St. George’s Church, Beckenham
Encyclopedia
St. George’s Church, Beckenham is the Church of England
parish church of Beckenham
, Kent
.
St George's church is the principal parish church, and is in the centre of Beckenham. It has been extensively rebuilt, but has a 13th century lychgate
that is said to be the oldest in England
.
The church was originally built in the twelfth century and survived as a “humble medieval church until it was rebuilt 1885-1887 as a “confident town church” by local architect W. Gibbs Bartleet in ragstone with ashlar dressing. The pinnacled southwest tower is the focal point of High Street and was completed in 1902-1903. The stained glass was created 1963-1966 by Thomas Freeth
. The numerous monuments, many of outstanding quality by monumental masons such as Thomas Adye, John Hickey, John Flaxman, Sir Frances Chantrey, Henry Weekes and Gaffin, were transferred from the old church to the new, as was the church plate. William, Lord Aukland has his memorial within the church and was buried in the churchyard, which features a number of good eighteenth-century gravestones.
Nearby churches include St. Barnabas on Oakhill Road (A. Stenning & H. Hall, 1878 or 1884), Christ Church, Fairfield Road (Blashill & Hayward, 1876), St. Edmund’s Catholic Church, Village Way (J. P’Hanlon Hughes, 1937), St. James, St. James’ Avenue (A.R. Stenning, 1879–1898), St. Michael and All Angels, Ravenscroft Road (W. H. Hobday & F. H. Maynard, 1955–1956), St. Paul, Brackley Road (Smith & Williams, 1872), Holy Trinity, Lennard Road (E.F. Clarke, 1878), Baptist Church, Elm Road (Appleton & E. W. Mountford, 1889), Congregational Church, Crescent Road (J. W. & R. F. Beaumont, 1887-8), Methodist Church (James Weir, 1887).
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church of Beckenham
Beckenham
Beckenham is a town in the London Borough of Bromley, England. It is located 8.4 miles south east of Charing Cross and 1.75 miles west of Bromley town...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
St George's church is the principal parish church, and is in the centre of Beckenham. It has been extensively rebuilt, but has a 13th century lychgate
Lychgate
A lychgate, also spelled lichgate, lycugate, or as two separate words lych gate, is a gateway covered with a roof found at the entrance to a traditional English or English-style churchyard.-Name:...
that is said to be the oldest in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The church was originally built in the twelfth century and survived as a “humble medieval church until it was rebuilt 1885-1887 as a “confident town church” by local architect W. Gibbs Bartleet in ragstone with ashlar dressing. The pinnacled southwest tower is the focal point of High Street and was completed in 1902-1903. The stained glass was created 1963-1966 by Thomas Freeth
Thomas Freeth
Thomas Freeth was a British stained glass artist and art teacher active in the mid-twentieth-century Kent. He was a local of Beckenham, Kent, and taught art there.Among his works was the complete set of nave and tower windows of St. George's Church, Beckenham....
. The numerous monuments, many of outstanding quality by monumental masons such as Thomas Adye, John Hickey, John Flaxman, Sir Frances Chantrey, Henry Weekes and Gaffin, were transferred from the old church to the new, as was the church plate. William, Lord Aukland has his memorial within the church and was buried in the churchyard, which features a number of good eighteenth-century gravestones.
Nearby churches include St. Barnabas on Oakhill Road (A. Stenning & H. Hall, 1878 or 1884), Christ Church, Fairfield Road (Blashill & Hayward, 1876), St. Edmund’s Catholic Church, Village Way (J. P’Hanlon Hughes, 1937), St. James, St. James’ Avenue (A.R. Stenning, 1879–1898), St. Michael and All Angels, Ravenscroft Road (W. H. Hobday & F. H. Maynard, 1955–1956), St. Paul, Brackley Road (Smith & Williams, 1872), Holy Trinity, Lennard Road (E.F. Clarke, 1878), Baptist Church, Elm Road (Appleton & E. W. Mountford, 1889), Congregational Church, Crescent Road (J. W. & R. F. Beaumont, 1887-8), Methodist Church (James Weir, 1887).