St. Mary's Church, Battersea
Encyclopedia
St Mary's Church, Battersea is the local Church of England
parish church in Battersea
, formerly in Surrey
and now part of south London
, England
, in the London Borough of Wandsworth
. The parish is now within the diocese of Southwark
. Christians have worshipped there regularly for well over a thousand years and continue to do so to this day. It is a Grade I listed building.
St Mary's stands on one of the earliest known consecrated sites on the south bank of the River Thames
. The original church was built as early as 800 AD, presumably by the Saxons
, and the present building was completed in 1777.
The church has strong connections with art and literature through the artist and poet William Blake
, who was married here, and the artist J. M. W. Turner
, who painted the river from the vestry window. Benedict Arnold
and his family are buried in the crypt, and the church has links with the explorer "Scott of the Antarctic
".
The church is used weekly by Thomas's Battersea for their Thursday morning church service and also holds a Thomas's Kindergarten.
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 in Battersea
Battersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
, formerly in Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
and now part of south London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, 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...
, in the London Borough of Wandsworth
London Borough of Wandsworth
The London Borough of Wandsworth is a London borough in southwest London, England, and forms part of Inner London.-History:The borough was formed in 1965 from the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Battersea and much of the former area of the Metropolitan Borough of Wandsworth, but...
. The parish is now within the diocese of Southwark
Anglican Diocese of Southwark
The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 44 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 formed on May 1, 1905 from part of the Diocese of Rochester...
. Christians have worshipped there regularly for well over a thousand years and continue to do so to this day. It is a Grade I listed building.
St Mary's stands on one of the earliest known consecrated sites on the south bank of the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. The original church was built as early as 800 AD, presumably by the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
, and the present building was completed in 1777.
The church has strong connections with art and literature through the artist and poet William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
, who was married here, and the artist J. M. W. Turner
J. M. W. Turner
Joseph Mallord William Turner RA was an English Romantic landscape painter, watercolourist and printmaker. Turner was considered a controversial figure in his day, but is now regarded as the artist who elevated landscape painting to an eminence rivalling history painting...
, who painted the river from the vestry window. Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold
Benedict Arnold V was a general during the American Revolutionary War. He began the war in the Continental Army but later defected to the British Army. While a general on the American side, he obtained command of the fort at West Point, New York, and plotted to surrender it to the British forces...
and his family are buried in the crypt, and the church has links with the explorer "Scott of the Antarctic
Robert Falcon Scott
Captain Robert Falcon Scott, CVO was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who led two expeditions to the Antarctic regions: the Discovery Expedition, 1901–04, and the ill-fated Terra Nova Expedition, 1910–13...
".
The church is used weekly by Thomas's Battersea for their Thursday morning church service and also holds a Thomas's Kindergarten.