The Ascension, Lavender Hill
Encyclopedia
The Ascension of The Lord, Lavender Hill is an Anglo-Catholic church situated on Lavender Hill
, in Battersea
, South West London. It is thought to be the first church in England
dedicated to The Ascension of The Lord.
The church is one of three in its parish: Lavender Hill, The Ascension and Battersea, St. Philip with St. Bartholomew. The latter two churches no longer continue to be used by the Church of England
. St Philip the Apostle, Queenstown Road is now home to the Ethiopian Orthodox Parish of Saint Mary of Debre Tsion, and St Bartholomew the Less, Wycliffe Road is now home to the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Nectarious.
. As a young man John Wilkinson often sat on Clapham Common
and gazed down upon the blue fields of Lavender
which made up the historic Lavender Hill
. He often dreamt that if he ever was called to become a priest
, it would be upon the Lavender Hill
where he would build a church for the faith to be proclaimed.
Eventually John's priestly calling began to materialize and he was ordained. Now a priest Fr John was sent to St Barnabas, Pimlico where the effect of the ritual riots where being felt. It was these riots that influenced Fr John, supported by a cohort of wealthy ladies from the Pimlico
congregation, to conceive the idea of an Anglo-Catholic sanctuary away from the troubles of Central London
. Fr John's thoughts were of The Ascension, Lavender Hill.
Amongst those who financially contributed to the building of The Ascension were, Lady Anne Antrobus, wife of Sir Edmund Antrobus, (second Baronet Antrobus, of Antrobus in the County Palatine of Chester) her sister-in-law through marriage, The Hon Jane Duff-Gordon, and a young dowager
, Amelia, Lady Boston. A sizeable benefaction made by the ladies was used to purchase the grounds of Pountney House which ran from what is now Acanthus Road to the End of Crown Terrace (where the crown pub is situated today), and north of the church to Elsley Road. Today approximately only a third of this land remains in church hands.
It was then not until 1872, that Father Wilkinson, Lady Antrobus and the Hon. Mrs. Jane Duff-Gordon moved to Lavender Hill
and the plot of land on which the church stands was purchased, thanks to the generosity of Lady Boston.
, James Brooks, was commissioned to design one of his finest churches, that of The Ascension Lavender Hill.
The foundation stone
was laid on the 1st June, 1874, by John Patrick Boyle, Earl of Glasgow, and according to Henry Simmonds in 'All About Battersea' (1882) it was situated 'under the altar' of the temporary church.
It was not long before Brooks soon discovered that he was using too much of the available funds for the foundations of the new church. His clients quickly became alarmed by this unforeseen expense, and subsequently he was latter dismissed as architect. Ironically his replacement finished the church almost to his original specification. This overspend meant that some of Brooks more elaborate design features, such as the carving of the stone capitals in the nave, the projected tower with steeple, above what is now the south porch, and an elaborately carved stone reredos could not be completed. Having said this Father John's youthful vision had become a reality.
The new church was consecrated for worship by the Bishop of The Diocese
, The Right Reverend Dr Anthony William Thorold, Bishop of Rochester
, on the 30th June 1883.
, a fierce fire broke out, quickly spreading along the church roof, and threatened to destroy the church in its entirety. The London Fire Brigade
sent fire fighters from some six stations, some of whom battled the fire throughout the night to ensure that this historic landmark was saved.
The then Parish Priest Fr John Cuthbert CMP
, praised the work of the fire service, recognizing that without their assistance the damage sustained to the building would have been far worse.
, and served by priests of The Society of The Holy Cross
. As such their style of churchmanship and worship is Catholic
. There is an emphasis on the Seven Sacraments including Confessions. Practices and services include those of The Reserved Sacrament
, The Veneration of Relics, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
, The Rosary
, Devotion to Our Lady, and Stations of the Cross
.
Sunday Mass incorporates the "bells and smells" nature of the Anglo-Catholic Church with their use of incense, throughout the Mass
, and bells at the Eucharist. There are lay deacons and sub-deacons, and servers
, who wear the traditional catholic black cassock
and white cotta
.
Lavender Hill
Lavender Hill is a hill near Clapham Junction in South London, England. The street name Lavender Hill is a continuation of St John's Hill and forms the section of the A3036 as it rises eastwards out of the Falconbrook valley at Clapham Junction, and retains that name for approximately 1.5 km...
, 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...
, South West London. It is thought to be the first church 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...
dedicated to The Ascension of The Lord.
The church is one of three in its parish: Lavender Hill, The Ascension and Battersea, St. Philip with St. Bartholomew. The latter two churches no longer continue to be used by the Church of England
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...
