St Andrew's Church, Totteridge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Andrew's church, Totteridge |
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St Andrew's Church, Totteridge
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| 51°37′56″N 0°12′01″W / 51.63234°N 0.20022°W | |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Website | Official website: http://www.totteridgechurch.org.uk |
| Architecture | |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Administration | |
| Parish | Totteridge |
| Deanery | Barnet |
| Archdeaconry | Hertford |
| Diocese | St Albans |
St Andrew's Church is a special place of worship in Totteridge, north London. It belongs to the Church of England. This church is part of the Diocese of St Albans. This is quite unique, as most churches in Greater London are in other dioceses.
Contents
The History of St Andrew's Church
Early Days and Name Changes
The church was likely first mentioned in a document from 1250. This record shows that Totteridge Church belonged to St Etheldreda's Church in Hatfield. It was named after St Etheldreda. She was born around 630 in Suffolk. St Etheldreda was the daughter of the Christian king of East Anglia.
Over many years, the name "St Etheldreda's" changed. People started calling it "St Audrey's." During the Protestant Reformation, which was a big change in the church, old documents used both names. Later, between the Reformation and the late 1600s, the name changed again. It became St Andrew's. This might have happened because only saints from the Bible were preferred then. Also, "Audrey" could easily be mistaken for "Andrew" when written down.
Becoming Its Own Parish
In 1650, a group called the Commonwealth Commissioners suggested a change. They thought Totteridge Church should be separate from Hatfield. They wanted it to become its own parish. However, this did not happen for a very long time.
It took almost 250 years for this idea to become real. There was a big disagreement involving important people. Finally, in 1892, Totteridge became a separate parish. A vicar was appointed to look after the people there. At that time, about 785 people lived in Totteridge.
Building and Changes Over Time
The weathervane on the church tower is from 1706. It has the initials R.B. on it. These stand for Richard Burdett, who was a churchwarden at the time. A churchwarden helps manage the church.
In 1790, the church was completely rebuilt and made larger. William Manning was very active in this project. He was a Governor of the Bank of England. His son, Henry Manning, later became a famous cardinal. The church you see today was mostly built in the 1700s and 1800s.
The main part of the church, called the nave, was built in 1790. The entrance porch on the west side was added in 1845. In 1869, more big changes happened. The east wall was removed, and the chancel was built. The chancel is the area near the altar. At the same time, the tall, pointed roof part, called the spire, was taken down. Smaller rooms, called the vestry and organ chamber, were built. New stone windows were put in. A wooden roof was added over the nave. An old gallery inside the church was also removed.
In 1897, a larger vestry was built on the north side. In 1908, the inside of the church was covered with oak wood panels. In 1925, the church received tower clocks. These clocks came from a nearby building called Poynter's Grove, which was being taken down. In 1952, the church tower was rebuilt. Two strong supports were added inside the church to hold the tower's weight. Any remaining galleries and wooden parts were removed then.
Special Features of the Churchyard
The entrance gate to the churchyard is called a lychgate. It was built in 1930. Sir Charles Nicholson designed it. It was built to remember Lady Barrett of Totteridge Park.
The churchyard also has a very old yew tree. People believe it is 2000 years old. If this is true, it is the oldest tree in London. It is known as one of the Great Trees of London.
St Andrew's Church has been a Grade II listed building since 1950. This means it is an important historic building.
Notable People Buried at St Andrew's
Many interesting people are buried in the churchyard of St Andrew's.
- Sir Alexander Maitland, 1st Baronet (1728–1820) is buried here. There is a special plaque inside the church that remembers him and his family.
- Anthony Barton (1913–1943) was a Royal Air Force officer. He won two DFC awards for his bravery.
- Dai Rees (1913–1983) was a famous golfer. He was the captain of the Great Britain Ryder Cup team in 1957. He also won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award in 1957.
