St Mary's Church, Battersea, is the oldest of the churches in

Battersea Battersea is a large district in south London, part of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is centred southwest of Charing Cross and extends along the south bank of the River Thames. It includes the Battersea Park. History Batte ...

in the

London Borough of Wandsworth Wandsworth () is a London borough in southwest London; it forms part of Inner London and has an estimated population of 329,677 inhabitants. Its main named areas are Battersea, Balham, Putney, Tooting and Wandsworth Town. The borough borders t ...

, in the inner south-west of the UK's capital city. Its parish shared by three

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 the ...

churches is in 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 ...

. Christians have worshipped at the site continuously since around 800 AD. It is a

Grade I 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 ...

for its combined heritage and architectural merit.

History

St. Mary's is among the earliest five documented Christian holy sites south of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major s ...

, historically in

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. W ...

, in the

Diocese of Winchester The Diocese of Winchester forms part of the Province of Canterbury of the Church of England. Founded in 676, it is one of the older dioceses in England. It once covered Wessex, many times its present size which is today most of the historic enla ...

. The original church was built around 800 AD, and the present building was completed in 1777. It was designed by Joseph Dixon, a local architect. The church is built of brick, with stone used for

quoin Quoins ( or ) are masonry blocks at the corner of a wall. Some are structural, providing strength for a wall made with inferior stone or rubble, while others merely add aesthetic detail to a corner. According to one 19th century encyclopedia, ...

s and other dressings. It consists of a nave, rectangular in plan, an apse at the east end forming the sanctuary, and a west tower. The west front has a single storey entrance porch with Tuscan columns supporting a pediment. The tower, rising immediately behind it, is topped with a clock chamber and a small spire. Inside, the whole width of the church is spanned by a flat ceiling, and there are wooden galleries supported by columns on three sides. The nave windows are in two tiers, the upper ones round-headed. The modern triptych in the side chapel is by John Napper (1946). It shows the Annunciation with Battersea Park and the Power Station in the background. To the right Christ walks on the Thames and to the left Lazarus rises beneath the church porch.A brief guide to St Mary's Church, Battersea. Church leaflet. The organ is by Saxon Aldred (1993), with a carving of a ram in recognition of the Ram Brewery. In the sanctuary the east window dates from 1379, the painted window glass dates from 1631 with portraits of Henry VII, Margaret Beaufort, and Queen Elizabeth I. The Dove and Lamb windows, originally from 1796, by James Pearson, were restored in 1946 after being damaged by a V1 in 1944. At the back is the terracotta War Memorial by Freda Skinner, depicting the Gate of Life guarded by the Angel of Sacrifice. The glass doors to the Vestry were added in 2008 and were engraved by Sally Scott FGE. The church has strong connections with art and literature through the artist and poet

William Blake William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827) was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his life, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of the poetry and visual art of the Romantic Age. ...

, who married Catherine Boucher there on 17 August 1782, and

J. M. W. Turner Joseph Mallord William Turner (23 April 177519 December 1851), known in his time as William Turner, was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive colouring, imaginative landscapes and turbule ...

, who painted the river from the vestry window.

Windows

There are four new windows by John Hayward added between 1976 and 1982. The Blake Window. It includes the figure of Albion at the bottom of the window. In the centre is 'Emanation', a winged image of a figure. The portrait of Blake is from his portrait by

Thomas Phillips Thomas Phillips RA (18 October 177020 April 1845) was a leading English portrait and subject painter. He painted many of the great men of the day including scientists, artists, writers, poets and explorers. Life and work Phillips was born at D ...

. The figures either side represent Innocence and Experience. At the bottom left is Blake's signature from the marriage register, together with two drawings by Blake and his wife Catherine. The Turner Window. Turner lived in Chelsea and visited Battersea to paint in the vestry window. The window was given by The Morgan Crucible Company Ltd to commemorate their long association with the Parish of Battersea. The Curtis Window.

William Curtis William Curtis (11 January 1746 – 7 July 1799) was an English botanist and entomologist, who was born at Alton, Hampshire, site of the Curtis Museum. Curtis began as an apothecary, before turning his attention to botany and other natural hi ...

, the botanist and founder of the

Linnean Society The Linnean Society of London is a learned society dedicated to the study and dissemination of information concerning natural history, evolution, and taxonomy. It possesses several important biological specimen, manuscript and literature coll ...

