St George's, Hanover Square, 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, the parish church of
Mayfair
Mayfair is an area of Westminster, London, England, in the City of Westminster. It is in Central London and part of the West End. It is between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane and one of the most expensive districts ...
in the
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in Greater London, England. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It contains a large par ...
,
central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, in England, spanning the City of London and several boroughs. Over time, a number of definitions have been used to define the scope of Central London for statistics, urban planning and local gove ...
, built in the early eighteenth century as part of a project to build fifty new churches around London (the
Queen Anne Churches). The church was designed by
John James; its site was donated by General
William Steuart, who laid the first stone in 1721. The building is one small block south of
Hanover Square, near
Oxford Circus
Oxford Circus is a road junction connecting Oxford Street and Regent Street in the West End of London. It is also the entrance to Oxford Circus tube station.
The junction opened in 1819 as part of the Regent Street development under John Nash ( ...
. Because of its location, it has frequently been the venue for
society
A society () is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. ...
weddings.
Ecclesiastical parish
A civil parish of
St George Hanover Square
St George Hanover Square was a Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of the St George's, Hanover Square, Church of St George's, Hanover Square, ...
and an
ecclesiastical parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...
were created in 1724 from part of the ancient parish of
St Martin in the Fields.
The boundaries of the ecclesiastical parish were adjusted in 1830, 1835 and 1865 when other parishes were carved out of it. The ecclesiastical parish still exists today and forms part of the Deanery of Westminster St Margaret in the
Diocese of London
The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England.
It lies directly north of the Thames, covering and all or part of 17 London boroughs. This corresponds almost exactly to the historic county of ...
.
Architecture
The land for the church was donated by General Sir William Steuart. The church was constructed in 1721–1725, funded by the
Commission for Building Fifty New Churches, and designed by John James,
who had been one of the two surveyors to the commission since 1716.
Its portico, supported by six
Corinthian column
The Corinthian order (, ''Korinthiakós rythmós''; ) is the last developed and most ornate of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order, which was the earliest, ...
s, projects across the pavement. There is a tower just behind the portico, rising from the roof above the west end of the nave.
The interior is divided into nave and aisles by piers, square up to the height of the galleries, then rising to the ceiling in the form of Corinthian columns. The nave has a
barrel vault
A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...
, and the aisles transverse barrel vaults.
Burial ground
St George's was opened in the new residential development of Hanover Square with no attached churchyard. Its first burial ground was sited beside its workhouse at Mount Street. When this filled up a larger burial ground was consecrated at
Bayswater
Bayswater is an area in the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...
in 1765. They were closed for burials in 1854, when London's city churchyards were closed to protect public health. Burials at St George's included
Ann Radcliffe
Ann Radcliffe (née Ward; 9 July 1764 – 7 February 1823) was an English novelist who pioneered the Gothic fiction, Gothic novel, and a minor poet. Her fourth and most popular novel, ''The Mysteries of Udolpho'', was published in 1794. She i ...
(1764–1823), an influential writer of the "Gothic Novel", the Revd.
Laurence Sterne
Laurence Sterne (24 November 1713 – 18 March 1768) was an Anglo-Irish novelist and Anglican cleric. He is best known for his comic novels ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'' (1759–1767) and ''A Sentimental Journey Thro ...
(1713–1768), abolitionist and author of ''
Tristram Shandy Tristram may refer to:
Literature
* the title character of ''The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman'', a novel by Laurence Sterne
* the title character of '' Tristram of Lyonesse'', an epic poem by Algernon Charles Swinburne
*"Tristr ...
,'' and
Francis Nicholson
Lieutenant-General Francis Nicholson (12 November 1655 – ) was a British Army officer and colonial administrator who served as the governor of South Carolina from 1721 to 1725. He previously was the Governor of Nova Scotia from 1712 to 1715, ...
, British military officer and colonial administrator.
The Mount Street ground was later cleared of monuments and turned into a small park. Some of the old tombstones were used for guttering and drainage, and may be seen today. During the
First World War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
the Bayswater ground was covered with 4' of top soil and used for growing vegetables. In 1969 the burial ground was cleared to enable land to be sold off for redevelopment. A skull, part anatomised, was conjectured to be Sterne's and a partial skeleton separated from the other remains to be transferred to
Coxwold
Coxwold is a village and civil parish in the county of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors National Park. It is 18 miles north of York and is where the Rev. Laurence Sterne wrote '' A Sentimental Journey''.
History
The villag ...
churchyard by the Laurence Sterne Trust. 11,500 further remains were taken to
West Norwood Cemetery
West Norwood Cemetery is a rural cemetery in West Norwood in London, England. It was also known as the South Metropolitan Cemetery.
