St Michael and All Angels Church, Barnes facts for kids
Quick facts for kids St Michael and All Angels Church, Barnes |
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| Location | Barnes in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| History | |
| Founded | 1867 (congregation); 1891 (building) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Active |
| Architect(s) | Charles Innes |
| Completed | 1893 |
| Administration | |
| Deanery | Richmond & Barnes |
| Archdeaconry | Wandsworth |
| Diocese | Southwark |
St Michael and All Angels Church is a special church in Barnes, a part of London. It is a Church of England church, which means it belongs to the main Christian church in England. This church is so important that it is a Grade II listed building. This means it has historical or architectural value and is protected. You can find it at 39 Elm Bank Gardens, London SW13 0NX.
Contents
The Church's Story
Early Days
The church community, called a congregation, started in 1867. At first, they met in a building on Archway Street that was both a school and a church. Later, in 1878, a temporary church made of tin, sometimes called a "tin tabernacle," was put up next to the school.
Building the Current Church
The church building you see today was built between 1891 and 1893. The person who designed it was an architect named Charles Innes. He was actually a member of the church community himself! Charles Innes also helped design parts of another church nearby, St Mary's Church, Barnes. In 1936, a new room called a vestry was added to the church. It was built to match the style of the main building.
A Famous Writer and the Church
The well-known novelist Barbara Pym lived in Barnes from 1949 to 1961. She went to St Michael's Church and was even a member of its Parochial Church Council, which helps run the church.
Barbara Pym often wrote about churches in London in her books. St Michael's Church was the inspiration for the church in her 1955 novel, Less Than Angels. In this book, she describes a special church service called a High Mass on Whitsunday.
She wrote about how the church, built in the early 1900s, did not have very old monuments. However, everything inside was beautifully polished. This included the candlesticks on the altar and the special plaques remembering past vicars (church leaders). The book also mentions how the current vicar slowly introduced new things to the services. This made the church become more "High Church" without the people even realizing it at first.
Important Clergy Members
Over the years, several important clergy members have served at St Michael and All Angels Church:
- Bruce Ruddock was the priest-in-charge from 1988 to 1995. He later became the Director of the Anglican Centre in Rome.
- Joe Hawes served as priest-in-charge and then team vicar from 1996 to 2003. He later became the Dean of St Edmundsbury.
