St Mary the Virgin, Mortlake, is a

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), 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 com ...

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...

, 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 is part of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

and the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is a Christian Full communion, communion consisting of the Church of England and other autocephalous national and regional churches in full communion. The archbishop of Canterbury in England acts as a focus of unity, ...

. The rector is The Revd Jonathan Haynes. It was announced 29th January 2025 that the Revd Ayoob Adwar would be licensed as Team Vicar in March 2025. The building, on Mortlake High Street, London SW14, dates from 1543 and is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

History

The first chapel in Mortlake, founded in 1348, stood on the river side of the High Street, on a site later occupied by Mortlake Brewery. The only surviving relic is a 15th-century

font In metal typesetting, a font is a particular size, weight and style of a ''typeface'', defined as the set of fonts that share an overall design. For instance, the typeface Bauer Bodoni (shown in the figure) includes fonts " Roman" (or "regul ...

presented to this church by Archbishop Bourchier (c.1404–86). The present churchyard and church were given to the parish by

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

in 1543, an event commemorated by a stone in the west front of the tower. Its inscription "VIVAT RH8 1543" is dismissed by

Cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

and Pevsner as "bogus". The 1543 building has undergone many alterations and enlargements during its long history and, of the original Tudor church, only the tower remains. The

belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

and the

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

are a distinctive feature of the tower which appears as a

landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...

in many historic prints and pictures of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after th ...

bank. The current appearance of the church is mostly the work of local architect Sir

Arthur Blomfield Sir Arthur William Blomfield (6 March 182930 October 1899) was an English architect. He became president of the Architectural Association in 1861; a Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1867 and vice-president of the RIBA in ...

, who built the

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...

in 1885; his firm built the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

in 1905. The

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 ...

house dates from 1670. It was restored in 1979/80.

Internal fittings

The church's

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, accesse ...

was installed in 1902 in memory of Albert Shadwell Shutt, who had been the church's vicar from 1866 to 1896.

Memorials

The earliest surviving tomb in the churchyard is that of the astrologer John Partridge, who died in 1715. There are memorials to other famous people including a British Prime Minister,

Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth Henry Addington, 1st Viscount Sidmouth (30 May 175715 February 1844) was a British Tory statesman who served as prime minister of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1804 and as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1789 to 1801. Addington is b ...

(1757–1844) and three Lord Mayors of London. A memorial to

John Dee John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1608 or 1609) was an English mathematician, astronomer, teacher, astrologer, occultist, and alchemist. He was the court astronomer for, and advisor to, Elizabeth I, and spent much of his time on alchemy, divination, ...

(1527–1609), who lived opposite the church and is buried in an unmarked spot beneath the

, was unveiled in June 2013.

Present day

Together with Christ Church, East Sheen and All Saints' Church, East Sheen, St Mary's forms the parish of Mortlake with East Sheen. The parish publishes a monthly magazine, ''Parish Link''. The church stands in the Central and Liberal

traditions A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common exa ...

of the Church of England. Services are held on Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Mortlake Quiet Gardens are based around the landscaped churchyard and are affiliated to The Quiet Garden Trust.

Gallery

St Mary the Virgin Mortlake South door.JPG , South door John Dee memorial plaque at S Mary the Virgin Mortlake.jpg ,

memorial plaque installed in 2013 inside the church St Mary the Virgin mortlake tower north face.JPG , The north face of the tower St Mary the Virgin Mortlake front door detail.JPG , Sculpture by the front door File:Mortlake, St Mary the Virgin's church, east window.jpg, East window File:Mortlake, St Mary the Virgin's church, memorial for Ursula Mary.jpg, Memorial File:Mortlake, St Mary the Virgin's church, altar.jpg, Altar

References

External links

Official website

Terry Roberts (2013): ''St Mary the Virgin, Mortlake: An Historical Guide''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary the Virgin, Mortlake 1348 establishments in England 1543 establishments in England Churches completed in 1543 16th-century Church of England church buildings

Arthur Blomfield church buildings

Churches in Mortlake, London Churches on the Thames John Dee Gardens in religion Grade II* listed churches in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames History of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Henry Addington Henry VIII