St Luke's Church, Kingston upon Thames facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Luke's Church |
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South end of St Luke's Church, built 1886–87
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| 51°25′00″N 0°17′50″W / 51.416699°N 0.297235°W | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Churchmanship | Traditional Catholic |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Gothic Revival |
| Years built | 1887 |
| Administration | |
| Parish | St Luke's, Kingston |
| Deanery | Kingston |
| Archdeaconry | Wandsworth |
| Diocese | Southwark |
St Luke's Church is a beautiful old building in Kingston upon Thames, London. It's a Church of England church, which is the main Christian church in England. This church is so special that it's a Grade II listed building. This means it's an important historical place that needs to be protected.
The church was designed by a company called Kelly & Birchall from Leeds. It was built between 1886 and 1887 by a local building firm, W. H. Gaze. You can find it on Gibbon Road.
Contents
A Look Back: St Luke's Church History
St Luke's Church was built for the people who worked on the railways. Their homes were in the streets around the church, just north of the railway station in Kingston. The area where these workers lived was not very wealthy.
Royal Help for the Church
Even though the area was poor, the church got help from important people. The first vicar's wife knew many influential people. One of the most famous people who helped was Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge. She was the granddaughter of George III, a former King of the United Kingdom. She was also the mother of Queen Mary, who later married George V.
Thanks to this support, the church became the grand building you see today. The tall spire, which is the pointy top part of the church, was finished in 1891. This was possible because Lady Wolverton gave more money to the church.
Discovering the Original Design
There is a painting that shows how the church was first planned to look. It shows that the builders followed the architects' plans very closely. Only the spire's design was changed a little bit, and a clock was added to the tower.
This special painting was found on August 2, 2019. Two people from the church community did a lot of research to find it. Now, the painting is kept by the vicar of St Luke's Church, Fr Martin.
St Luke's Church Today
St Luke's Church follows a specific tradition within the Church of England called Anglo-Catholic. This means they have some practices that are similar to those in the Roman Catholic Church.
Services and Leadership
The church holds services on Sunday mornings and evenings. They also have services on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, and on Wednesday evenings. The main priest, called the vicar, is Fr Martin Hislop.
