Croydon Minster facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Croydon Minster
The Minster Church of St John Baptist at Croydon
Croydon Minster from the southwest
Location	Old Town, Croydon
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Liberal Catholic
Website	http://www.croydonminster.org/
History
Dedication	John the Baptist
Architecture
Style	English Gothic
Administration
Parish	Croydon
Deanery	Croydon Central deanery
Archdeaconry	Croydon archdeaconry
Episcopal area	Croydon area
Diocese	Diocese of Southwark

Croydon Minster is a very old and important church in Croydon, a town in London. It's the main church for the area and is considered a special building because of its history. It is one of more than 35 churches in Croydon. The church is a "Grade I listed" building, which means it's very important and protected.

Six Archbishops of Canterbury are buried here. These archbishops were important leaders of the Church of England. They include Edmund Grindal (died 1583) and John Whitgift (died 1604).

History of Croydon Minster

The Early Church

The church started a very long time ago, in the middle Saxon period. It was likely a "minster church." This means it was a base for a group of priests who lived together. They also helped look after the people in the surrounding area.

An old document from King Coenwulf of Mercia mentions a meeting near the "monasterium" (which means minster) of Croydon. The church is also mentioned in the Domesday Book from 1086. This was a famous survey of England ordered by William the Conqueror.

We know the church was dedicated to St John the Baptist by 1347. This was mentioned in the will of a man named John de Croydon.

The church you see today was mostly built in the late 1300s and early 1400s. It was built in a style called "Perpendicular Gothic." You can still see the symbols of Archbishops Courtenay and Chichele on the church. People believe they helped pay for its building.

Fire and Rebuilding

The old church building was repaired a bit in the 1850s. A famous architect named George Gilbert Scott was in charge of these repairs.

However, on January 5, 1867, a big fire broke out. It might have been caused by new heating stoves. The fire badly damaged almost the entire church. It was a huge loss for the community.

The church was rebuilt between 1867 and 1869. George Gilbert Scott designed the new building. They used some parts of the old church that survived, like the west tower and the south porch. The new church followed the old design but was made a bit bigger.

While the church was being rebuilt, services were held in a temporary "iron church." This temporary church could hold 700 people. The rebuilt church was officially opened again on January 5, 1870. Many important monuments and items from the old building were saved and are still in the church today.

Croydon Minster Today

On May 29, 2011, the church was given the special title of "Croydon Minster." This was the first time a church in the Southwark area had been given this modern honor.

Croydon has strong connections to religion. Croydon Palace was once a home for the Archbishop of Canterbury. The church also has links to local schools, including Whitgift School.

Croydon Minster is part of the Church of England. It follows a "liberal catholic" tradition, which means it is open and welcoming.

The Organ and Bells

Church Organ

Croydon Minster has a very large pipe organ. It has four keyboards! Most of it was built in 1869. There is also a smaller organ in a part of the church called the St Nicholas Chapel. This smaller organ was brought here in 1997.

Church Bells

The church tower holds a set of 12 bells. They were made in 1936 by a local company called Gillett & Johnston. These new bells replaced an older set of eight.

The new set of 12 bells was officially dedicated on December 12, 1936. The first time all 12 bells were rung together was for the coronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937. The people who ring the bells are part of the Surrey Association of Church Bell Ringers.

St John’s Memorial Garden

To the south of the Minster is St John’s Memorial Garden. This garden is about 2 acres in size. It used to be a traditional cemetery until 1957. After that, it was no longer used and became overgrown.

Many of the old gravestones were moved or used to build walls and paths. A War Memorial was also moved to a new spot in the garden.

Gallery

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  The west tower in 1792

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  The west tower

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  Altar and East window

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  The carved, painted and gilded barrel-vaulted ceiling

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  Tomb of Archbishop John Whitgift

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  Feeding of the Five Thousand

Images for kids

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  The ruins of the church after the 1867 fire, looking east

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  The war memorial in St John’s Memorial Garden, unveiled in 1922