St Mary on Paddington Green is an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

church in the Parish of

Little Venice Little Venice is an affluent residential district in North West London, England, around the junction of the Paddington Arm, Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal, the Regent's Canal, and the entrance to Paddington Basin. The junction, also k ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and forms part of Paddington Green conservation area. Today it stands at the junction of

Edgware Road Edgware Road is a major road in London, England. The route originated as part of Roman Watling Street and, unusually in London, it runs for in an almost perfectly straight line. Forming part of the modern A5 road, Edgware Road undergoes sever ...

and

Harrow Road Harrow Road is an ancient route in London, North West London which runs from Paddington in a northwesterly direction towards Harrow, London, Harrow. It is also the name given to the immediate surrounding area of Queen's Park, London, Queens Par ...

, overlooking the East end of Westway and the approaches to Marylebone Flyover, so seen by tens of thousands of motorists daily.

History

The present building is the third church on the site, once forming a centrepiece of the ancient villages of Paddington and Lilestone.

John Donne John Donne ( ; 1571 or 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under Royal Patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's, D ...

preached his first sermon in the original church and

William Hogarth William Hogarth (; 10 November 1697 – 26 October 1764) was an English painter, engraving, engraver, pictorial social satire, satirist, editorial cartoonist and occasional writer on art. His work ranges from Realism (visual arts), realistic p ...

was married in the second.Ben Weinreb and Christopher Hibbert, ''The London Encyclopaedia'', Papermac, 1987, p. 743 St Mary on Paddington Green with grounds

St Mary on Paddington Green with grounds

The current Georgian church was commissioned in 1788 and

consecrated Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

in 1791. Designed by

John Plaw John Plaw (1745-1820) was an architect who was born in London but later emigrated to the Colony of Prince Edward Island in North America. He is known for favouring circular designs in the classical style. There are two known surviving examples ...

with a

Greek Cross The Christian cross, with or without a figure of Jesus, Christ included, is the main religious symbol of Christianity. A cross with a figure of Christ affixed to it is termed a crucifix and the figure is often referred to as the ''corpus'' (La ...

ground plan, in yellow

London stock London is the capital and largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thame ...

brick dressed with white stone. It is one of two confirmed surviving buildings by Plaw in the UK, along with Belle Isle on

Windermere Windermere (historically Winder Mere) is a ribbon lake in Cumbria, England, and part of the Lake District. It is the largest lake in England by length, area, and volume, but considerably smaller than the List of lakes and lochs of the United Ki ...

. A further building in

Romford Romford is a large List of places in London, town in east London, east London, England, located northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Havering, the town is one of the major Metropolitan centres of London, metropolitan centr ...

, known as The Round House, has been attributed to him. John Plaw later worked in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

before emigrating to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, where he designed several public and private buildings. The church was altered in the 19th century but was restored to its mid-Georgian appearance by architect

Raymond Erith Raymond Charles Erith RA FRIBA (7 August 1904 – 30 November 1973) was a leading classical architect in England during the period dominated by the modern movement after the Second World War. His work demonstrates his continual interest in expan ...

in the early 1970s using some of the compensation for the construction of the urban motorway Westway, alongside the church. Restoration included the chancel being reinstated in its original form, the nave reseated with

box pews A box pew is a type of church pew that is encased in panelling and was prevalent in England and other Protestant countries from the 16th to early 19th centuries. History in England Before the rise of Protestantism, seating was not customary in ch ...

and the organ moved to the West end.Lucy Archer, "Raymond Erith, Architect", 1985, p.205, ISBN 0907435041 The organ case is dedicated as a memorial to Erith. The church houses monuments to some of the area's residents, including sculptor

Joseph Nollekens Joseph Nollekens R.A. (11 August 1737 – 23 April 1823) was a sculptor from London generally considered to be the finest British sculptor of the late 18th century. Life Nollekens was born on 11 August 1737 at 28 Dean Street, Soho, London, ...

and lexicographer

Peter Mark Roget Peter Mark Roget ( ; 18 January 1779 – 12 September 1869) was a British physician, natural theologian, Lexicography, lexicographer, and founding secretary of The Portico Library. He is best known for publishing, in 1852, the ''Roget's Thesau ...

