St Mary's Parish Church, Hampton | |
---|---|
St Mary the Virgin, Hampton Upon Thames | |
51°24′47″N0°21′41″W / 51.413019°N 0.361261°W | |
OS grid reference | TQ1394669560 |
Location | Thames Street, Hampton, London TW12 2EB |
Country | England |
Denomination | Church of England |
Membership | 246 (2009) |
Website | www.hampton-church.org.uk |
History | |
Status | Parish church |
Founded | 1342 |
Dedication | St Mary the Virgin |
Consecrated | 1 September 1831 |
Associated people | Sybil Penn, Rev Dr John Merewether, SS Wesley, Eric Fraser |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Architect(s) | Edward Lapidge |
Style | Gothic |
Groundbreaking | April 1830 |
Completed | September 1831 |
Construction cost | £9,484 1s 2d |
Administration | |
Province | Canterbury |
Diocese | Diocese of London |
Episcopal area | Kensington |
Archdeaconry | Middlesex |
Deanery | Hampton |
Parish | St Mary, Hampton |
Clergy | |
Bishop(s) | The Rt Revd & Rt Hon Sarah Mullally |
Vicar(s) | The Revd Ben Lovell |
Honorary priest(s) | The Revd Alan Jackson |
Laity | |
Organist/Director of music | Paul Jeanes |
Churchwarden(s) | Jonathan Williams, Mr Nally Fernando |
Flower guild | Mr Michael Harris |
Parish administrator | Mrs Jane Holmes |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
Designated | 2 September 1952 |
Reference no. | 1252976 |
St Mary's Parish Church, Hampton, is an Anglican church in Hampton in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
St Mary's Parish Church is at the junction of two major roads, A308 and A311, leading to Twickenham, Kingston upon Thames and Sunbury-on-Thames. Standing tall on Bell Hill, it marks the ancient heart of Hampton.
During the mid-19th century, houses were built to the north of the existing village; this area became known as New Hampton, and later as Hampton Hill. The parish of St James, Hampton Hill was created in 1863. In 1929 the Hampton parish was further divided by the creation of a separate parish of All Saints.
The site upon which this church is built is said to be that of a Romano-British chapel. Certainly a house of worship has stood here for at least 650 years, as historical records begin in 1342, when the site came into possession of the Priory of Takeley in Essex. It is described in the annals of the Priory as a Rectory of that monastery.
Before that time it is possible that a simple wooden structure existed, or services may have been held under the ancient yew tree that stood in the churchyard until 1829.
The first church for which there are historical records was built of flint and stone. The interior of the building had galleries round the north, west and south sides, with a singing loft for choir and instrumental accompaniment. There was a three-decker pulpit: the first level for the clerk, the second for the reading of lessons, and the uppermost for the delivery of sermons. The royal pew was situated at the front of the north gallery. The old church also housed a school room and provided a master for Hampton School, from 1557.
At the time of Henry VIII a new nave, south aisle and porch were rebuilt with brick (“having got out of repair and become unsafe”) – the original flint and stone chancel and tower were retained.
In 1671 the tower also became unsafe and a new brick tower was erected. Charles II contributed £350.
In 1726, the north aisle and the vault beneath it were added to the church, as was the vestry room at the north-west corner of the church; George I gave £500 towards the extension. This version of the building was described as Hampton's "brick church in pre-eminence, with fresh-painted and accommodating covered benches in the churchyard". The church was well-attended (one service on Sunday morning, and one in the evening); twelve or more carriages waited outside the church. A notable worshipper was George FitzClarence, 1st Earl of Munster.
Memorials from the old church were preserved and erected in the new church, including those to Susannah Thomas (d.1731), Sibel Penn (d.1562), who was nurse to Edward VI, Edmond Pigeon and his son Nickolas, who served as Yeoman of the Jewel House, and Huntington Shaw (d.1710), who ‘designed and executed the ornamental Iron work at Hampton Court Palace.’ [1]
As the population grew the Vestry decided that the old building needed to be enlarged. There was an initial plan simply to extend in 1821. The Crown promised a contribution if seats were to be provided for those who lived at Hampton Court Palace. However insufficient money was raised from other sources and the project was deferred.
In fact for the next eight years there were various schemes and competitions to design a new building. Eventually the old building closed on 27 December 1829, and the congregation moved to the Great Hall of Hampton Court Palace as the church was demolished.
