St Mary Magdalene Woolwich
St Mary Magdalene Woolwich | |
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Location | Woolwich, Royal Borough of Greenwich, London |
Country | England |
Denomination | Church of England |
Churchmanship | Central |
Website | www |
History | |
Status | Parish church |
Dedication | Mary Magdalene |
Dedicated | 9 May 1740 |
Architecture | |
Functional status | Active |
Heritage designation | Grade B listed |
Years built | 1732–1739 |
Administration | |
Province | Province of Canterbury |
Diocese | Diocese of Southwark |
Archdeaconry | Lewisham and Greenwich |
Parish | Woolwich St. Mary Magdalene with St. Michael and All Angels |
Clergy | |
Rector | The Revd Jesse van der Valk |
St Mary Magdalene Woolwich is an 18th-century Anglican church dedicated to St Mary Magdalene in Woolwich, southeast London, England.
History
Christianity in Woolwich goes back to the
Church at Woolwich Act 1731 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 20 March 1732 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Statute Law (Repeals) Act 2013 |
Status: Repealed |
The parish church was first dedicated to
By the 18th century the Elizabethan spire had collapsed and the foundations were showing signs of strain. Thus a new church (the present one) was built from 1732 to 1739, close to the medieval church's site. An architect's name is not known; there probably was none. Plain brick churches with round-headed windows had been built in the London area since the 1670s. The new church was part-funded by the Commission for Building Fifty New Churches and built by Matthew Spray, a bricklayer from Deptford. A total of 636,000 bricks were used. Dedication took place on 9 May 1740, after which the old church was demolished and the churchyard extended and walled in.[6]
In 1875
The church suffered little damage during World War II, during which years Cuthbert Bardsley, later Bishop of Coventry, was a socially active rector. The building was Grade B listed in 1954, which corresponds to Grade II and Grade II* in the modern scheme.[8] In 1960 another young and socially innovative rector arrived in Woolwich, Nicolas Stacey. His "Woolwich Project" (1960–68) was controversial but brought new life to the church. Among the many changes, he had the aisles and galleries shut off with frosted glass panels to make a cafe and offices, before converting the crypt into a youth club. The "Coffee House" was opened by Princess Margaret and Antony Armstrong-Jones in May 1961. Also, starting in 1965 (and ending in 2001), Stacey brought in the local Presbyterians to meet up with the Anglicans. In the 1970s the parish of St Mary Magdalene was merged into the three-church parish of Woolwich. Some restoration work was done in 1977, and in 2008 the gallery partitions were removed, restoring the spatial integrity of the building.[7]
In May 2019 St Mary's Church and Gardens became part of a conservation area. The Woolwich Conservation Area comprises the Bathway Quarter, parts of Woolwich New Road, General Gordon Square, Greens End, Beresford Square, Powis Street, Hare Street, Mortgramit Square, and parts of Woolwich High Street (south).[9]
The building
Exterior
The site of the church is at the extremity of a spur reaching northwards towards the
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West facade
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Detail east facade
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View from the southeast
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View from the northeast
Interior
The church consists of a five-bay
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View towards the east
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North gallery
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Royal coat of arms
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List of rectors
St Mary's Garden
The churchyard is now a public park, Saint Mary's Garden, in the English landscape garden style. It was designed in 1893 by Fanny Wilkinson, Britain's first professional woman landscape gardener. Her design features gravel paths, lawns and mature trees. Some gravestones can still be seen along the northeastern border. Nearby stands the tomb of bare-knuckle boxer Tom Cribb who lived in Woolwich. It has the shape of a lamenting lion resting its paw on an urn. Stairs lead up to the park entrance from Woolwich Church Street. Other entrances are at Church Hill, St Mary Street and John Wilson Street. Two belvederes, one just outside the park, offer fine views of the river Thames and the Woolwich Ferry, although the view is threatened by several tall buildings going up along the river. In the early 1960s the park was enlarged and redesigned by G.P. Youngman who added new paths, raised beds and alpine rockeries. A drinking fountain and several tombs were removed, the foremost of which was that of Woolwich-born engineer Henry Maudslay.[11]
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Autumnal view
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Belvedere and view
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Gravestones
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Tom Cribb's tomb
See also
Notes and references
- Saint, A., Guillery, P. (ed.), Woolwich – Survey of London, Volume 48, Yale Books, London, 2012. ; please note page numbers online do not correspond with the book)
- ^ M. Little: '76 skeletons have been discovered from Saxon Woolwich', originally published by southlondonpress.co.uk, 16 October 2015.
- ^ The name Woolwich (Wlevvic) appears in the Textus Roffensis, which contains a list pre-conquest churches. Saint & Guillery (2012), p. 41.
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 2–3, 42.
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), p. 41.
- ^ See: Rectors of Woolwich, memorial plaque in the porch of the church (photo).
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 42–45.
- ^ a b Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 46–47.
- ^ Historic England. "Details from listed building database (1358969)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 26 November 2008.
- ^ Woolwich Conservation Area Character Appraisal SPD, Draft June 2021, page 2, 4.
- ^ a b Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 45–47.
- ^ Saint & Guillery (2012), pp. 48–49.