St Mildred's Church, Whippingham is 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, ...

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 ...

of the village of

Whippingham Whippingham is a village and civil parish on the Isle of Wight, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 787. It is located south of East Cowes in the north of the Island. Whippingham is best known for its connections ...

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

History

The village of Whippingham, and St Mildred's Church as its parish church, are best known for their connections with

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...

. Whippingham was the centre of a royal estate supporting

Osborne House Osborne House is a former royal residence in East Cowes, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The house was built between 1845 and 1851 for Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as a summer home and rural retreat. Albert designed the house in the style ...

and

Barton Manor The history of Barton Manor (originally from the Old English, ''burc-tun''; alternates: Burton, Burtone, Berton, Barton) spans over 900 years and was first mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086. It is a Jacobean manor house in Whippingham, on ...

. In 1804 a church was reconstructed by John Nash on the site of the lost medieval parish church: in 1854–60 it was pulled down and rebuilt. Prince Albert (the Prince Consort) took an active role in the redesigning of the church building. The chancel of the church was built in 1854 and 1855 by the architect Albert Jenkins Humbert although Prince Albert is thought to have had a guiding hand. The remainder of the church was constructed in 1861 and 1862. A side chapel with the tomb of

Prince Henry of Battenberg Prince Henry of Battenberg (Henry Maurice; 5 October 1858 – 20 January 1896), formerly Count Henry of Battenberg, was a morganatic descendant of the Grand Ducal House of Hesse. He became a member of the British royal family by marriage to Pri ...

and

Princess Beatrice Princess Beatrice, Mrs Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi (Beatrice Elizabeth Mary; born 8 August 1988) is a member of the British royal family. She is the elder daughter of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, and Sarah, Duchess of York. She is a niece of King Ch ...

, is dedicated to the Battenberg/

Mountbatten The Mountbatten family is a British family that originated as a branch of the German princely Battenberg family. The name was adopted by members of the Battenberg family residing in the United Kingdom on 14 July 1917, three days before the Br ...

family. Queen Victoria took a close interest in 'her people' in Whippingham. This is reflected in the many memorials in St Mildred's Church which commemorate members of the Royal Family, including the Prince Consort, Princess Alice, Grand Duchess of Hesse and

Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany (Leopold George Duncan Albert; 7 April 185328 March 1884) was the eighth child and youngest son of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Leopold was later created Duke of Albany, Earl of Clarence, and Baron Arklow. He ...

and members of the royal household. The church also has a memorial to the Hessian soldiers who fought under the British flag in the 1790s, and were invalided to the Isle of Wight. Soldiers from the Musketeer Regiment Prinz Carl were housed in the newly built Whippingham mill, which became a temporary barrack and hospital. Eighty-four of them are buried in the churchyard. The memorial was unveiled in 1906 by the

Landgrave of Hesse The Landgraviate of Hesse () was a Princes of the Holy Roman Empire, principality of the Holy Roman Empire. It existed as a single entity from 1264 to 1567, when it was divided among the sons of Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse. History In the early ...

. The church is now in a united benefice with St James's Church, East Cowes.

Interior

Inside the church, there are brilliant rose windows and a large octagonal lantern in the centre.

Organ

A specification of the

Father Willis Henry Willis (27 April 1821 – 11 February 1901), also known as "Father" Willis, was an English organ player and builder, who is regarded as the foremost organ builder of the Victorian era. His company Henry Willis & Sons remains in busin ...

organ can be found on th
National Pipe Organ Register

Memorials

A number of memorials in the church commemorate members of Queen Victoria's family and household. *Chancel **

Reredos presented by

King Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

. *North transept ** Rt. Hon. Sir

Henry Ponsonby Major-General Sir Henry Frederick Ponsonby (10 December 1825 – 21 November 1895) was a British soldier and royal court official who served as Queen Victoria's Private Secretary. Biography Born in Corfu, he was the son of Major-General Si ...

, Private Secretary and Equerry to

and Keeper of Her Majesty's Privy Purse. A work in bronze by

Lady Feodora Gleichen Lady Feodora Georgina Maud Gleichen (20 December 1861 – 22 February 1922) was a British sculptor of figures and portrait busts and designer of decorative objects. Background Born Countess Feodora Georgina Maud von Gleichen, she was the el ...

. **

Lord Henry Seymour-Conway Lord Henry Seymour (15 December 1746 – 5 February 1830) was a British politician, the second son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford. He was known as Hon. Henry Seymour-Conway until 1793, when his father was created a marquess; ...

