St Michael and All Angels, Blackheath is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

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, ...

Blackheath, London Blackheath is an area in Southeast London, straddling the border of the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. It is located northeast of Lewisham, south of Greenwich and southeast of Charing Cross, the traditional ce ...

. The church is a part of the

Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient Dio ...

. This 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 Irel ...

was designed by the architect George Smith.

History

St Michael and All Angels Church, Blackheath 1830

St Michael and All Angels is located in the Cator Estate in Blackheath. The estate was purchased by

John Cator John Cator (21 March 1728 – 26 February 1806) was an English timber merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1772 and 1793. He became a landowner and property developer with estates in later life in: Blackheath, Beckenh ...

in 1783. The area purchased included the Wricklemarsh mansion along with its 250-acre estate, previously owned by Sir Gregory Page. Following Cator's death in 1806, the estate was inherited by his nephew John Barwell Cator (1791-1850). As there was no church close to the residents of the estate, Cator provided a portion of land and £4,000 towards the construction of the church. The foundations were laid on 20 December 1828 and the building was completed in February 1830. The architect was George Smith and the builder was William Moore, a local bricklayer and carpenter. The chapel was consecrated as the parish church of St Michael and All Angels in 1874. Until then, the church had been called either Trinity or St Peter’s Chapel or simply ‘Mr Cator’s chapel'.

Architecture

The church was designed in a Gothic style unusual for the 1830s. The building has a distinctive, tall high spire, which is known as "the Needle of Kent". The steeple is placed unusually at the east end of the building. The location is thought to have been intended to attract attention as seen from the crossroads of the estate. The building is made of white Gault bricks with Bath stone dressings and roofed with Welsh slate. The stone pulpit was erected in 1920 as a

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

memorial.

References

{{Reflist 19th-century Church of England church buildings Anglican Diocese of Southwark Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Lewisham Grade II* listed churches in London