St Mary's Church, Addington

The Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin is an Anglican church in Addington, in the Borough of Croydon, London. It is associated with the Archbishops of Canterbury of the 19th century, who lived at nearby Addington Palace: five of the archbishops are buried at the church.

Not to be confused with St Mary's Church, Maddington.
St Mary's Church
Church of St Mary the Blessed Virgin
The west tower of St Mary's
51.358453°N 0.032254°W / 51.358453; -0.032254
LocationAddington, London Borough of Croydon, Greater London
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
Previous denominationRoman Catholic
ChurchmanshipModern Catholic
Websitewww.addington.org.uk
History
StatusParish church
DedicationSt Mary the Blessed Virgin
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Heritage designationGrade I listed
Designated29 January 1951
Administration
ParishParish of Addington
DeaneryCroydon Addington
ArchdeaconryArchdeaconry of Croydon
Episcopal areaCroydon Episcopal Area
DioceseDiocese of Southwark
Clergy
Bishop(s)Jonathan Clark, Bishop of Croydon
Vicar(s)The Revd Debbie Forman
Curate(s)The Revd James Njue
NSM(s)The Revd Barbara Gentilella

History

There is evidence for a church on this site since at least 1080 AD. It was once the only church in Addington village when it was the centre of a larger parish then incorporating Shirley. It has an 11th-century chancel and windows. The south aisle, built in the early 13th century, is narrow as it once had a thatched roof, hence its falling roofline. The belltower assumed its current form in 1876.[1] The church tower has a belfry with 6 bells, the earliest probably dating from 1380 as well as two 17th-century bells.[2] The bells were restored in 1957. The chancel was richly decorated in 1898 in memory of Archbishop Edward White Benson.[2]

On 29 January 1951, St Mary's became a Grade I listed building.[3]

The parish was part of the Diocese of Canterbury until 1984 when it joined the Diocese of Southwark.[4]

Notable burials

The crypt is now inaccessible, but the church is the burial place of a Lord Mayor of the City of London, the armigerous Leigh family who were Lords of the manor, and five of the six Archbishops of Canterbury who spent time at their residence nearby of Addington Palace.

The Archbishops interred at St Mary's are:[5]

There is also a memorial to the Archbishops in the graveyard.

The churchyard also contains Commonwealth war graves of thirteen service personnel, four from World War I and nine from World War II.[6]

Present day

Now the church ministers to the people living in the more immediate vicinity that includes Addington village, the southern elevation of and escarpment running down from the Addington Hills, the residences along Fieldway on the northernmost part of the New Addington estate, Addington and Forestdale.

The church stands in the Modern Catholic tradition of the Church of England.[7]

Notable clergy
  • John Cavell was a curate here between 1947 and 1949, he later became Bishop of Southampton[8]
  • Michael Perham was a curate here between 1976 and 1981, he later became Bishop of Gloucester[9]

Images
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References
  1. http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/bucks/vol2/pp53-54 'Addington', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Buckinghamshire, Volume 2, North (London, 1913), pp. 53-54 http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/bucks/vol2/pp53-54 [accessed 25 February 2015].
  2. "History - St Mary's Church". St Mary's Church, Addingtom. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  3. "CHURCH OF ST MARY ADDINGTON". Listing. Historic England. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  4. "The Benefice of Addington". Crockford Online. Church House Publishing. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  5. "Church Timeline: 1850 - present day". St Mary's Church, Addingtom. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  6. CWGC Cemetery report, details from casualty record.
  7. "Addington, St Mary the Blessed Virgin, Addington". A Church Near You. Archbishops' Council. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  8. "John Kingsmill Cavell". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
  9. "Michael Francis Perham". Crockford's Clerical Directory (online ed.). Church House Publishing. Retrieved 21 May 2016.
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