CHURCHES: EALING.
The church at Ealing
was in the gift of the bishop of London c. 1127,
when he gave the great tithes to Canon Henry for
keeping St. Paul's cathedral school. (fn. 80) Later the
school was kept by the chancellor of St. Paul's, to
whom the bishop appropriated the church in
1308 on condition that he acted as reader of
theology at the school. The patronage of the
vicarage was reserved to the bishop in 1308 and
thereafter remained with him, except during the
Interregnum. (fn. 81) The church served the whole
parish (fn. 82) until part of Ealing was assigned to St.
George's, Old Brentford, in 1828 and a new
district was formed for Christ the Saviour in
1852.
A vicarage was ordained, with a pension of
£10, in 1308. (fn. 83) A revised arrangement in 1315
assigned to the vicar the house where he lived,
part of the glebe, the small tithes, and the
offerings; the rector received the great tithes, the
rectory house, and most of the glebe. (fn. 84) The
vicarage was worth £13 6s. 8d. in 1535, (fn. 85) £60 in
1650, (fn. 86) and between £600 and £700 in 1853. (fn. 87)
There were 40 a. of vicarial glebe in 1650, (fn. 88) part
of which was sold c. 1900. (fn. 89) The small tithes were
worth £25 in 1650 (fn. 90) and £663 in 1799, (fn. 91) and were
redeemed for £600 rent charge in 1840. (fn. 92) In 1530
tithes were assessed by custom as at Hayes (fn. 93) and
after a dispute in 1708 it was confirmed that there
was a modus on cows and calves and that some
fodder crops were not tithable. (fn. 94) Most of the
tithes were compounded in 1799. (fn. 95)
The vicarage house of 1315 (fn. 96) was presumably
where its successor stood in 4¾ a. between the
Park and Grange and St. Mary's roads in 1915. (fn. 97)
A red-brick house, said to be 250 years old in
1900, (fn. 98) was improved by Colston Carr, vicar
1797-1822, and was commodious in 1816 and
1845. (fn. 99) Standing south of the church, it had
decayed by 1900 and was rebuilt to an expensive
design by W. A. Pite. (fn. 1) In 1939 part of the site was
sold (fn. 2) and in 1969 a new Vicarage was built at no.
11 Church Place, on part of the old burial
ground. (fn. 3) A church house, recorded from 1492, (fn. 4)
was leased out in 1611 (fn. 5) and accommodated the
assistant curate in 1797. (fn. 6)
Walter, son of the bishop of London, owed 10
marks to Henry I for his judgement concerning
Ealing church (fn. 7) and may have been rector. Some
medieval vicars were pluralists (fn. 8) but in the 15th
and 16th centuries most were resident at least
occasionally. (fn. 9) Robert Cooper, vicar from 1638,
was replaced c. 1645 (fn. 10) and Thomas Gilbert, vicar
1651-60, a Scottish Congregationalist, was
ejected and remembered as proto-martyr of nonconformity. (fn. 11) William Beveridge, vicar 1661-73,
was later bishop of St. Asaph. William Hall, vicar
1702-16, seldom resided; (fn. 12) Dr. Thomas Mangey,
vicar 1730-54, a prolific writer, (fn. 13) resided more
often in his later than in his earlier years; (fn. 14)
Charles Sturgess, vicar 1773-97, did so for only
part of the year. (fn. 15) Later vicars were normally
resident: Sir Herbert Oakley, Bt. (d. 1845), vicar
1822-34, pioneered modern methods of
parochial organization, (fn. 16) which E. W. Relton,
vicar 1856-86, and his successors greatly extended. (fn. 17) From 1719 there was usually an assistant curate. (fn. 18) St. Mary's often had two in the 20th
century and as many as four in 1907 and 1973-4,
but only one in 1980. (fn. 19)
The churchwardens held 1 a. in Old Brentford
in 1423. (fn. 20) Other benefactions (fn. 21) included those of
Thomas Curtis, vicar 1451-78, who gave a
cottage, garden, 5½ a., and an orchard to maintain
an obit, and William Turner, vicar 1478-99, who
gave 4 a. later called Churchbread for an obit and
poor relief. (fn. 22) Before 1533 John Buckmaster surrendered a cottage to William Needler to provide
an obit, for which in 1541 Needler left a rent
charge of 7s. In 1547, in addition to the three
obits, there was 1 a. given by one Needler for a
lamp and property endowing an unobserved obit
of the Ingram family. (fn. 23) After the chantry lands
had passed to the Crown, those of Turner and
Curtis were sold in 1548 to Thomas Tanner and
Henry Butcher. (fn. 24) In 1629 John Bowman,
chancellor of St. Paul's and rector of Ealing, left
£40 a year to endow four afternoon sermons at
Ealing church, to be delivered by a licensed
lecturer. (fn. 25) The lectureship was held by the vicar
in 1869, when it was intended that the stipend
should be spent on an assistant curate. (fn. 26) Seven
parishioners were excommunicated by the vicar
for recusancy and incontinence (fn. 27) in 1613 and
services were disturbed in 1653 and 1655. (fn. 28) E. W.
