St Michael and All Angels, Blackheath

51.4648°N 0.0137°E / 51.4648; 0.0137

St Michael and All Angels, Blackheath
St Michael and All Angels, Blackheath
LocationLondon, SE3
CountryUnited Kingdom
DenominationChurch of England
WebsiteChurch website
History
Founded1830
Dedicated1874 (1874)
Architecture
Heritage designationGrade II*
Architect(s)George Smith
StyleGothic
Administration
DioceseSouthwark
Episcopal areaWoolwich
ArchdeaconryLewisham and Greenwich
DeaneryCharlton
Clergy
Vicar(s)Rev Sandy Christie

St Michael and All Angels, Blackheath is an Anglican parish church in Blackheath, London. The church is a part of the Diocese of Southwark. This Grade II* listed building was designed by the architect George Smith.

History
New Church in Blackheath 1830 – Drawing by Thomas Mann Baynes

St Michael and All Angels is located in the Cator Estate in Blackheath. The estate was purchased by John Cator in 1783. The area purchased included the Wricklemarsh mansion along with its 250-acre estate, previously owned by Sir Gregory Page. Following Cator's death in 1806, the estate was inherited by his nephew John Barwell Cator (1791–1850). As there was no church close to the residents of the estate, Cator provided a portion of land and £4,000 towards the construction of the church.[1]

The foundations were laid on 20 December 1828 and the building was completed in February 1830. The architect was George Smith and the builder was William Moore, a local bricklayer and carpenter. The chapel was consecrated as the parish church of St Michael and All Angels in 1874. Until then, the church had been called either Trinity or St Peter’s Chapel or simply ‘Mr Cator’s chapel'.[2]

Architecture

The church was designed in a Gothic style unusual for the 1830s.[3] The building has a distinctive, tall 172 ft (52 m) high spire, which is known as "the Needle of Kent". The steeple is placed unusually at the east end of the building. The location is thought to have been intended to attract attention as seen from the crossroads of the estate. The building is made of white Gault bricks with Bath stone dressings and roofed with Welsh slate.[1][4] Ian Nairn describes it as "far more individual than the usual run", and "more than a studious crib from a pattern book", and notes "the highly successful Eastern Tower".[5]

The stone pulpit was erected in 1920 as a World War I memorial.[6]

References
  1. "Blackheath: St Michael and All Angels". Historic England. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  2. "St Michael and All Angels, Blackheath Website". Se3.org.uk. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  3. Cherry, Bridget; Pevsner, Nikolaus (1983). The Buildings of England: London 2: South. p. 247.
  4. "Blackheath Park, St Michael and All Angels". Southwark Diocese. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  5. Nairn's London, Penguin Books, 1966. Page 183.
  6. "War Memorial". Imperial War Museums. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
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