St Mary's Church, Wimbledon

Infobox church
name = St Mary's Church, Wimbledon
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caption = St Mary's Church
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denomination = Church of England
diocese = Southwark
parish = Parish of Wimbledon
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founded_date = before 1086
founder =
architect = Sir George Gilbert Scott
style =
constructed_date = 1843
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demolished_date =
bishop =
priest =
archdeacon =
dean =
provost =
rector = Revd Mary Bide
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curate =
chaplain =
vicar =
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minister =
seniorpastor =
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address = Wimbledon, London
country = United Kingdom
phone = 020 8946 2605
website = www.stmaryswimbledon.org

St Mary's Church, Wimbledon is a Church of England church and is part of the Parish of Wimbledon, south-west London, England. It is believed to have existed since 1086 when recorded in the Domesday Book. It is still in active use today.

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History

There have been four churches on the site since 1086: [ [http://www.achurchnearyou.com/page.php?V=884&P=671 www.achurchnearyou.com] ]

* The Medieval Church — 11th Century to 13th Century.
* The Second Church — Late 13th Century until 1786.
* The Georgian Church — 1780s to 1840s.
* The Victorian Church — Completed in 1843 and survives today.

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. [ [http://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/about/history/present-church.html www.stmaryswimbledon.org] ]

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. [ [http://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/about/history/present-church.html www.stmaryswimbledon.org] ]

Memorials

The oldest memorial in the church dates back to 1537 in memory of Philip and Margaret Lewston, and has survived two church rebuilds. [ [http://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/about/history/memorials.html www.stmaryswimbledon.org] ]

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. [ [http://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/about/history/memorials.html www.stmaryswimbledon.org] ]

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. [ [http://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/halls/gardenhall.html www.stmaryswimbledon.org] ] It was officially opened on 3rd May 2003 by HRH Princess Alexandra.

ervices

Sundays: [ [http://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/worship/services.html www.stmaryswimbledon.org] ]

* 8:00am — Holy Communion
* 9:30am — Sung Eucharist
* 11:15am — Informal Worship
* 6:30pm — Evensong

Other local churches

"See: Parish of Wimbledon"

In Wimbledon Team Ministry

* St Mark's Wimbledon [http://www.stmarkswimbledon.org.uk/ website]
* St Matthew's Wimbledon [http://www.stmatthewssw20.co.uk/ website]
* St John's Wimbledon [http://www.stjohnswimbledon.org.uk/ website]

In local area

* Emmanuel Church, Wimbledon
* Sacred Heart Church, Wimbledon (Roman Catholic)
* Holy Trinity South Wimbledon [http://www.holytrinity-southwimbledon.org.uk/ website]
* Christ Church West Wimbledon [http://www.christchurch-westwimbledon.org/ website]
* Trinity Church Wimbledon (URC) [http://www.trinitywimbledon.org/ website]

ee also

* Parish of Wimbledon
* [http://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/history/index.html History of St Mary's Church]

External links

* [http://www.stmaryswimbledon.org/ St Mary's Church Website]
* [http://www.acny.org.uk/884/ A Church Near You Listing]
* [http://www.southwark.anglican.org/parishes/310p1.htm Southwark Diocese Listing]
* [http://www.wimbledonvisitor.com/worship.html Wimbledon Visitor Listing]
* [http://www.ukattraction.com/london/st-marys-church.htm.htm UK Attraction Listing]

References