St John's Hampton Wick facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St John's Hampton Wick |
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| The Mission Community of St John’s Kingston Bridge | |
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| 51°24′42.7″N 0°18′45.9″W / 51.411861°N 0.312750°W | |
| Location | Church Grove and St John’s Road, Hampton Wick KT1 4AL |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Edward Lapidge |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1829-30 |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Anglican Diocese of London |
St John's Hampton Wick is a special church located in Hampton Wick, London. It is part of the Church of England. This building is also a Grade II listed building, which means it's an important historical site. The church was designed by an architect named Edward Lapidge and was built between 1829 and 1830. You can find it on Church Grove and St John's Road in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
Contents
History of St John's Church
St John's Church was first planned as a "chapel of ease." This means it was built to make it easier for people to go to church if the main parish church of St Mary at Hampton was too far away. The main church was about 2.5 miles (4 km) from Hampton Wick.
Building the Church
After St John's was finished, the area around it became its own separate parish. The Church Commissioners, who help manage church buildings, paid for the church to be built. They agreed to fund it only if the main parish church was also made bigger at the same time.
The total cost for building St John's and preparing the land was about £4,500. Work began on 7 October 1829, when the first stone was laid. The entire building was finished just over a year later, by 8 November 1830.
The Architect, Edward Lapidge
The architect, Edward Lapidge, was very generous. He not only designed the church but also gave the land for it. He even paid for part of the fence around the church site. Edward Lapidge was born in Hampton Wick himself. He also designed the Kingston Bridge nearby, which is still used today.
Church Design and Features
The church was built in a simple Gothic Revival style. This style looks back to medieval church designs. It was made with Suffolk brick and Bath stone.
When it was first built, the church was about 65 feet (20 meters) long and 43 feet (13 meters) wide. It had special seating areas called galleries on three sides. There was also a window set back into the wall at the east end. The church was designed to hold 800 people. Half of these seats were "free," meaning people didn't have to pay a "pew rent" to sit there.
Later on, in 1887, a part called a chancel was added to the church. The church also had repairs and updates in 1880 and 1911 to keep it in good condition.
Reopening the Church
In 2010, St John's Church reopened its doors after being closed for five years. This happened as part of a Church of England plan called "church planting," which helps new church communities grow. Church services started again in December 2010.
Church Services
St John's Church holds services twice on Sunday mornings and also on Sunday evenings. The church describes its services as "informal, modern and family friendly." This means they try to make everyone feel welcome, especially families, and the services are easy to understand.
