St Mary's Church, Osterley facts for kids
St Mary's Church, Osterley, is a Church of England church located on Osterley Road in Osterley, part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It's a beautiful old building with a rich history.
Building a New Church
St Mary's Church was built by Henry Daniel Davies. He was developing a large area called the Spring Grove estate, and the church was an important part of his plan. The church was designed by an architect named John Taylor the Younger. He used a style called Neo-Gothic. This means it was built to look like the grand Gothic churches from the Middle Ages, with pointed arches and detailed stone work.
The church officially opened its doors in 1856. It was meant to be a place for a "good and evangelical minister," which means a leader who focuses on the teachings of the Bible. It has kept this style of worship ever since. Later that same year, the church was given its own parish. A parish is like a local area that a church serves, and St Mary's parish was created from a part of the older Isleworth parish.
Design and Features
John Taylor the Younger built St Mary's using strong brick with stone details. The church has two levels of windows, which were designed to allow for extra seating areas called galleries if they were ever needed. However, these galleries were never actually built.
Inside the church, you can find beautiful stained-glass windows. These colorful windows were designed by an artist named Alfred Hassam. Stained glass often tells stories from the Bible or shows important figures, and they make the church feel very special.
Important Moments and People
For many years, Henry Daniel Davies, who built the church, was its main supporter. This meant he had a say in who became the vicar, or church leader. Later, this responsibility passed to a group called the Church Patronage Society.
One interesting event at St Mary's Church happened in 1899. A woman named Sofia Dalgairns got married there. She later became very famous as the future head of the first Women Patrols for the Metropolitan Police. These patrols were early groups of women who helped with policing and community safety.
Over the years, the church services changed a bit. In 1959, a new vicar started a Sunday communion service in the morning, while still keeping the traditional morning prayers. At that time, about 506 people were officially registered as members of the church.
Today, St Mary's Church is part of a larger parish called St Mary's with St Luke's. St Luke's started as a Sunday school on Kingsley Road before 1895. It then became a "mission church," which is a smaller church that helps support the main parish church, St Mary's.