One of the first private landscaped cemeteries in London, it is one of the " Magnificent Seven" cemeteries of ...
and cremated, for burial there.
Music
St. George's has a full-time professional choir and a strong choral tradition.
Handel
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti.
Born in Halle, Germany, H ...
lived at 25
Brook Street from 1723 until his death in 1759. He was a regular worshipper at St George's. He was on the panel that appointed the first organist,
Thomas Roseingrave in 1725. During his years at Brook Street he became a British citizen and wrote ''
Messiah
In Abrahamic religions, a messiah or messias (; ,
; ,
; ) is a saviour or liberator of a group of people. The concepts of '' mashiach'', messianism, and of a Messianic Age originated in Judaism, and in the Hebrew Bible, in which a ''mashiach ...
'' in 1741.
St George´s is now one of the venues used by the annual
London Handel Festival.
A Restoration Fund Appeal was launched on
Trinity Sunday
Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christianity, Western Christian liturgical year, liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the ...
2006 to raise a total of five million pounds, with a target of one and a half million pounds needed for the first phase of essential restoration work to the fabric of the church.
Classical music concerts include series in support of the Restoration Fund, supported by the William Smith International Performance Programme and featuring solo piano performances by students from the
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music (RCM) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, UK. It offers training from the undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including pe ...
, including Ren Yuan, Ina Charuashvili, Meng Yan Pan and the London debut of Maria Nemtsova of Russia.
The church is one of the two main bases of the
Orpheus Sinfonia, an orchestra of players recently graduated from music colleges.
Rectors
The following have served as rector of St George's, Hanover Square:
*1725–1759† Andrew Trebeck
*1759–1774
Charles Moss (as Bishop of St David's 1766–74, later Bishop of Bath and Wells)
*1774–1803†
Henry Reginald Courtenay (as Bishop of Bristol 1794–97, Bishop & Archdeacon of Exeter 1797–1803)
*1803–1844†
Robert Hodgson (as Archdeacon of St Alban's 1814–16, Dean of Chester 1816–20, Dean of Carlisle 1820–44)
*1845–1876† Henry Howarth
*1876–1890† Edward Capel Cure
*1891–1911 David Anderson
*1911–1933
Norman Thicknesse
(Francis) Norman Thicknesse (b Deane, Lancashire 9 Aug. 1858 - d St Albans 13 April 1946) was Archdeacon of Middlesex, from 1930 until 1933.
Of a Lancashire landed gentry family, the son of a bishop he was educated at Winchester and BNC. He h ...
(as Archdeacon of Middlesex 1930–33)
*1933–1940
Henry Montgomery Campbell (later Bishop of Willesden, Kensington, Guildford, and London)
*1940–1955
Stephen Phillimore
The Hon. Stephen Henry Phillimore, M.C. (14 December 1881 – 16 April 1956) was Archdeacon of Middlesex from 1933 until 1953.
The son of Walter Phillimore, 1st Baron Phillimore, he was educated at Winchester and Christ Church. After a curacy ...
(as Archdeacon of Middlesex 1933–53)
*1955–2000 William Maynard Atkins
[
*2001–2004† John Slater
*2005– Roderick Leece
† ''Rector died in post''
]
Weddings
From its early days, the church was a fashionable place for weddings, which have included those of:
*Sir Francis Dashwood
Francis Dashwood, 11th Baron le Despencer, PC, FRS (December 1708 – 11 December 1781) was an English politician and rake, Chancellor of the Exchequer (1762–1763) and founder of the Hellfire Club.
Life and career
Early life
Dashwood was ...
, founder of the second Hellfire Club, later Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
, and Sarah, daughter of George Gould of Iver, Buckinghamshire, and widow of Sir Richard Ellis, Baronet, on 19 December 1745.
* Viscount Stopford and Mary Powys, 19 April 1762
* Henry Holland and Bridget Brown, a daughter of Capability Brown
Lancelot "Capability" Brown (born c. 1715–16, baptised 30 August 1716 – 6 February 1783) was an English gardener and landscape architect, a notable figure in the history of the English landscape garden style.
Unlike other architects ...
, on 11 February 1773.
* William Hodges and Martha Bowden Nesbit, on 11 May 1776.
*The botanist and antiquary Edward Rudge
Edward Rudge (27 June 1763 – 3 September 1846) was an English botanist and antiquary.
Life
He was the son of Edward Rudge, a merchant and alderman of Salisbury, who possessed a large portion of the abbey estate at Evesham. He matriculated ...
(1763–1846) married the botanical illustrator Anne Rudge here in 1791.
* John Nash, architect, and Mary Ann Bradley on 17 December 1798.
* John Shaw (1776–1832), architect, and Elizabeth Hester Whitfield in 1799.
