St Margaret's Church, Putney facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Margaret's, Putney
Location	Putney, London, England
Denomination	Church of England
Previous denomination	Presbyterian and Baptist
Tradition	Broad Church
Website	www.stmargaretsputney.org
History
Founded	1873
Dedication	St Margaret of Antioch
Dedicated	1912
Administration
Deanery	Wandsworth
Episcopal area	Kingston
Diocese	Southwark

St Margaret's Church in Putney, London, is a special place with a long history. It's located on Putney Park Lane and was first designed in 1872. Before it became an Anglican church dedicated to St Margaret, it was known as Granard Chapel. It served as both a Baptist and then a Presbyterian church. Today, St Margaret's is part of the Church of England and is involved in local community groups like Churches Together in Putney and Roehampton. It's also part of Inclusive Church and helps run a homeless shelter during the colder months.

Granard Chapel: A Church with Many Lives

For a long time, the main church for Putney was St Mary the Virgin in Wimbledon, which was quite a walk away. Later, St Mary the Virgin, Putney, was built closer to the river. As Putney grew, more churches were needed.

In 1872, an architect named W. Allen Dixon designed a new church building. It was built by Colonel Alexander Croll and was originally a Baptist chapel, finished in 1873. It was built in memory of his mother and was located near what is now Granard primary school.

In 1879, the chapel became a Presbyterian church. A young minister named Reverend Donald Matheson took charge. He was very modern for his time! He had studied in Germany, where people were exploring new ways to understand the Bible. He even brought in a new translation of the Bible, the Revised Standard Version, when it came out in 1881. Reverend Matheson loved singing and held classes for his church members. He even sent postcards with the Sunday hymns so people could practice!

He also started the Granard Debating Society. This was a place where people could discuss important ideas. A famous politician named Ramsay MacDonald, who later became Prime Minister, even spoke there about socialism. Other important people, like John Bright and Douglas Hogg, also attended the church. By 1898, the Presbyterians moved to a new location, and the chapel was left empty.

St Margaret's: A New Beginning

As Putney continued to grow, Canon Thurston Rivington, the vicar of Putney, was looking for a new church building for the western part of the area. After some time, a kind man named Mr. Seth Taylor decided to give the empty Granard Chapel to Putney parish. He had thought about turning it into a laundry or even knocking it down, so it was a wonderful gift!

The church was dedicated to St Margaret of Antioch on Saturday, October 5, 1912. St Margaret was also the name of one of Mr. Taylor's daughters. The church was packed with people singing joyfully.

When the building became St Margaret's, some changes were made. The original design had a high ceiling and a large set of steps outside leading to three arches. This was because there was a meeting room underneath the church where the debating society met, and it needed good air for people who smoked. The steps were removed, and a new, flat entrance was built at ground level. They also took out a large font (a basin for baptisms) that was in the middle of the church. New electric lights, heating, and oak pews were added, and the ivy growing on the outside was trimmed. Mr. Seth Taylor paid for much of this work, and his family continued to support the church even after he passed away in 1917.

One interesting fact about St Margaret's is that it faces North, not East, which is unusual for a Church of England building. This is because it was originally a Baptist chapel. As one vicar said, "There will not be many Anglican Churches which can claim the distinction of being descended from both Baptists and Presbyterians."

Growing with the Community

In 1913, there were plans to make the church's area bigger, but World War I started, and plans were put on hold. After the war, there was a big Peace Celebration in the meadows near Putney Park Lane. Four thousand children attended, enjoying sports, activities, and fireworks!

The Reverend Percy Wallis became the first vicar of St Margaret's in 1918. He found a church without an organ, a hall, a vicarage (a house for the vicar), or money to support itself. It also didn't have a license to hold weddings, which was fixed in 1920. A house was bought for the vicarage in 1923. The choir stalls, where the choir sits, were given anonymously as a thank-you for the church's safety during the war. They are unique because they are a war memorial themselves, decorated with symbols of war on one side and peace on the other.

In 1921, the local council bought the Putney Park Estate and built many new homes around Putney Park House. This caused the local population to grow a lot! Because of this growth, St Margaret's officially became its own parish on February 19, 1924. The church's first magazine, which is still published today, came out in January 1924.

A larger church building was also needed. So, following designs by W.A. Forsyth, the church was extended. A new transept (a part of the church that crosses the main body), a new chancel (the area around the altar), a Lady Chapel, a sanctuary (the area with the altar), and a vestry (a room for clergy) were added. The pulpit, where sermons are given, was moved to a more central spot and raised. The foundation stone for this extension was laid on October 1, 1925. The newly extended church, which was almost twice its original size, was dedicated on February 19, 1926.

This expansion was part of a larger effort to build churches between the two World Wars. St Margaret's was one of the "Twenty Five" churches in the Southwark diocese that received a grant for building work. The children of the parish even raised money themselves to pay for the stained glass windows in the Sanctuary, which were installed in 1929.

As the church became more active, a church hall was needed. A temporary hut was donated and used for 40 years! Finally, in 1930, a proper church hall was built nearby on the Pleasance and dedicated on June 16.

During World War II, on September 3, 1939, the church's service register noted an "Air Raid Warning." Children's services were canceled, and evening services were moved to the Hall, where it was easier to black out the windows. St Margaret's also suffered damage when a flying bomb hit a nearby garden, badly damaging the church hall and breaking some glass and harming the ceiling in the church itself. A special service was held on May 7, 1945, to celebrate victory in Europe.

In the 1950s, the inside of the church was updated. A new organ case was bought, and the North end was redone. The wooden parts were cleaned and polished, and the altar area was decorated with gold leaf. The Lady Chapel also received a new communion rail and screen. In 1965, a portable font was purchased. In the 1960s and 70s, new church halls were built, and in 2012, as part of a special appeal for the church's 100th anniversary, a kitchen and toilets were added.

The Beautiful Windows of St Margaret's

The windows in the Sanctuary were made by a company called Burlison and Grylls. In the Lady Chapel, the windows were created by Kempe Studios. After the founder, Kempe, passed away, his studio was run by Walter Tower. His special mark on the windows was a wheat sheaf with a red tower. After his son was sadly killed in World War I, the tower in his mark turned black. This black tower mark can be seen in the windows at St Margaret's. You might also notice tiny black specks in the Lady Chapel windows. These are leftover bits of the black-out paint used during the war to keep light from escaping.

Elsewhere in the church, you'll see both green and clear glass. The clear glass was put in to replace the green glass that was shattered when a bomb exploded nearby during the war.

Images for kids

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  Interior view.

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  Rear view.

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  Main entrance.

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  Stained glass window.

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  List of ministers and incumbents.