About St Mary's

In recognition of St Mary’s beauty and architectural significance, English Heritage ranked this iconic landmark as a Grade I listed building.

As the only Grade I listed church in the Borough of Wandsworth, St Mary’s occupies a prominent position on the River Thames. The site has been used for worship since around AD 800, with the earliest structure replaced around 1400.

Like many medieval London churches that survived into the mid-18th century, the building had become dilapidated and no longer suited Battersea’s new status as a fashionable residential suburb. It was reputedly home to the “second-best carriage congregation in London”.

Plans for a larger and suitably stylish new church were mulled over in The Raven, a nearby hostelry. The first stone was laid in 1775 and the present church opened on 16th November 1777 to designs by local architect and churchwarden, Joseph Dixon.

The building is of yellowish London brick, with edgings of stone, a short square tower with a clock and steeple above a four-columned and pedimented Ionic porch. Inside are many historical and architectural treasures including:-

* The Sanctuary where the original East Window opening dates to 1379 and features a window glowing with yellow and gold painted glass; the tracery and glass were inserted in 1631 by Sir John St John to celebrate his succession as Lord of the Manor of Battersea. Unusually, the window is entirely secular with portraits of Sir John’s mother Margaret Beaufort, Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth I and, in the middle, heraldic shields declaring Sir John’s ancient and noble descent! By the time the existing church was built, the Manor of Battersea had been sold to Earl Spencer; from 1808 the Patronage of St Mary’s was vested in him and still rests with his descendants today.

* Either side of the East Window, the delightful circular transparencies of the Dove and Lamb were added in 1796.

* The Pulpit, originally part of a three-decker (the lower section now serves as sidesmen’s pews) is still imposingly tall and features inlaid carved oak.

* Historic monuments on the ground floor and in the galleries above include a War Memorial depicting the Gate of Life guarded by the Angel of Sacrifice that is considered the largest terracotta work in London; a memorial by Roubilac for Henry St John, viscount Bolingbroke (d 1751); a memorial to Sir John Fleet (d. 1712) Lord Mayor of the city in 1693; a monument to Sir Edward Wynter (d.1685) which, in keeping with his relatives who were involved in the Armada and Gunpowder plot, records his single-handedly crushing a tiger to death and taking on 60 mounted Moors. The gallery also houses a tithe map of the Battersea parish in 1838 when the area still largely comprised market gardens and river-based industries.

* A First Edition King James’ Bible of 1611 known as a ‘He’ Bible, owing to an error in the book of Ruth 3:15 where ‘he’ has been used instead of ‘she’.

* John Napper’s modern home-spun triptych in the side chapel depicts the Annunciation against the background of Battersea Park and the Power Station, Christ walking on the waters of the River Thames and Lazarus rising from the grave beneath the church’s pedimented porch.

* Four modern stained glass windows, designed by John Hayward between 1976 and 1982, celebrate:

JMW Turner [1775 – 1851] who painted Thames-side sunsets and cloudscapes from the church’s river fronting oriel window. The handsome wooden chair in which he sat is located in the sanctuary.

William Blake [1757 – 1827] poet, artist and writer of the well-known hymn ‘Jerusalem’, was married here in 1782 to Catherine Boucher, daughter of a Battersea market gardener, who signed the marriage certificate with an X

Benedict Arnold [1741 -1801] ‘sometime general in the army of George Washington’ who is buried in the crypt

William Curtis [1746 - 1799] botanist, author of “Flora Londinensis”, distinguished member of the RHS and Linnaean Society, and Praefectus Horti at the Society of Apothecaries, now known as the Chelsea Physic Garden; Curtis chose to be buried in St Mary’s churchyard where he had collected many of his botanical species.

St Mary’s is the only church in London that has a Thames-side graveyard and gardens. Battersea has changed hugely since the present church was completed in 1777, but its churchyard is still very much a riverside oasis where visitors can pause and ponder, enjoy a tasty treat from Little Lou’s coffee trailer and soak up the peaceful atmosphere of the riverfront.

Today St Mary’s comprises a vibrant and active Anglican community. It has a strong musical tradition and regular Choir as well as Choral Scholars (singers and organ) who perform at Sunday services, Choral Evensong and the St Mary’s summer and winter Music Recital Series.

Open House Week - Special Events

FLORAL FESTIVAL Featuring installations by local and international florists, posies from the leading UK Charity Thrive in Battersea Park, and displays from Ethelburga Community Gardening Club – celebrating beauty, community and sustainability.

IILUSTRATED TALK: Buckingham Palace Gardens: The Historical Development
Saturday 12th September Doors Open at 6:00pm for 6:30pm start
Buckingham Palace is one of the world's most iconic buildings and has the largest garden in London. Dr Peter Rumley is the heritage consultant to The Royal Household and is engaged in an historic building survey and the history of the palace. He is an art and architectural historian, a consultant archaeologist, a Fellow of The Society of Antiquaries of London and a member of the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. He was the National Trust’s consulting archaeologist on the conservation of Ightham Mote, Sissinghurst Castle and Garden, Nymans and St John’s Jerusalem. Peter also jointly curated two Tate Gallery exhibitions, William Coldstream Retrospective and Kenneth Clark: Looking for Civilisation. He is the principal of Cornwallis Rumley, a heritage consultancy
Peter will discuss Buckingham Palace Garden’s landscape development from the 16th century and some of its fascinating and intriguing elements

IN CONVERSATION : Finding a sanctuary:
Tuesday 15th September Doors open 6.30pm; the event begins at 7pm.
Finding a sanctuary: Guy Stagg, journalist and author of The World Within and The Crossway.
What do we gain and what do we lose when we step back from the world?
Guy Stagg follows in the footsteps of three extraordinary twentieth-century figures who withdrew during moments of crisis: Ludwig Wittgenstein, David Jones and Simone Weil.
Blending history, travel, biography and a moving personal story, The World Within examines how retreat can save a life or transform a creative practice. It asks why the idea of retreat still enchants people to this day and hints at how each one of us can find a sanctuary of our own.
For this event, Stagg will be in conversation with St Mary's vicar, the Rev. Erin Clark.

DISCUSSION AND Q&A: Radical Battersea: Making a Scene
17th September Doors open 6:30 pm for 7:00pm
Radical Battersea: Making a Scene; Join Rory Welsh, creator of The Bald Truth history channel, and local historian Mike Squires, author of Saklatvala: A Political Biograph
Was Battersea a seedbed of Britain's radical movement in the 20th Century? Join Rory Welsh, creator of The Bald Truth history channel, and local historian Mike Squires, author of Saklatvala: A Political Biography, discuss how Battersea shaped a movement that changed our understanding of war, poverty, labour, gender equality and voting rights. Discussion followed by Q&A.
Come & learn about this fascinating slice of local and national history.
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