Relton preached frequently against Rome, yet in
1866 he saved a new reredos; the reredos was
considered Romanist, as were other ornaments
in the new church, particularly a cross in the
chancel. (fn. 29) There were attendances of 350 in the
morning and 300 in the afternoon on census
Sunday 1851 (fn. 30) and of 733 in the morning and 610
in the afternoon on one Sunday in 1903. (fn. 31)
The church of ST. MARY, called St. Mary of
the Assumption in 1446, (fn. 32) stands at the south end
of St. Mary's Road, at least the second building
on the site. A church stood there in the late 14th
century and included a nave, chancel, and north
chapel or Little Ealing aisle; (fn. 33) there was also a
chapel of St. Anne, containing an image of the
Holy Trinity in 1504, where the Frowyks were
buried. (fn. 34) A bell tower, mentioned in 1490, was
rebuilt or enlarged c. 1495. (fn. 35) There were lights in
1408 to St. Mary, described in 1464 as Our Lady
of Pity, St. Catherine, and St. Nicholas, (fn. 36) in 1419
to the Holy Cross, (fn. 37) from 1468 to St. Christopher,
in 1471 to St. Anthony, and from 1473 to All
Souls. (fn. 38) There was a rood by 1445 (fn. 39) and a
feretory by 1490. (fn. 40) The church required frequent
repair in the 1650s (fn. 41) and was so ruinous c. 1675
that services were held elsewhere for several
years. Worshippers moved to a wooden tabernacle in 1726 and the steeple fell in 1729,
destroying the church. (fn. 42)
A brief for rebuilding was obtained in 1733 (fn. 43)
and the shell of the fabric was complete in 1739,
when an Act permitted borrowing on security of
the rates. (fn. 44) Opened in 1740, (fn. 45) the new church was
of brick to a plain design by James Horne and
seated 1,070 in 1828. (fn. 46) It was simple in plan, with
no chancel and the west tower and north-west
vestry standing in the body of the church. A
double row of windows lit galleries along three
sides. (fn. 47) A cupola was added to the tower in 1754
but removed in 1838, (fn. 48) and the seating was
increased c. 1810 and again in 1824, when there
were extensive repairs. (fn. 49) The church was still
regarded favourably in 1822 (fn. 50) but seen as unsightly in 1861, when repairs and more seating
were needed.