. St Philip the Apostle, Queenstown Road is now home to the Ethiopian Orthodox Parish of Saint Mary of Debre Tsion, and St Bartholomew the Less, Wycliffe Road is now home to the Greek Orthodox Parish of St Nectarious.
Founders of The Ascension
The Ascension, Lavender Hill, was principally conceived by Fr John Bourdieu Wilkinson SSCSociety of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
. As a young man John Wilkinson often sat on Clapham Common
Clapham Common
Clapham Common is an 89 hectare triangular area of grassland situated in south London, England. It was historically common land for the parishes of Battersea and Clapham, but was converted to parkland under the terms of the Metropolitan Commons Act 1878.43 hectares of the common are within the...
and gazed down upon the blue fields of Lavender
Lavender
The lavenders are a genus of 39 species of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. An Old World genus, distributed from Macaronesia across Africa, the Mediterranean, South-West Asia, Arabia, Western Iran and South-East India...
which made up the historic Lavender Hill
Lavender Hill
Lavender Hill is a hill near Clapham Junction in South London, England. The street name Lavender Hill is a continuation of St John's Hill and forms the section of the A3036 as it rises eastwards out of the Falconbrook valley at Clapham Junction, and retains that name for approximately 1.5 km...
. He often dreamt that if he ever was called to become a priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
, it would be upon the Lavender Hill
Lavender Hill
Lavender Hill is a hill near Clapham Junction in South London, England. The street name Lavender Hill is a continuation of St John's Hill and forms the section of the A3036 as it rises eastwards out of the Falconbrook valley at Clapham Junction, and retains that name for approximately 1.5 km...
where he would build a church for the faith to be proclaimed.
Eventually John's priestly calling began to materialize and he was ordained. Now a priest Fr John was sent to St Barnabas, Pimlico where the effect of the ritual riots where being felt. It was these riots that influenced Fr John, supported by a cohort of wealthy ladies from the Pimlico
Pimlico
Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....
congregation, to conceive the idea of an Anglo-Catholic sanctuary away from the troubles of Central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. Fr John's thoughts were of The Ascension, Lavender Hill.
Amongst those who financially contributed to the building of The Ascension were, Lady Anne Antrobus, wife of Sir Edmund Antrobus, (second Baronet Antrobus, of Antrobus in the County Palatine of Chester) her sister-in-law through marriage, The Hon Jane Duff-Gordon, and a young dowager
Dowager
A dowager is a widow who holds a title or property, or dower, derived from her deceased husband. As an adjective, "Dowager" usually appears in association with monarchical and aristocratic titles....
, Amelia, Lady Boston. A sizeable benefaction made by the ladies was used to purchase the grounds of Pountney House which ran from what is now Acanthus Road to the End of Crown Terrace (where the crown pub is situated today), and north of the church to Elsley Road. Today approximately only a third of this land remains in church hands.
It was then not until 1872, that Father Wilkinson, Lady Antrobus and the Hon. Mrs. Jane Duff-Gordon moved to Lavender Hill
Lavender Hill
Lavender Hill is a hill near Clapham Junction in South London, England. The street name Lavender Hill is a continuation of St John's Hill and forms the section of the A3036 as it rises eastwards out of the Falconbrook valley at Clapham Junction, and retains that name for approximately 1.5 km...
and the plot of land on which the church stands was purchased, thanks to the generosity of Lady Boston.
Building The Ascension
The people of the Shaftsbury Estate made it clear that they wanted the Ascension to resemble the churches that they had left behind in east London. With that in mind a significant Anglo-Catholic architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, James Brooks, was commissioned to design one of his finest churches, that of The Ascension Lavender Hill.
The foundation stone
Cornerstone
The cornerstone concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.Over time a cornerstone became a ceremonial masonry stone, or...
was laid on the 1st June, 1874, by John Patrick Boyle, Earl of Glasgow, and according to Henry Simmonds in 'All About Battersea' (1882) it was situated 'under the altar' of the temporary church.
It was not long before Brooks soon discovered that he was using too much of the available funds for the foundations of the new church. His clients quickly became alarmed by this unforeseen expense, and subsequently he was latter dismissed as architect. Ironically his replacement finished the church almost to his original specification. This overspend meant that some of Brooks more elaborate design features, such as the carving of the stone capitals in the nave, the projected tower with steeple, above what is now the south porch, and an elaborately carved stone reredos could not be completed. Having said this Father John's youthful vision had become a reality.
The new church was consecrated for worship by the Bishop of The Diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
, The Right Reverend Dr Anthony William Thorold, Bishop of Rochester
Bishop of Rochester
The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
, on the 30th June 1883.