St Mary’s Churchyard

The adjoining churchyard was converted to a public park in the 1890s and is now known as St Mary's Gardens. It consists of grass with scattered trees. The grave of well-known 18th-century actress

Sarah Siddons Sarah Siddons (''née'' Kemble; 5 July 1755 – 8 June 1831) was a Welsh actress, the best-known Tragedy, tragedienne of the 18th century. Contemporaneous critic William Hazlitt dubbed Siddons as "tragedy personified". She was the elder siste ...

is located towards the northern end. Some headstones from the former churchyard are stacked against the west wall of the Gardens. The southern part of the churchyard was destroyed to make way for the approaches to Marylebone Flyover in the 1960s, with exhumed burials being reinterred in an area of

Mill Hill Mill Hill is a suburb in the London Borough of Barnet, England. It is situated around northwest of Charing Cross, close to the Hertfordshire border. It was in the Historic counties of England, historic county of Middlesex until 1965, when it b ...

cemetery and marked with a plaque.

Notable burials

Remaining churchyard

*Rev Dawson Burns (1828–1909), temperance leader * William Chandless (1829–1896), Amazon explorer *Rev

Alexander Geddes Alexander Geddes (14 September 1737 – 26 February 1802) was a Scottish Catholic theologian and scholar. He translated a major part of the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible into English. Translations and commentaries Geddes was born at ...

(1737–1802), Biblical scholar * Arthur Roberts (1852–1933), comedian *Basil Owen Woodd (1760–1831), hymn writer (erected by the Crosse baronets) *

Leonard Charles Wyon Leonard Charles Wyon (23 November 1826 – 20 August 1891) was a British engraver of the Victorian era most notable for his work on the gold and silver coinage struck for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1887 and the bronze coinage of ...

(1826–1891), engraver and coin-designer *Sir

Stephen Spender Sir Stephen Harold Spender (28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was an English poet, novelist and essayist whose work concentrated on themes of social injustice and the class struggle. He was appointed U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry ...

(1909–1995), poet *

John Julius Norwich John Julius Cooper, 2nd Viscount Norwich, (15 September 1929 – 1 June 2018), known as John Julius Norwich, was an English popular historian, writer of widely read travel books, and television personality. Biography Youth Norwich was born ...

(1929–2018), historian, writer, and television personality

St Mary's Gardens

* Thomas Banks (1735–1805), sculptor * Thomas Blore (1754–1818), historian *

William Collins William Collins may refer to: Arts * William Collins (poet) (1721–1759), English poet * William Collins (painter) (1788–1847), English landscape artist * William Lucas Collins (1815–1887), English author and clergyman of the Church of Engla ...

RA (1788–1847), artist *

Matthew Dubourg Matthew Dubourg (1703 – 3 July 1767) was an English violinist, conductor, and composer who spent most of his life in Ireland. Among other achievements, Dubourg led the orchestra at the premiere of Georg Friedrich Handel's great oratorio ''Me ...

(1703–1767), violinist *

Benjamin Haydon Benjamin Robert Haydon (; 26 January 178622 June 1846) was a British painter who specialised in grand historical pictures, although he also painted a few contemporary subjects and portraits. His commercial success was damaged by his often tactle ...

, (1786–1846) painter *

(1737–1823), sculptor, and his father,

Joseph Francis Nollekens Josef Frans Nollekens'' or ''Joseph Frans Nollekens (1702–1748)Josef Frans Nollekens
at ...

, artist *

Emma Paterson Emma Anne Paterson (''née'' Smith; 5 April 1848 – 1 December 1886) was an English feminist and trade unionist. Life Emma Anne Smith was born in London on 5 April 1848, the daughter of Henry Smith (died 1864), headmaster of a school in St ...

(1846–1886), feminist and unionist *

Thomas Richmond Thomas Richmond (1802–1874) was a British portrait painter, known for his idealised pictures in the so-called keepsake style. He was the son of Thomas Richmond (miniature-painter), Thomas Richmond (1771–1837), the miniature painter, an ...

(1771–1837), miniaturist *

(1755–1831), actress *

Charles Stedman Charles Stedman (1753 – 26 June 1812) was a British Army officer who fought in the American War of Independence and afterwards wrote a detailed history on the conflict. Biography Charles Stedman, born at Philadelphia in 1753, was the second s ...

(1753–1812), army officer

References

External links

Biographical information about John Plaw from Historic Places, Prince Edward Island, CanadaGuide and map from City of WestminsterParish of Little Venice website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary on Paddington Green Church Churches completed in 1791 18th-century Church of England church buildings Church of England church buildings in the City of Westminster Diocese of London Grade II* listed churches in the City of Westminster