Prince William, Duke of Clarence laid the new foundation stone on 18 April 1830 and the new building was consecrated on 1 September 1831. The occasion was deemed so significant that Princess Adelaide, Prince George and his sister Princess Augusta were in attendance and the roads were blocked with carriages a quarter of a mile away. (There had been an announcement that the Duke of Clarence — by then already King William IV and was to be crowned one week later — was to attend, but he did present the organ to the parish.)
By 1879 the churchyard had become full and, from then on, burials took place at the new Hampton Cemetery which was opened that year on Holly Bush Lane. [2]
Also in 1879, the organ, originally in the centre of the west gallery, was moved to its present position in the north-west corner of the church when a surpliced choir was begun. It was later reconstructed in 1901.
The incumbency of Prebendary Digby Ram (1882–1911) saw a resurgence of church life and further development of the building. In 1885 the box pews were removed and replaced with the current ones, and the nave was refurbished. As a sign of the new life coming to the parish, when the building was re-opened by Bishop Walsham How, there immediately followed the first Confirmation service since the building was opened in 1831. To mark Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee (1887) the chancel was built together with the impressive Heaton, Butler and Bayne east window – inspired by the Te Deum. The window on the north side of the chancel is the 'Magnificat' window and that on the south side is the ‘Nunc Dimittis’ window.
The stained-glass windows on the north and south walls are by Eric Fraser. These depict the Annunciation on the north wall and the four Archangels (Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Uriel) on the south wall. [3]
In 1920 the church was re-ordered and restored again; a war memorial screen was added as a memorial to the fallen of the First World War. Then in 1931 new choir and clergy stalls were added, in keeping with the screen.
A striking feature of the west wall is the mural by Eric Fraser's son, Rev Geoffrey Fraser, painted in 1952–53. The left-hand panel depicts figures from local history, the right-hand panel members of the church of the time (1952–53). Above the River Thames rises the figure of Christ.
In the next decade attention turned to the north aisle. A small chapel was created, with an altar table, reredos, altar rails and with stainless steel fittings. The new chapel was consecrated in 1967.
St Luke's Chapel in the west porch was dedicated in 1990. The doors are etched with two figures, the Virgin Mary and the Archangel Gabriel, taken from drawings by Eric Fraser and presented by his family in his memory.
In the late 1990s a small kitchen and toilet have been added in the north porch. Inside the church a small stage area was created in front of the screen. Floodlighting was installed at the Millennium. In 2005, after an appeal, the exterior stonework was extensively restored and cleaned. In 2013 the toilet area was redeveloped to include two cubicles. At the same time the side chapel was moved to the south aisle, and a flexible space with some chairs was created in the north aisle.
In the graveyard is an unusual, Grade II listed, pyramidal tomb for John Greg (1716–1795), plantation owner in Dominica, [4] and his wife Catharine who died at Hampton in 1819 "full of years and of benevolence". [5]
The church continues to have an active congregation and is a member of Churches Together around Hampton. In 2013, St Mary's opened a primary school in Oldfield Road as part of the Free School programme.
Hampton School gathers in the church on its Founder's Day each year.
The church is briefly mentioned in Jerome K Jerome's 1889 comic novel, Three Men in a Boat .
Harris wanted to get out at Hampton Church, to go and see Mrs. Thomas’s tomb.
“Who is Mrs. Thomas?” I asked.
“How should I know?” replied Harris. “She’s a lady that’s got a funny tomb, and I want to see it.”
While the church does contain a memorial to Susanna Thomas (d.1731) on the east wall of the south aisle, Paul Goldsac, in his book River Thames: In the Footsteps of the Famous, states there is little that is funny, or even remarkable about it. [8] However, the tomb is floridly classical, with partly draped female figures which may have surprised some Victorians and amused others, including J K Jerome himself. Hence the tomb is "funny" in both senses, of being unusual as well as entertaining.
St Mary's, Harrow on the Hill, is the Borough and Parish Church at Harrow on the Hill in northwest London, England. It is a Grade I-listed building.
St Oswald's Church stands on the highest point in the market town of Malpas, Cheshire, England, on or near the site of a Norman motte and bailey castle. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building and is recognised as being one of the best examples in Cheshire of a late 15th to early 16th-century church. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice is combined with those of St John, Threapwood, and Holy Trinity, Bickerton. Alec Clifton-Taylor includes it in his list of 'best' English parish churches.