* Sackville Tufton, 9th Earl of Thanet, and Anne Charlotte de Bojanowitz, on 28 February 1811
*Sir John Scott Lillie CB (1790–1867), British officer in the Peninsular War
The Peninsular War (1808–1814) was fought in the Iberian Peninsula by Kingdom of Portugal, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom against the invading and occupying forces of the First French ...
, and Louisa Sutherland (1791–1860), daughter of Andrew Sutherland RN and Louisa Colebrooke on 22 January 1820.
* Joseph Wolff (1795–1862), German-born Jewish convert, to Lady Georgiana Mary Walpole, daughter of Horatio Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford, on 26 February 1827.
* John Young (1797–1877), architect and surveyor, and Caroline Pettis on 1 January 1828.
* Sir John Ogilvy, 9th Baronet, and Juliana Barbara, a daughter of Lord Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard, on 7 July 1831.
* Madeleine Hamilton Smith o George Young Wardle on 4 July 1861.
*Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...
, future United States President, aged 28, and Edith Carow
Edith Kermit Roosevelt ( Carow; August 6, 1861 – September 30, 1948) was the second wife of President Theodore Roosevelt and the first lady of the United States from 1901 to 1909. She had previously been the second lady of the United States ...
, aged 25, on 2 December 1886.
* Charles Manners (1857–1935) and Fanny Moody (1866–1945), opera singers, on 5 July 1890.
* Leopold Albu, of 4 Hamilton Place, Mayfair, the brother of Sir George Albu, to Adelaide Veronica Elizabeth Burton, daughter of Edgar Henry Burton, and granddaughter of Henry Marley Burton, on 19 August 1901.
*Alfreda Ernestina Albertina Bowen, daughter of Sir George Ferguson Bowen and Diamantina, Contessa di Roma, and Robert Lydston Newman, in October 1899.
*Euphemia Dunsmuir, daughter of Robert Dunsmuir
Robert Dunsmuir (August 31, 1825 – April 12, 1889) was a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician.
He was recognized as a National Historic Person by the government of Canada in 1971.
Early life
Dunsmuir was born in Hurlford, Scotla ...
, and Somerset Gough-Calthorpe, 27 February 1900
* John Galsworthy
John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He is best known for his trilogy of novels collectively called '' The Forsyte Saga'', and two later trilogies, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of th ...
, Nobel Prize in Literature
The Nobel Prize in Literature, here meaning ''for'' Literature (), is a Swedish literature prize that is awarded annually, since 1901, to an author from any country who has, in the words of the will of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, "in ...
recipient and Ada Nemesis Cooper on 23 September 1905 after a 10-year affair.
* Henry Hall, band leader, and Margery Harker, a girl he had met on a train, January 1924.
*The actress Charlotte Wattell married Thomas Sandon here in 1799.
* Daniel Orme
Daniel Orme (25 August 1766 – 8 February 1837) was an English artist, publisher, and official Historical Engraver to George III and the Prince of Wales, the future George IV.
Early life
Orme was born in Manchester in 1766, the second of six ...
official Historical Engraver to George III
George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland, Ireland from 25 October 1760 until his death in 1820. The Acts of Union 1800 unified Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and ...
and George IV
George IV (George Augustus Frederick; 12 August 1762 – 26 June 1830) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and King of Hanover from 29 January 1820 until his death in 1830. At the time of his accession to the throne, h ...
, married Ann Barr, on 25 June 1787
* Edward Orme
Edward Orme (1775 – 28 September 1848) was a British engraver, painter and publisher of illustrated books. He was also a property developer in Bayswater, where Orme Square was named after him.
Early life
Edward Orme was born in 1775 in Ma ...
artist and property developer, younger brother of Daniel, married Hester Edmonds on 22 June 1802
* William Orme, another brother and also an artist, married Charlotte Eleanor Scarman, a future governess to the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning
Elizabeth Barrett Browning (née Moulton-Barrett; 6 March 1806 – 29 June 1861) was an English poet of the Victorian era, popular in Britain and the United States during her lifetime and frequently anthologised after her death. Her work receiv ...
, on 14 December 1802
High society weddings at St. George's Hanover Square fell in numbers in the late 20th century, a social change discreetly mentioned in the obituary of the Reverend W. M. Atkins, Rector of St George's from 1955 to 2000.[Prebendary Bill Atkins]
(obituary) at telegraph.co.uk
References
External links
Parish data
(Vision of Britain)
* http://www.stgeorgeshanoversquare.org/
*
at the Ship of Fools website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint George's, Hanover Square
18th-century Church of England church buildings
Buildings and structures in Mayfair
Church of England church buildings in the City of Westminster
Diocese of London
Grade I listed churches in the City of Westminster
John James (architect) buildings