The existing church, of brown brick with
coloured brick and stone dressings, consists of an
apsidal aisled chancel with ambulatory, north
organ chamber and vestries, clerestoried nave
with processional aisles, south baptistery, north
porch, west tower, and west porch. The 18thcentury church was remodelled and extended
between 1865 and 1873 in a Venetian style by
S. S. Teulon. The roof was raised, window
tracery, stained glass, and buttresses were
inserted, and the chancel and many other parts
were added. Only a projected west spire was
omitted. (fn. 51) In 1920 a new chapel was dedicated (fn. 52)
and in 1935 the vestries were enlarged. (fn. 53) The
church was restored in 1955 (fn. 54) and the church
lounge was added on the south in 1959 and much
enlarged as the parish centre in 1977-8, (fn. 55) when
Ealing L.B. bought the parish hall of 1884 in
Warwick Road. (fn. 56) Modern architectural assessments of the church are unfavourable. (fn. 57)
The ancient pillared font was replaced in
1743. (fn. 58) There is a brass of c. 1490 to Richard
Amondesham or Awnsham and an alabaster
tablet to Richard Taverner (d. 1638). (fn. 59) Other
monuments include those to Oliver Stapleton
(d. 1811) by T. and G. Marshall, to Thomas
Smith (d. 1823) by Sarah Holmes of Brentford,
to Richard Gray (d. 1825) by William Pistell, to
Sir Jonathan Miles (d. 1821) by Charles Regnart,
to Henry Beaufoy (d. 1795) by Richard Westmacott the elder, and to Charles Hutchinson
(d. 1828) by Sir Richard Westmacott. (fn. 60) Among
those buried in the church or churchyard were
John Oldmixon (1673-1742) and Robert Orme
(1728-1801), historians, Dr. William King
(1685-1763), Jacobite and principal of St. Mary
Hall, Oxford, Sir Frederick Morton Eden, Bt.
(1766-1809), writer on the poor, and John
Horne Tooke (1736-1812), philologist and
radical politician, who was commemorated by an
American monument erected in the church in
1919. (fn. 61) There were three silver chalices in 1552,
besides other goods, (fn. 62) but in 1885 there was only
a silver bowl and cover; (fn. 63) the church later
acquired 16th-, 17th-, and 18th-century silver. (fn. 64)
There were 5 bells in 1552; (fn. 65) 5 were melted down
in 1739, when 8 were hung, and there were still 8
in 1955. (fn. 66) The registers begin in 1582. (fn. 67)
Most of Lower Side was in the district assigned
to St. George's, Old Brentford, in 1828. (fn. 68) Consequently there were only 650 attendances from
the rest of the old parish at St. Mary's in 1851. (fn. 69)
There were 10,289 worshippers at ten churches
and mission churches in 1903, when Ealing had
one of the highest attendances in and around
London. Seven churches were already permanent and ultimately there were to be twelve,
besides several longstanding missions. Such large
districts were assigned in 1852 to Christ Church
and in 1876 to St. John's that St. Mary's had
relatively few daughter churches, whereas Christ
Church had four and St. Stephen's and St. John's
three each. Ealing Ruri-Decanal Association,
founded in 1859, helped to establish new churches
by making grants and lending iron churches. (fn. 70) By
1916 there were eleven permanent churches, eight
of them in central Ealing between the Piccadilly
and G.W.R. lines and five in the small area
between Ealing village, the Broadway, and
Ealing common. Ealing was still the 'most
Sabbath-loving suburb in London' in 1926, (fn. 71) but
the only foundation after the First World War
was Ascension church, in the north part of the
parish. In the Second World War St. Saviour's
was bombed and several missions failed to
survive. In 1903 by far the best attended
churches were St. Saviour's and St. John's,
respectively Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical but
both in working-class areas, whereas in 1978
it was churches in the poorer districts which
showed signs of retreat.
ALL SAINTS,
Elm Grove Rd., Ealing
common. Built on site of former Elm Grove,
given by Leopold de Rothschild, by bequest of
Miss Frederica Elizabeth Perceval in memory of
Spencer Perceval (1762-1812), prime minister.
Chapel of ease of St. Mary's until dist. assigned
1948. Patron bp. of London. Stone bldg. in
mixed Gothic style 1905 by W. A. Pite: chancel,
N. chapel, S. organ chamber and vestries, aisled
and clerestoried nave, N. and S. porches, NW.
tower, apsidal W. baptistery. (fn. 72)
ASCENSION church, Beaufort Rd., Hanger
Hill. Served by London Diocesan Home Mission
until parish formed 1948. Patron bp. of London.