St Peter's Church is the parish church of Prestbury, Cheshire, England. It is probably the fourth church on the site. The third, the Norman Chapel, stands in the churchyard. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The Norman Chapel, the lychgate and west wall, the Hearse House, and the sundial in the churchyard are listed at Grade II. It is a Church of England parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield, and the deanery of Macclesfield.
St Boniface's Church stands prominently in the village of Bunbury, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. The church dates mainly from the 14th century. Its features include the Ridley chapel, the alabaster chest tomb of Sir Hugh Calveley and the tomb of Sir George Beeston. Raymond Richards, author of Old Cheshire Churches, considers it is architecturally one of the most important examples of its period in Cheshire. Alec Clifton-Taylor includes it in his list of 'best' English parish churches, and Simon Jenkins assigns it two stars in his book England's Thousand Best Churches. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Malpas. Its benefice is combined with that of St Jude, Tilstone Fearnall.
St Mary's Church is an Anglican parish church in the village of Newbold Astbury, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and its architecture has been praised by a number of writers.
St Mary's Church is in the village of Eccleston, Cheshire, England, on the estate of the Duke of Westminster south of Chester. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Chester. Its benefice is combined with that of St Mary, Pulford. The Dukes of Westminster are buried in the adjacent Old Churchyard.
St James' Church is in the village of Gawsworth, Cheshire, England, and is sited near Gawsworth Hall. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Macclesfield. Clifton-Taylor includes it in his list of 'best' English parish churches. The authors of the Buildings of England series describe the church as being "pretty, but odd".
St Bartholomew's Church is in the town of Wilmslow, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Macclesfield and the deanery of Knutsford.
St Mary's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the small village of Thornton-le-Moors, Cheshire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and it is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
St Mary Magdalene Woolwich is an 18th-century Anglican church dedicated to St Mary Magdalene in Woolwich, southeast London, England.
St Mary's Church is in the village of Newchurch in Pendle, Lancashire, England. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It is active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Blackburn, the archdeaconry of Blackburn and the deanery of Pendle. Its benefice is combined with that of St Thomas', Barrowford.
St Anne's Church, Kew, is a parish church in Kew in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. The building, which dates from 1714 and is Grade II* listed, forms the central focus of Kew Green. The raised churchyard, which is on three sides of the church, has two Grade II* listed monuments – the tombs of the artists Johan Zoffany and Thomas Gainsborough. The French Impressionist painter Camille Pissarro (1830–1903), who stayed in 1892 at 10 Kew Green, portrayed St Anne's in his painting Church at Kew (1892).
St Martin's Church stands in the centre of the town of Bowness-on-Windermere, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Windermere, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. Its benefice is united with that of St Anne's Church, Ings; St Cuthbert's Church, Kentmere; St James' Church, Staveley; Jesus Church, Troutbeck and St Mary's Church, Windermere.
St Mary's is a parish church in Lenham, Kent, England, begun in the 12th century with additions in the next three centuries. It is a Grade I listed building.
St Mary the Virgin, Mortlake, is a parish church in Mortlake, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It is part of the Church of England and the Anglican Communion. The rector is The Revd Canon Dr Ann Nickson.
St Mary's Church is in the town of Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Kendal, the archdeaconry of Westmorland and Furness, and the diocese of Carlisle. Its benefice is united with those of six local churches to form the Kirkby Lonsdale Team Ministry. The church contains Norman architecture and is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building.
St Mary's Church is on Church Street, Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, England. It is an active Anglican parish church in the deanery of Ludlow, the archdeaconry of Ludlow, and the diocese of Hereford. Its benefice is united with those of six local parishes to form the Cleobury Benefice. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building. It is notable for its shingled twisted spire.
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a parish church of the Church of England in Baldock in Hertfordshire. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, the original church on the site dated to about 1150 and was built by the Knights Templar before being largely rebuilt in about 1330 by the Knights Hospitaller. It is a Grade I listed building.
St Mary the Virgin is the Church of England parish church for East Barnet within the Diocese of St Albans. It is located on Church Hill.
The Church of St Mary the Virgin is a Grade II* listed church of the Church of England in the village of Sunbury next to the river Thames.