The Church Fire
Just before 7pm on Friday the 13th April 1979, which happened to be Good FridayGood Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
, a fierce fire broke out, quickly spreading along the church roof, and threatened to destroy the church in its entirety. The London Fire Brigade
London Fire Brigade
The London Fire Brigade is the statutory fire and rescue service for London.Founded in 1865, it is the largest of the fire services in the United Kingdom and the fourth-largest in the world with nearly 7,000 staff, including 5,800 operational firefighters based in 112 fire...
sent fire fighters from some six stations, some of whom battled the fire throughout the night to ensure that this historic landmark was saved.
The then Parish Priest Fr John Cuthbert CMP
Company of Mission Priests
The Company of Mission Priests is a "dispersed community" of male priests of the Anglican Communion, who want to consecrate themselves wholly to the church's mission, free from the attachments of marriage and family...
, praised the work of the fire service, recognizing that without their assistance the damage sustained to the building would have been far worse.
Worship
The Ascension, Lavender Hill is an Anglo-Catholic church which is affiliated to Forward in FaithForward in Faith
Forward in Faith is a movement operating in a number of provinces of the Anglican Communion. It represents a traditionalist strand of Anglo-Catholicism and is characterised by its opposition to the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopate and, more recently, to more liberal Anglican...
, and served by priests of The Society of The Holy Cross
Society of the Holy Cross
The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use...
. As such their style of churchmanship and worship is Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
. There is an emphasis on the Seven Sacraments including Confessions. Practices and services include those of The Reserved Sacrament
Reserved sacrament
During the Liturgy of the Eucharist, the second part of the Mass, the elements of bread and wine are considered, in some branches of Christian practice, to have been transubstantiated into the veritable Body and Blood of Jesus Christ...
, The Veneration of Relics, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament
Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament is a devotional ceremony celebrated within the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church, as well as in some Anglican and Lutheran Churches, Liberal Catholic churches, Western Rite Orthodox churches, and Latinised Eastern Catholic Churches.Benediction of the...
, The Rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
, Devotion to Our Lady, and Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross
Stations of the Cross refers to the depiction of the final hours of Jesus, and the devotion commemorating the Passion. The tradition as chapel devotion began with St...
.
Sunday Mass incorporates the "bells and smells" nature of the Anglo-Catholic Church with their use of incense, throughout the Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
, and bells at the Eucharist. There are lay deacons and sub-deacons, and servers
Altar server
An altar server is a lay assistant to a member of the clergy during a Christian religious service. An altar server attends to supporting tasks at the altar such as fetching and carrying, ringing the altar bell and so on....
, who wear the traditional catholic black cassock
Cassock
The cassock, an item of clerical clothing, is an ankle-length robe worn by clerics of the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Church, Lutheran Church and some ministers and ordained officers of Presbyterian and Reformed churches. Ankle-length garment is the meaning of the...
and white cotta
Surplice
A surplice is a liturgical vestment of the Western Christian Church...
.
Parish Priests of the Ascension
| No. | Incumbent | From | Until |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fr John Bourdieu Wilkinson SSC Society of the Holy Cross The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use... |
1874 | 1885 |
| 2 | Fr Charles Stebbing Wallace SSC Society of the Holy Cross The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use... |
1885 | 1914 |
| 3 | Fr John Arthur Mainwaring Montford | 1914 | 1923 |
| 4 | Fr Egbert de Grey Lucas | 1923 | 1930 |
| 5 | Fr Donald Vincent Beckingham | 1930 | 1938 |
| 6 | Fr Herbert Edwin Palmer | 1939 | 1943 |
| 7 | Fr John Austin Allen SSC Society of the Holy Cross The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use... |
1944 | 1958 |
| 8 | Fr Edward Bruce Branwell | 1958 | 1964 |
| 9 | Fr Alan George Cookman SSC Society of the Holy Cross The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use... |
1965 | 1972 |
| 10 | Fr John Hamilton Cuthbert CMP Company of Mission Priests The Company of Mission Priests is a "dispersed community" of male priests of the Anglican Communion, who want to consecrate themselves wholly to the church's mission, free from the attachments of marriage and family... |
1972 | 1997 |
| 11 | Fr Patrick Charles Benedict Allen OSB Order of St. Benedict (Anglican) There are a number of Benedictine Anglican religious orders, some of them using the name Order of St. Benedict . Just like their Roman Catholic counterparts, each abbey / priory / convent is independent of each other... SSC Society of the Holy Cross The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use... |
1997 | 2008 |
| 12 | Fr Iain Clavering Young SSC Society of the Holy Cross The Society of the Holy Cross is an international Anglo-Catholic society of priests with members in the Anglican Communion, the Continuing Anglican Movement and the Roman Catholic Church's Anglican Use... |
2009 | Present |