Country United Kingdom Website Church website Deanery Merton Parish Wimbledon | Denomination Church of England Heritage designation Grade II* Phone +44 20 8946 2605 Architect George Gilbert Scott | |
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Archdeaconry Archdeaconry of Lambeth Address 30 St Mary's Rd, Wimbledon, London SW19 7BP, UK Diocese Anglican Diocese of Southwark Similar Wimbledon, St Lawrence Church, Sacred Heart Church, Eagle House - London, St Mary's - Bryanston Square Profiles | ||
St Mary's Church, Wimbledon, is a Church of England church and is part of the Parish of Wimbledon, south-west London, England. It has existed since the 12th century and may be the church recorded in the Domesday Book in the Mortlake Hundred. It is still in active use today, and has been grade II* listed since 1949.
Contents
History
There have been four churches on the site since 1086:
The Victorian Church
The present church dates from 1843, and was designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, then working for the architects 'Messers Scott and Moffat'. Scott was given the brief of building the church without exceeding a strict budget of £4000, which he succeeded in doing by incorporating parts of the earlier building. It is still possible to see these older parts today. Another visibly notable addition was the tower and spire, which is 196 feet tall.
The beams in the chancel roof were re-discovered during renovation work of the chancel in 1860. They are thought to be Medieval in origin. The beams are decorated with a chevron and flower pattern and were restored in 1993 as part of the church's 150th anniversary celebrations.
Memorials
The oldest memorial in the church dates back to 1537 in memory of Philip and Margaret Lewston, and has survived two church rebuilds.
Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon, Lord of the Manor of Wimbledon. Sarcophagus situated within Cecil chapel. d.1638
Sir Theodore Janssen, Lord of the Manor of Wimbledon. One of the founders of the Bank of England. Director of the South Sea Company and stripped of his assets because of the South Sea Bubble fiasco. d.1748
At the east end of the churchyard is the large mausoleum of Sir Joseph William Bazalgette, the renowned engineer of the Embankment and the sewer system in London around 1858. There is also a memorial stone to Sir Joseph within the church.
Church halls
Fellowship House was built in 1974 and replaced a small room above a shop in Wimbledon Village. It was used for many activities both by the church and outside groups. Today, it is a day nursery during the week and is used by the church at weekends. The Parish Office is located in Fellowship House.
The Garden Hall was completed in 2003 due to the need of more space for church activities, especially the growing Sunday School. The building is of modern design, and has won architectural awards. One wall is a large glass window, part of which opens to give access to the grass area outside. It was officially opened on 3 May 2003 by Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy.
Services
Sundays:
Other local churches
See: Parish of Wimbledon