, operated by

Go Ahead London Go-Ahead London is the trading name used collectively for the London bus operations of the Go-Ahead Group. The name first appeared in August 2008, before which the company had traded under separate names and brands. It is currently (as of 2021) ...

for Transport for London, serves the bus stops along Maidstone Road, on its journey from Eltham to Swanley passing through Ruxley.233 bus route map and bus stop list, accessed fro
tfl.gov.uk
/ref>

History

Archaeological work was carried out in the 1960s found evidence of an older wooden building on the site, suggesting there may have been an older Saxon church in the same location.News Shopper Bexley ''Preservation cash for former church'' news article about English Heritage grant for St Botolph's Church, Ruxley. accessed fro
www.newsshopper.co.uk
/ref> Ruxley was 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 ...

of 1086, as a settlement in the Hundred of Helmestrei, within the

Lathe of Sutton at Hone The Lathe of Sutton-at-Hone historically included a large part of Kent: the present-day boroughs of Dartford, Bexley, Greenwich, Bromley, Lewisham, Sevenoaks District and small parts of the Borough of Tonbridge and Malling and Borough of Tunb ...

.Ruxley's entry in the

(1086) accessed fro
OpenDomesday.org
/ref> By at least the late thirteenth century, the name Helmestrei was no longer in use, and the hundred came to be known as

Hundred of Ruxley Ruxley (previously Rokesley, and in the Domesday Book Helmestrei) was an ancient hundred, a land division in the north west of the county of Kent, England. Its area has been mostly absorbed by the growth of London; with its name currently r ...

taking its new name from the settlement of Ruxley, which was the meeting place of the hundred,An Historical Atlas of Kent, edited by Terence Lawrence & David Killingray (2004) – Map and description of meeting places & hundreds p. 30 located on the main road, which passed through it.

(Helmestrei) entry in the

(1086) accessed fro
OpenDomesday.org
/ref>Edward Hasted, 'The hundred of Ruxley: Introduction', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 (Canterbury, 1797), pp. 1–2. Hundred of Ruxley entry accessed fro
British History Online
(accessed 30 March 2016). The Current church building was constructed in the thirteenth century, and dedicated to

. The church was in use for around 300 years but in 1557 it was

by Cardinal

Reginald Pole Reginald Pole (12 March 1500 – 17 November 1558) was an English cardinal of the Catholic Church and the last Catholic archbishop of Canterbury, holding the office from 1556 to 1558, during the Counter-Reformation. Early life Pole was bor ...

, when the parish of Ruxley was abolished and the land and population absorbed into North Cray parish to the north.Edward Hasted, 'Parishes: North Cray with Ruxley', in The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2 (Canterbury, 1797), pp. 141–162. accessed fro
British History Online
/ref> The church was used as a farm building for over 400 years to store agricultural equipment. Today the church is a

and a

on the grounds of Ruxley Manor Garden Centre, and is owned by the Evans family. Although many features are still intact, including the majority of the roof, the church is in disrepair, and appears as "remains of church" on Ordnance Survey maps.

have agreed to pay a grant of £35,000 of the estimated £62,000 needed for structural work on the building to help preserve it.

Gallery

File:Ruxley Church 1797 engraving Hasted.jpg, "N.W. view of Rokesley Church" Engraving of St Botolph's Church, Ruxley, appearing in ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 2.'' by

Edward Hasted Edward Hasted (20 December 1732 OS (31 December 1732 NS) – 14 January 1812) was an English antiquarian and pioneering historian of his ancestral home county of Kent. As such, he was the author of a major county history, ''The History and T ...

File:Ruxley Manor Oast, Sidcup - geograph.org.uk - 2575645.jpg, Church and oast house, August 2001 File:Ruxley Manor Oast, Sidcup - geograph.org.uk - 2575650.jpg File:Ruxley Manor Oast, Sidcup - geograph.org.uk - 2575655.jpg File:Oast house adjacent to St Botolphs' Church, Ruxley.jpg File:Ruxley_Manor_Oast,_Sidcup_-_geograph.org.uk_-_2575624.jpg

References

{{reflist, 2 Churches in the London Borough of Bromley Former churches in London Church ruins in England Grade II listed churches in London Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Bromley Scheduled monuments in London 13th-century establishments in England 1550s disestablishments in England 1557 disestablishments in Europe Orpington Buildings and structures in Sidcup Ruins in London