St John the Evangelist, Great Stanmore facts for kids
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St. John the Evangelist Church, Great Stanmore is an Anglican church. It is located in Great Stanmore, which is now part of Harrow, Middlesex, London.
Two different church buildings have held this name. One is a red-brick church from 1632. It is now abandoned and in ruins. The other is a stone church built in 1850. This church is still used today. Both buildings are important and are listed as Grade II* historic sites.
Contents
History of St. John the Evangelist Church
The First Stanmore Church
The very first church in Stanmore was on Old Church Lane. It was called St. Mary. This church served the village until 1632. After that, it was taken down. We only have a few old pictures of its tower. By the late 1900s, only one tomb from this old church remained. It was in the garden of a local house.
The 1632 Church Building
A new church was built in 1632. It was closer to the village center. A wealthy merchant named Sir John Wolstenholme paid for it. William Laud, who was the Bishop of London at the time, officially opened it. This church was made of red brick.
The Current 1850 Church
As more people moved to Stanmore, the village grew. Also, people's ideas about building styles changed. So, a third church building was constructed in 1850. The 1632 church was partly pulled down and became a ruin.
The church you see today is made of Kentish rag and Bath stone. It was designed in a style called Early Decorated Gothic. The architect was Henry Clutton from Surrey. George Myers, a builder from Lambeth, constructed it.
The new church cost £7,855 to build. The rector, Douglas Gordon, gave £1,000 of his own money. Douglas Gordon was the son of George Hamilton-Gordon, the Earl of Aberdeen. The Earl became Prime Minister two years later. He also donated £2,000 to the church. He was later buried there. The Bishop of Salisbury, Edward Denison, officially opened the church on July 16, 1850.
The land for the church was given by Colonel Hamilton Tovey Tennent. The Earl of Aberdeen laid the first stone for the new church. Queen Adelaide was there too. She was the wife of King William IV. Queen Adelaide was living at Bentley Priory at the time. This was her last public appearance. She gave the church its font, which is a special basin for baptisms. The beautiful east window was later made to remember her.
Many people are buried at the church. These include the Earl of Aberdeen, in a family burial place. The famous writer W. S. Gilbert and his wife Lucy Agnes are also buried there.
