Churchmanship Evangelical Anglican Founder Richard Garth | Rector Revd David Heath-Whyte Phone +44 20 8648 3920 | |
Website www.stlawrencechurch.co.uk Bishop(s) Rt Revd Richard Cheetham Address London Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 5QT, United Kingdom SM4 5QT, United Kingdom Similar Eagle House - London, Phipps Bridge tram stop, Mitcham Cricket Green, St Mary's Church - Wimbledon, Cannizaro Park Profiles | ||
St Lawrence Church is the Church of England parish church for Morden in the London Borough of Merton. The building is Grade I listed, and located on London Road, at the highest point of Morden, overlooking Morden Park. Morden Parish consists of four churches in total, the other three are Emmanuel (Stonecot Hill), St Martin's (Lower Morden) and St George's (Central Road, Morden). The Team Rector is the Revd David Heath-Whyte, and Revd David Ruddick, and Revd Les Wells are Team Vicars.
Contents
Services
There are several services each Sunday, each offering the opportunity to meet and learn together from God's Word, to praise God and pray together. The church website, www.stlawrencechurch.co.uk, has more information about services.
History
The first church building here was possibly wooden as churches dedicated to St Lawrence were usually Saxon in origin.
The nearby Merton Abbey was closed by Henry VIII as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and the estate sold. Edward Whitchurch and Lionel Dutchet bought it, but had to flee to Europe when Queen Mary took over, and the estate went to the Garth family.
In the 1630s, the Garths were Puritans, and St Lawrence church was rebuilt in Protestant style — i.e. no places for images of saints, or reservation of bread and wine.
Interior
The Pulpit has a sounding-board over it for amplification. There is a monument opposite to Elizabeth Gardiner, a benefactor to the first Morden school. There are hatchments hanging from the ceiling, and a large Queen Anne coat of Arms preserved on the south wall with the motto over it Fear God and Honour the Queen!, this is possibly in relation to the Anne's establishment of the Church Commissioners.
The gallery at the back used to have a pipe organ in it, but was originally built for a Sunday School. In the tower are three bells, which can only be tolled, i.e. not swung right over, due to restrictions placed by Historic England on renewing the frame.