religious
R J WITHERS, 1808
St Mary and St John the Divine, Balham High Road, SW12 9BS, SW12 9BS
what3words: beside.zips.large
On Sat 12th Sep, the church is holding it's annual 'Big Green Fair' and planning to open the balcony, sanctuary and chancel for tours of the mosaics, vestments and frontals to offer a fuller experience of the treasures of the church. There will be food, music and workshops on the day and we will run photography and paper airplane competitions on the balcony (not normally open to the public).
Balham
Balham
13:00–16:00
On Sat 12 Sep, St Mary & St John the Divine Balham will open up the church and garden to the community for food, games, music and more.
Around 1805, a dozen wealthy residents of Balham and its local area commissioned the construction of a proprietary chapel at the 5-mile stone between Balham and Tooting. Among them were members of the reforming Clapham Sect, luminaries such as William Wilberforce, Henry Thornton, and Zachary Macaulay. This chapel opened for worship in April 1808. It was consecrated and dedicated as the parish church of Balham by the Bishop of Winchester in the spring of 1855.
The church underwent considerable alteration over the course of the next fifty years. During the 1880s, an elaborately decorated chancel, sanctuary, and reredos were added. Then, in 1903, the building’s original Greek Revival façade was replaced by an eclectic Classical frontage, complete with porches, clock tower, and domed baptistery.
Meanwhile, as Balham continued to develop as a residential and commercial area, the need for a daughter church to serve the growing Bedford Hill neighbourhood became apparent. The Church of St John the Divine was consecrated by the Bishop of Rochester in October 1900 and soon became known for its ‘high church’ sensibilities. St John’s served as the parish church for Bedford Hill until 1983, at which point it was closed, and the combined parish of St Mary and St John the Divine, Balham, was formed.
As Balham has continued to evolve, so has St Mary’s. Today it is a community that seeks to honour its past while also embracing the future. The church welcomed its current vicar, Fr Jonathan MacNeaney, in January 2023.
On Saturday 12th September, St Mary & St John the Divine, Balham, will hose their largest ever eco-themed Summer Fête and open the church to the community.
The church will collaborate with local climate-conscious groups to turn their traditional church fair green. Visitors can bring along broken electronics to be repaired with
Restart Tooting & Balham, sign up for mending workshops with
Remaykit, join a craft session with the Scrapstore, have a tour of the Victorian mosaics that used recycled glass and take part in a paper airplane competition!
Climate Action Balham, CREW Energy, Beautify Balham and
Wandsworth Air Quality are also planning to join the fun: giving talks, promoting
their causes and networking with each other. There will also be a large bric-a-brac stall, second-hand books, home produce and crochet stall.
