Church of St Mary

Details

1.
5028 CHURCH ROAD

Barnes, SW13

Church of St Mary
TQ 2276 15/2 25.10.51

II*

Parish church. Development. Core of c1100-1150, extended c1200 east and west to form an aisleless church with small chancel, now the south aisle and Langton Chapel. Later C15 west tower, refurbished externally, 1953. Northern chapel, 1777, removed 1852 when north aisle added; this replaced by nave and north aisle, 1904-8 by Charles Innes, destroyed by fire, 1978. Porch remodelled 1852. Rebuild, completed 1984, by Edward Cullinan, attached to the north of the C13 church and C15 tower, incorporates some reused C19 fabric. Surviving fabric reroofed.
Fabric C12-C13 work: flint rubble, the later build internally faced in chalk; eaves raised in brick probably C15, brick buttresses. East end: flint rubble; brick quoins, upper gable and infill. North wall flint rubble with brick infill, part rendered (C20 work ). Rendered south porch. Tile roofs. Tower: red/brown brick, stone dressings.
South aisle and Langton Chapel single cell C12 building of which section of south wall remains, extended east and west c1200, forming a nave and chancel of which the existing south wall, west wall, much of the east wall and sections of the north wall survive. The latter was largely removed when church extended northwards, C18 & C19, or rebuilt post 1978; west end altered when tower added, c 1485. South wall. Blocked C12 entrance, now behind buttress, with adjacent blocked window, both visible internally. Entrance, c1200, in simple chamfered doorway, inside porch dated internally 1852 when restored; rendered, with tile roof, moulded stone outer arch. Western south window, dated 1907 internally, of two lights. Between brick offset buttresses, largely C19 restoration of tall cusped 3-light window, and restored 3- light C15 or C16 window with uncusped, plain tracery, under three centred hood mould. Two-light eastern window, dated 1863 internally, a remodelling of an earlier Y tracery window. Wall tablet to Edward Rose, 1653, a black marble tablet in repaired stone architrave. Tablet to Elizabeth Mitchell, set on buttress, a moulded stone aedicule with scull apron. East end. Flint rubble with possibly C15 brick infill. Stock brick quoins and gable. Three stepped lancets with stone cills, under continuous hood mould. Lancets, previously blocked, uncovered and restored 1852. Gable vesica. Stone gable cross and kneelers. North wall, east section c1200, the remainder incorporated within C18 and C19 church, now mostly later C20 rebuild with two reset C19 cusped chancel lights, formerly from the north wall of the larger church. Eastern end retains part of damaged Dawson monument, 1859, an inscribed tablet, with naval insignia and weeping mother and child. Tower, in three stages with faceted stair turret at south east angle, diagonal buttresses. West doorway in plain C20 architrave. Three- light west window in restored architrave. Above, rectangular brick ringing chamber opening with timber louvres. Similar plain rectangular bellchamber opening to each face, also with timber louvred window. Plain parapet above moulded band. On south face, clock and sundial, both 1794, the clock by A & J Thwaites of Clerkenwell, both restored and refurbished. Profile of former nave roof on east face of tower.
Nave completed 1984, aligned north south. Former mid C19 3-light east window, already reset 1904, reset as north, sanctuary, window. Remaining C19 lancets from former north wall set into south wall of parish rooms.

Interior. Noted for the rare survival of early wall treatment. Blocked early C12 doorway and section of window. Blocked window or squinch to east of chancel arch. Tower arch probably C15. Small stair doorway under chamfered four-centred arch. Four centre arch to inner face of west doorway. Chancel arch on simple faceted piers, that to south partly blocking earlier window. Roofs all 1984, that to chancel on four surviving angel bosses from C19 restoration. Carved figure, fragment of former screen, attached to south chancel pier. Sanctuary (now Langton Chapel)floor of William de Morgan, green, blue and buff glazed mosaic tiles, 1902, in memory of Alexander Nesbitt.
South wall exposed during restoration, post fire. Wall painting. Blocked C12 doorway arch painted in probably late C12 red single-line masonry pattern,outer blocks alternately yellow ochre with red ochre marbelling and white with umber marbling, to resemble Purbeck marble. Thought to have continued to north face of wall, defining doorway. Plain single-line masonry pattern above and to east of current south doorway. Several applications of C14 double-line masonry pattern also in red, some with stencilled 6-petal flowers. Fragment of blocked window or squinch, to east of chancel arch, painted in imitation Purbeck marbelling overlain with double-line masonry, also extending over cill. Eastern-most window, fire-damaged C14 masonry pattern with stencilled flower. East wall, fire-blackened paintwork, some dark paintwork framing windows preceding fire. Late C14 stylised vine leaf scrolls, double-line and dot masonry pattern, with wavy line between, defining the former roof line; small section of double line masonry pattern. West wall: fragments of C14 double-line masonry pattern, and post reformation text in blackletter script.
Monuments. In situ: Tablet to John Squire, 1662, Rector 1660-1662. Oval wall monument with bay leaf border, fire blackened.
Resited monuments. Brass to Edith and Elizabeth Wylde, 1508. Reset in north wall of Langton Chapel, matrix remains on chapel floor. Brass to Hoare family, reset in north wall of chapel, from floor slab reset in rebuilt east transept. Remains of wall monument to Sir Richard Hoare, d. 1787, a putto set over inscribed panel. Marble tablet, 1914, to James Forster. Bells, 1575, 1616, 1637, the remainder 1897.

Reset brasses in new building include memorial to John Ellerton, 1826-93, former Rector, hymn writer and hymnologist; Lewis Loche, rector, 1884-91; Elizabeth Beale, 1901, schoolteacher.

Church, completed 1984 by Edward Cullinan, Mark Beedle and Alan Short, architects. Furniture, fixtures and fittings by Matthew Marchbank, and W.S.Try (Joinery) Ltd.

C18 & C19 boundary wall to south-west, west, north and north east. On north and east with inset memorials: to north, Fletcher monument, 1726, an inscribed stone tablet under red brick semicircular arch. Similar eroded monument to east wall.
Lychgate in commemoration of the coronation of Edward VII, 5 April 1903

Pevsner & Cherry, Buildings of England, London 2: South, 1983, p. 468
Parish Church of St Mary, Barnes, London. Archaeological Investigation, 1978-83. J.S. McCracken, 1992
Saint Mary's Church, Barnes. Final Report on Wall Paintings in Saint Mary's. Anne Ballantyne.
St Mary's Church, Barnes. A guide. St Mary's Church PCC, 1996

Listing NGR: TQ2220276583

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