, second son of the

Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford (5 July 1718 – 14 June 1794) of Ragley Hall, Arrow, in Warwickshire, was a British courtier and politician who, briefly, was Viceroy of Ireland where he had substantial estates. Background ...

. **William Arnold, Collector of His Majesty's Customs', died 1801. Father of

Thomas Arnold Thomas Arnold (13 June 1795 – 12 June 1842) was an English educator and historian. He was an early supporter of the Broad Church Anglican movement. As headmaster of Rugby School from 1828 to 1841, he introduced several reforms that were widel ...

, Headmaster of

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

. **Rev. Matthew Arnold, a Fellow of

Corpus Christi College, Oxford Corpus Christi College (formally, Corpus Christi College in the University of Oxford; informally abbreviated as Corpus or CCC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1517 by Richard Fo ...

, and Forces Chaplain, who was drowned at the age of 35. *South Transept **

. Brass Lectern **Canon Prothero (1818–1894), Chaplain to Her Majesty, Canon of Westminster and Deputy

Clerk of the Closet The College of Chaplains of the Ecclesiastical Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom is under the Clerk of the Closet, an office dating from 1437. It is normally held by a diocesan bishop, who may, however, remain in office after leav ...

and Rector of Whippingham. *Battenberg Chapel ** Tomb of

and

. A double sarcophagus of white marble, adorned with cast-iron sword. ** Urn of The 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke. A brass casket set into a niche above his parents' double sarcophagus. *West wall **

Albert, Prince Consort Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (Franz August Karl Albert Emanuel; 26 August 1819 – 14 December 1861) was the husband of Queen Victoria. As such, he was consort of the British monarch from their marriage on 10 February 1840 until his ...

*South wall **

Princess Alice of the United Kingdom Princess Alice (Alice Maud Mary; 25 April 1843 – 14 December 1878) was Grand Duchess of Hesse and by Rhine from 13 June 1877 until her death in 1878 as the wife of Grand Duke Louis IV. She was the third child and second daughter of Queen ...

Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1864–1866) Prince Sigismund of Prussia (; 15 September 1864 – 18 June 1866) was the fourth child and third son of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Prussia, later German Emperor Frederick III and Empress Victoria. He was a grandson of William I ...

Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1868–1879) Prince Waldemar of Prussia (Joachim Friedrich Ernst Waldemar; 10 February 1868 – 27 March 1879) was the sixth child and youngest son of the German Crown Prince and Crown Princess, later Emperor Frederick III and Empress Victoria. Prince Wal ...

Burials

St Mildred's Church contains the last resting places of several members of the Battenberg/

family. Inside the church, in a side chapel called the 'Battenberg Chapel', are buried: *

(double sarcophagus with his wife,

) *

Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom Princess Beatrice (Beatrice Mary Victoria Feodore; 14 April 1857 – 26 October 1944), later Princess Henry of Battenberg, was the fifth daughter and youngest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Beatrice was also the last of Queen ...

(double sarcophagus with her husband, Prince Henry) * The 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke (ashes in a brass casket above his parents' double sarcophagus) * The Marchioness of Carisbrooke (ashes
photo
* Lady Iris Mountbatten, daughter of the Marquess of Carisbrooke (ashes) * The 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven (ashes
photo

Exterior

The church has a tower reminiscent of a castle on the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, with five soaring pinnacles.

Churchyard

In the churchyard are the graves of

Prince Louis of Battenberg Louis Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven (24 May 185411 September 1921), formerly Prince Louis Alexander of Battenberg, was a British naval officer and German prince related by marriage to the British royal family. Although ...

and his wife, Princess Victoria; also

Uffa Fox Uffa Fox CBE (15 January 1898 – 26 October 1972) was an English boat designer and sailing enthusiast, responsible for a number of innovations in boat design. Not afraid of courting controversy or causing offence, he is remembered for his ec ...

, the yachtsman and designer. The churchyard contains war graves of seven Commonwealth service personnel, four from

World War I 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 ...

and three from

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

.
CWGC Cemetery Report. Breakdown obtained from casualty record.

References

External links

* website
whippinghameastcowes.org.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Whippingham, St Mildred 1862 establishments in England Churches completed in 1862 Church of England church buildings on the Isle of Wight Grade I listed churches on the Isle of Wight Burials at St. Mildred's Church, Whippingham Mountbatten family Burial sites of the Mountbatten family Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha Queen Victoria Prince Henry of Battenberg