St Mary's Church, Twickenham facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Mary's Church, Twickenham
St Mary's Church, Twickenham (in 2006)
St Mary's Church, Twickenham Location in England
51°26′49″N 0°19′32″W / 51.447°N 0.3255°W / 51.447; -0.3255
Location	Church Street, Twickenham, Middlesex, England
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
History
Dedication	St Mary the Virgin
Consecrated	1714
Architecture
Architect(s)	John James
Architectural type	Neo-classical
Specifications
Materials	brick, stone
Administration
Parish	St Mary's, Twickenham
Deanery	Hampton
Archdeaconry	Middlesex
Diocese	London Archdeaconry of Middlesex (Kensington Area)
Province	Canterbury

St Mary's Church, Twickenham is a very old and important church in England. It's also known as St Mary the Virgin, Twickenham. This church is a 'Grade II* listed building', which means it's historically very special. It's a Church of England place of worship dedicated to Saint Mary the Virgin.

You can find St Mary's Church on Church Street in Twickenham, part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It stands close to York House and the River Thames. It's also right across from Eel Pie Island.

A Look at the Church's History

The Old Church and Its Collapse

The church you see today stands on the same spot as an even older church. It still has its original 15th-century medieval tower. Sadly, on April 9, 1713, the main part of the old church, called the nave, fell down. This part was built in the 14th century.

At that time, a famous painter named Godfrey Kneller was a churchwarden (a church official) at St Mary's. He helped plan how to rebuild the church. They decided to build it in a new style called Neo-classical, with local architect John James leading the work.

A local resident, Lady Wentworth, wrote about the collapse a month later. She said the new vicar, Dr Pratt, had actually predicted it!

Dr Pratt had insisted that a tabernakle be erected in the churchyard, prior to the collapse. Soe he preached there and exhorted al to giv thanks for thear great deleverenc for the church not falling when they wear in it, it being then standing. The people all laughed at him, and in a weeks time it fell to the ground, soe all the parish contrebutse to the building of it.

This means Dr Pratt had set up a temporary church in the churchyard. He told everyone to be thankful the church didn't fall while they were inside. People laughed at him, but a week later, the church collapsed! So, everyone in the area helped pay to rebuild it.

Inside the New Church

When the church was rebuilt in the 18th century, some older memorials from the medieval nave were saved. One of these is a brass plaque for Richard Burton, who was the King's chief cook, and his wife Agnes, from 1443.

Inside the church, you can see several beautiful memorials for important people, including:

• Lady Margaret Wildman (died 1825), made by Sir Richard Westmacott.
• George Gostlin (died 1782) and his wife Anne (died 1799), made by John Bacon Junior.
• Sir Chaloner Ogle (died 1750), a Baronet and Admiral, made by John Michael Rysbrack.
• Nathaniel Pigott (died 1737), made by Peter Scheemakers.
• Alexander Pope (died 1761), made by Prince Hoare of Bath.

Famous Baptisms

St Mary's Church has seen some interesting baptisms (christenings) over the years.

• On June 20, 1721, Dr Pratt baptized "James Shandayes and John Twogood," who were described as two Indian princes.
• In 1747, Henry Fielding's son William was baptized here.
• Hallam Tennyson, the son of the famous poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, was christened at the church in 1852. He later became the second Governor-General of Australia.

Church Design and Features

The main part of the 18th-century church, the nave, is made of red brick. It features Tuscan pilasters (flat columns) and pediments (triangular shapes above doors or windows). After being rebuilt in 1713–14, the church was made larger in 1754. It still has its original fittings from that time, like the reredos (a screen behind the altar) and gallery fronts.

The church tower has a ring of eight bells. One of these bells is from the early 16th century, three are from the 17th century, and four are from the 18th century.

The Church's Parish Area

St Mary's Church started as the main parish church for all of Twickenham. A parish is an area served by a church. However, as more houses were built in the 19th and 20th centuries, new parishes were created. This led to new Church of England churches being built, such as Holy Trinity Twickenham (1842) and St Philip and St James Church, Whitton (1862).

Because of these new churches, the parish of St Mary's became smaller. But it still covers most of central Twickenham today.

Notable People Buried Here

Many important people have been buried at St Mary's Church or in its churchyard:

• Bridget Markham and Cecily Bulstrode: These ladies-in-waiting to Anne of Denmark died at Twickenham Park in 1609. Bridget Markham has an inscription inside the church.
• Sir William Berkeley (1605–1677): He was the Governor of Virginia from 1660 to 1677. He was buried in the church's crypt in 1677. His body was unusually covered in lead, showing his shape. A year later, his brother Lord Berkeley was also buried there. The brothers are remembered with a special window in the church.
• Sir Godfrey Kneller (died 1723): The famous painter who helped rebuild the church was buried inside.
• Alexander Pope (1688–1744): This famous poet is buried under a stone slab marked with just the letter 'P'. His mother, Edith Pope (1643–1733), was buried there in 1733.
• Kitty Clive (1711–1785): This actress and singer was buried in the churchyard. A plaque to her is on the outside wall of the church.
• General William Tryon (1729–1788): A soldier who was governor of the Province of North Carolina and the Province of New York. He was buried in the churchyard.
• Thomas Twining (1675–1741): The tea merchant has a memorial in the graveyard at the north-east corner of the church.
• Martha Bruce, Countess of Elgin and Kincardine: She was a governess to Princess Charlotte of Wales. She was buried at St Mary's on July 4, 1810.

While there is a memorial for James Montgomrey's wife Henrietta (1818–1905) inside the church, both she and her husband were actually buried at Isleworth Cemetery.

The funeral of Neil Aspinall (1941–2008) took place at St Mary's Church in 2008. He was the head of The Beatles' company, Apple Corps, and was sometimes called "the fifth Beatle". However, Aspinall himself was buried in Teddington.

St Mary's Church in Art

St Mary's Church is shown in a painting by Osmund Caine called Wedding at Twickenham Parish Church (1948). This painting is part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Art Collection.

See also

• All Hallows Twickenham
• Pope's Urn