, is buried in the churchyard. The frame of the portrait is from ' Flora Londinensis': Geranium, wild daffodil, snowdrop, cuckoo pint, grasses, vetch, blackberry, bryony, bindweed, primrose, daisy, dandelion, wild rose, angelica, lovage, mistletoe, buttercup. The epitaph is from the now lost headstone. There is the emblem of the RHS, the arms of the

Society of Apothecaries The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries of London is one of the livery companies of the City of London. It is one of the largest livery companies (with over 1,600 members in 2012) and ranks 58th in their order of precedence. The society is a m ...

and the arms of the Linnean Society. The map shows the locations of his gardens (Bermondsey, Charlton, Lambeth Marsh and Brompton) and the

Chelsea Physic Garden The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London, England, in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow plants to be used as medicines. This four acre physic garden, the term here referring to the sc ...

. The Arnold Window. Below the portrait of Benedict Arnold are the arms of

George Washington George Washington (February 22, 1732, 1799) was an American military officer, statesman, and Founding Father who served as the first president of the United States from 1789 to 1797. Appointed by the Continental Congress as commander of th ...

, with the modern 'Star 'n' Stripes', an earlier flag with 13 States,

Union flag The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

of 1777, and the '

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

'. After fighting with George Washington in the American War of Independence he changed side to become an officer in the British Army.

Monuments

The church includes several important monuments from the earlier church. Two busts for Baron Oliver Nicholas St John of Lydeard (Viscount Grandison), (d.1630), Lord High Treasurer and Lord Deputy of Ireland, and his wife, Joan Roydon. The sculptor was Nicholas Stone the Elder (1586/7-1647). Sir Edward Wynter (d.1685). The monument has a bust at the top. The lower panel shows him fighting a tiger and Moors. The epitaph describes his adventures. Sir John Fleet, Knight, (d.1712). He was Lord Mayor in 1695. James Bull, Merchant, aged 44 years, (d. 1713), son-in-law of Sir John Fleet. Henry St John, (d.1751), Viscount Bolingbroke, Secretary of War and Secretary of State under Queen Anne, and Mary Clara des Champs de Marcilly, Marchioness of Villette and Viscountess Bolingroke, (d.1750). There are cameo portraits of them, facing each other, either side of the shield. The epitaphs are by Bolingbroke. The sculptor is

Louis-François Roubiliac Louis-François Roubiliac (or Roubilliac, or Roubillac) (31 August 1702 – 11 January 1762) was a French sculptor who worked in England. One of the four most prominent sculptors in London working in the rococo style, he was described by Marga ...

, signed at the base. John Camden, (d. 1780), and his eldest daughter Elizabeth Neild, (d. 1791). Girl by a funeral urn with a poetic eulogy. Signed by Coade of Lambeth (1792). Richard Rothwell, (d.1821), and his wife Eleanor, (d.1834). By J. G. Bubb.

Notable interments

* Benedict Arnold and his family are buried in the crypt. * William Curtis is buried in the churchyard *

John Inglis (bishop) John Inglis (9 December 1777 – 27 October 1850) was the third bishop of the Diocese of Nova Scotia, serving at St. Paul's Church (Halifax). He was the son of Bishop Charles Inglis. He is buried at St Mary's Church, Battersea, England. Life J ...

* Sir

Rupert George Captain Sir Rupert George, 1st Baronet (16 January 1749, St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin, Ireland – 25 January 1823, Willesden, London Borough of Brent, Greater London, England) was a British naval officer in the American Revolution, became the ...

* Nathaniel Middleton (1750–1807), a civil servant of the British East India Company.

Gallery

File:St.Mary's, Battersea (16778262806).jpg, St.Mary's, Battersea File:St. Mary's Church, Battersea, interior.jpg, Interior File:St. Mary's Church, Battersea, The Sanctuary.jpg, The Sanctuary File:St. Mary's Church, Battersea, Parish war memorial, winged angel.jpg , Angel of Sacrifice File:St Mary, Battersea Church Road, London SW11 - Wall monument - geograph.org.uk - 1874698.jpg , St John of Lydeard monument File:St Mary, Battersea Church Road, London SW11 - Wall monument - geograph.org.uk - 1874701.jpg, John Camden monument File:St. Mary's Church, Battersea, Benedict Arnold window.jpg, Benedict Arnold window

References

External links

St Mary's Church website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Battersea, Saint Mary 9th-century establishments in England 9th-century church buildings in England Churches completed in 1777 18th-century Church of England church buildings Grade I listed churches in London Church of England church buildings in the London Borough of Wandsworth Anglican Diocese of Southwark William Blake Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom Churches on the Thames Buildings and structures in Battersea Churches completed in 800