Iron church used c. 1937-9. Buff brick bldg. in a
Georgian style 1939 by Seely & Paget: apsidal
sanctuary with ambulatory, chancel beneath
lantern tower, N. and S. vestries, aisled nave with
dormers in roof. (fn. 73)
ST. BARNABAS, (fn. 74) Pitshanger Lane. Mission
of St. Stephen's from 1907 until dist. assigned
1917. Patron bp. of London. Iron church, later
hall, at corner of Castlebar Rd. built 1908 and
destroyed 1942. Dark red brick bldg. in French
Gothic style 1914-16 by E. C. Shearman at
corner of Denison Rd., seating 1,000: (fn. 75) apsidal
chancel with ambulatory, N. vestries, apsidal S.
chapel, clerestoried nave with processional aisles
and galleried N. and S. transepts, W. organ
gallery over baptistery; two-storeyed NW. and
SW. porches are lower stages of uncompleted
towers. (fn. 76) Damaged by fire 1962. High Church
1978.
CHRIST THE SAVIOUR, (fn. 77) Ealing Broadway, built as Christ Church (fn. 78) at expense of Miss
Rosa Frances Lewis (d. 1862) of Castle Hill Ho.
Dist. assigned 1852. (fn. 79) Patron Miss Lewis, with
remainders to W. E. Hilliard, who presented his
brother 1859, (fn. 80) and, from 1864, bp. of London.
Three asst. curates 1896, one in 1926, two in
1947, one in 1973-4. Attendance 1903: 461 a.m.;
447 p.m. First V., William Lambert, suspended
for immorality 1856. Move towards AngloCatholicism begun by W. Templeton King, V.
1895-1929. Bldg. of Kentish rag with Bath stone
dressings in early Decorated style 1850-2 by
G. G. (later Sir Geo. Gilbert) Scott: aisled
chancel, SE. chapel, aisled and clerestoried nave,
S. porch, W. tower with spire. Redecorated by
G. F. Bodley 1903-8, N. vestry 1904. NE. chapel
1919 by C. G. Hare, from former chancel aisle.
Church restored 1946-52. High Church 1978.
Renamed on reunion of benefice with St. Saviour
1952. Vicarage ho. by Scott c. 1865, (fn. 81) demol.
1930.
GOOD SHEPHERD church, at corner of
South Ealing and Temple lds. Mission church
and institute of St. Mary's, for S. part of parish,
but with own min. 1906. Services in hall 1905 by
W. A. Pite, seating 300. (fn. 82) Hall sold to Assyrian
church 1978. (fn. 83)
ST. JAMES, (fn. 84) Ealing Dean. Mission church
of St. John's from 1890 until dist. assigned
1905. (fn. 85) Patron bp. of London. One asst. curate
1926 and 1935, none in 1947. Attendance 1903:
168 a.m.; 183 p.m. Iron church in Alexandra Rd.
used until 1904. Red-brick bldg. with stone
dressings in early Gothic style 1903-4 by
W. Pywell in St. James's Ave., seating c. 770:
chancel, NE. chapel, nave with N. and S. aisles.
Suspended benefice, served from St. John's,
from 1977. (fn. 86)
ST. JOHN, (fn. 87) Ealing Dean. Mission church of
Christ Church from 1865 until dist. assigned
from Christ Church and St. Mary's 1876. (fn. 88)
Patron bp. of London. One asst. curate 1896, two
in 1907 and 1935, none in 1947, four in 1977-9.
Attendance 1903: 1,116 a.m.; 1,058 p.m.
Evangelical tradition established under Julius
Summerhayes, curate and V. 1867-1903, and son
Julius James Summerhayes, V. 1903-39. Temp.
church in St. John's Rd. used until 1867, thereafter wooden church at corner of Mattock Lane
and Churchfield Rd., enlarged 1868 and 1870 to
seat 750, used until 1876. Yellow brick bldg. in
early Gothic style 1876 by E. H. Horne, on island
site at junction of Mattock Lane with Broomfield
Place and Broomfield Rd.: chancel, central tower,
N. and S. transepts, aisled and clerestoried nave.
Repaired 1878-83 (fn. 89) but badly damaged by fire
1920, when services were held in Griffith Davies
memorial hall, built 1917. Church repaired by F.
Hall-Jones (fn. 90) 1923. Damaged by lightning 1928, (fn. 91)
W. end remodelled as church lounge 1970, on
sale of Griffith Davies and Jubilee (1929) halls,
and crypt remodelled for recreation 1973, on sale
of Peal and Summerhayes memorial hall, built
1904. Northfield mission hall, at corner of
Northfield Ave. and Dudley Gdns., opened
1901 (fn. 92) and used as Sunday sch. 1977. Attendance
1903: 79 p.m.
ST. LUKE, at corner of Lynton Ave. and
Courtfield Gdns., Drayton Green. Mission
church of St. Stephen's from 1901. Attendance
1903: 159 a.m.; 86 p.m. Iron church was sold
1952 and became Ealing Liberal synagogue. (fn. 93)
ST. MATTHEW, (fn. 94) North Common Rd.,
Ealing common. Dist. assigned from St. Mary's
and Christ Church 1885. (fn. 95) Patron bp. of London.
One asst. curate 1907, none in 1926. Attendance
1903: 638 a.m.; 253 p.m. Iron church in Grange
Pk. used from 1872. Brown and red brick bldg. in
early Gothic style by Alfred Jowers, on site given
by Edward Wood, seating 935, (fn. 96) built 1883-4,
not oriented: apsidal chancel, apsidal NW. organ
chamber and vestries and NE. chapel, aisled and
clerestoried nave, base of unfinished SW. tower,
W. porches. Shared with Polish Roman Catholics
1978. (fn. 97)
ST. PAUL, Northcroft Rd., Northfields.
Dist. assigned from St. John's 1907. Patron bp.
of London. One asst. curate 1947. Yellow brick
bldg. with stone dressings in late Gothic style
1906-7 by F. Hall-Jones and E. S. Cummings:
chancel, N. vestries and organ chamber, apsidal
S. chapel, aisled nave, S. porches, N. porch.
Seating reduced from 850 to 650 by 1978. (fn. 98)
ST. PETER, (fn. 99) Mount Park Rd. Mission
church of Christ Church from 1882 and dedicated to St. Andrew until 1889. Dist. assigned
1894. (fn. 1) Patron V. of Christ Church, then bp. of
London. One asst. curate 1896, two in 1955-6,
one in 1973-4. Attendance 1903: 584 a.m.; 283
p.m. Iron church, seating 1,044 in 1898, on land
given by John Clark Record, used 1882-93.
Yellow brick and Box stone bldg. in a Decorated
style, designed by J. D. Sedding 1889 and built
by H. Wilson 1892-3: chancel, N. organ chamber
over vestries, S. chapel, aisled nave with triforium and gallery, W. baptistery and entrance
under large window; roof turrets, linked by
depressed arches, repeat arcades within. E. end
of chancel, with tower and spire, not built.
Seating reduced to 540 by 1978. High Church
1978.
ST. SAVIOUR, (fn. 2) the Grove. Mission church
of Christ Church from 1881 until dist. assigned
1916. Patron bp. of London. Three asst. curates
1947, none in 1955-6. Attendance 1903: 1,397
a.m.; 1,131 p.m. Anglo-Catholic tradition under
A. C. Buckell, curate and V. 1897-1936. Brick
bldg. with stone dressings (fn. 3) begun 1897 by G. H.
Fellowes Prynne: chancel, aisled nave, baptistery.
Bombed 1940, services thereafter held in parish
hall called Little St. Saviour's until union with
Christ Church 1951. Crenellated gateway and
clergy ho. by Fellowes Prynne 1909. (fn. 4)
ST. STEPHEN, (fn. 5) Castle Hill. Dist. assigned
1876 from Christ Church. (fn. 6) Patron bp. of London,
from c. 1940 chapter of St. Paul's. One asst.
curate 1896, three in 1907, two in 1926 and
1973-4, none in 1977-9. Attendance 1903: 570
a.m.; 303 p.m. Iron church 1867-76. Bldg. of
ragstone, with ashlar dressings, in Decorated
style, eventually seating 686: chancel, nave, and
N. aisle 1875-6 by J. Ashdown; S. aisle, S.
transeptal chapel, and S. organ chamber completed 1880 by A. Rovedino; NW. tower and
spire 1888-91 by Sir Arthur Blomfield. Church
repaired 1951, 1953, and modernized 1966 but
unsafe 1978 and closed by 1979, when hall was
used for worship. (fn. 7)