CHURCHES.
At a date between 1103 and 1130 a
member of the Tony family gave Walthamstow
church with all its tithe to St. Peter of Châtillon by
Conches (Eure, France). (fn. 1) This gift in its full form
was not in fact perpetual for after the death of
Ralph de Tony c. 1126, but probably not before 1141,
his widow Alice gave the church with its tithes and a
little land to Holy Trinity priory, Aldgate. This was
done at the request of 'Orderic the priest', apparently
the rector, who had become a monk of Holy Trinity. (fn. 2)
When Alice's son Roger confirmed the gift c. 1147
he reserved 2/3 of the tithes from the manorial
demesne, to which Châtillon was still entitled. (fn. 3)
Châtillon leased its share of the tithes to Holy
Trinity in 1174 for a rent of 25s. (fn. 4) and sold that
share outright in 1243. (fn. 5) In 1206 Roger de Tony
still held the tithes of certain ancient meadows and
mills, of which the prior of Holy Trinity 'claimed
nothing as yet', (fn. 6) but when a vicarage was ordained
about 1219 and a vicar instituted on the presentation of Holy Trinity the great tithes were confirmed
to the priory. (fn. 7) The right to the advowson was disputed later in the 13th century. In 1254 the patron
was said to be the heir of Ralph de Tony (d. 1239) (fn. 8)
but in 1264 the priory. (fn. 9) In 1285 the priory purchased the Tony claim for 7 marks. (fn. 10) It retained
both rectory and advowson until its dissolution in
1532. (fn. 11) In 1544 the Crown granted both to Paul
Withypoll (d. 1547) and his son Edmund (d. 1582) (fn. 12)
and they descended in that family until 1600 when
Sir Edmund Withypoll (d. 1619), Paul's great-grandson, sold them to (Sir) Reginald Argall (d.
1611). (fn. 13) After Reginald's death his widow held them
in dower (fn. 14) until her own death in 1638, when the
impropriate estate was dismembered. (fn. 15)
Sir Reginald Argall's heir was his brother John
of Great Baddow. (fn. 16) In 1617 John (d. 1643) sold the
reversion expectant of the advowson to Dr. Henry
King, archdeacon of Colchester, later bishop of
Chichester. (fn. 17) King's right to the patronage was
challenged after Lady Argall's death by her son by a
former marriage, William Rowe. (fn. 18) It was still in
dispute in 1650 (fn. 19) and the Argall family appear to
have contested it in the late 1650s. (fn. 20) John Millington presented in 1657, by what right is not known, (fn. 21)
but King had won his case by 1660, when he presented. (fn. 22)
Elizabeth and Mary, daughters and coheirs of
King's son Henry, married Isaac Houblon and
Edmund Wyndham respectively; in 1689 the
Houblons and Mary Wyndham, widow, presented, (fn. 23)
then sold the advowson in the same year to John
Conyers (d. 1724). (fn. 24) It remained in the Conyers
family (fn. 25) until 1821 when it was sold to William
Wilson (vicar 1822–48), (fn. 26) passing to his second son,
Alfred W. Wilson (vicar 1848–50) about 1850, when
he presented Thomas Parry (1850–92). (fn. 27) By 1856 it
was in the hands of Edward Warner (fn. 28) who held it
until 1878 when it was transferred to the Simeon
Trustees, who still hold it. (fn. 29)
The church land and great tithes of Walthamstow
formed the rectory manor, the descent of which is
treated elsewhere. (fn. 30) The tithes of Higham also
belonged from 1147 to Holy Trinity, (fn. 31) and were
probably those given to Walthamstow church at its
consecration by Ralph Round (fl. 1130). (fn. 32) The value
of the rectory during the Middle Ages was said to
be 40s. in 1254, (fn. 33) a figure which seems improbably
low. It was £16 13s. 4d. in 1291, (fn. 34) and £10 in
1515. (fn. 35)
At its ordination the vicarage was endowed with
the small tithes and the altar dues, subject to a
quit-rent to Holy Trinity. (fn. 36) In 1254 it was valued at
100s. (fn. 37) and in 1535 at £13 6s. 8d. (fn. 38) By 1526 the
vicars held as glebe, copyhold of the rectory manor,
an acre of meadow in Out mead, called Longgrass
acre, and two crofts (5 a.), one called Wastells,
near the vicarage. Gabriel Grant (vicar 1612–38),
who resented the impropriation, described them in
1615 as a 'poor handful of fields' and tried unsuccessfully to establish that they were freehold. (fn. 39) From
about 1626 Lady Argall was paying him an allowance
of £20 a year. (fn. 40) In 1649 an augmentation of £40 a
year was ordered from the tithes sequestered from
Thomas Argall, but there is no evidence that it
ever was paid. (fn. 41) In 1650 the vicarage was worth
£40, comprising small tithes (£32) and 5 a. of
glebe (£8). (fn. 42) The vicar's income was increased in
the 18th century by bequests under the wills of
Henry Maynard (d. 1686) and Elizabeth Cooper
(d. 1708). (fn. 43) In 1796 they produced £34 8s. 10d. and
£6 6s. respectively. (fn. 44) Four more acres of glebe, called
Wildgods, had been bought with the Cooper bequest. (fn. 45) In the mid 18th century the vicarage was
assessed at £150. (fn. 46) Its gross annual income in 1831
was £811. (fn. 47) The small tithes were commuted in
1843 for £601 and the vicar had in addition 11½ a. of
glebe. (fn. 48) The glebe was enfranchised in 1912 and the
greater part of the two crofts near the vicarage sold
to Essex county council, which built the girls high
school there. Wildgods was sold about the same time,
and by 1928 the Longgrass acre also. (fn. 49)
The chancel belonged to the rector in the Middle
Ages, (fn. 50) but from the early 17th century it was apparently claimed by the vicars. In 1615 Grant insisted that Lady Argall's pew in 'my chancel', built
in 1611 with his predecessor's approval, was occupied by favour of the vicar and not of right, and that
his consent was required before her son, William
Rowe, could build another. In 1628 Grant signed a
letter authorizing Rowe's pew, and the letter was
endorsed by four of Grant's successors. (fn. 51) The
rector's rights were reasserted in 1669, when the
Coopers began to lease pews in the chancel and
charge for burial in it. (fn. 52) Edmund Chishull (vicar
1708–33) revived the vicar's claim, perhaps as a
source of additional income, and apparently won
its recognition in 1724. In 1730, however, the new
rector reasserted his rights and was finally confirmed
in them by decision of the diocesan chancellor in
1734. (fn. 53) The parish had not acquired the chancel
by 1818 but had done so by 1917. (fn. 54)
A vicarage house existed in 1487. (fn. 55) It was in
poor condition in 1565. (fn. 56) About 1620 it was described, perhaps on information supplied by the
aggrieved Gabriel Grant, as 'an old, rotten house …
in times past an alehouse', with 5 or 6 chambers,
kitchen, milkhouse, and buttery, and 6 a. of barren
ground adjoining; the vicar himself had built a
cowhouse, stable, and hayhouse at his own cost,
worth more than all the rest. (fn. 57) Although orders
were given by the sequestrators in 1643 for the
house to be repaired, in 1650 it was reported partly
pulled down and unfit for habitation. (fn. 58) In 1683,
however, it was in good repair, (fn. 59) and was said in
1690 to have been pulled down and rebuilt by public
subscription several times in the last 60 years. (fn. 60) It
was blown down in the great storm of 1703, half
rebuilt in 1704 as a house of '4 small rooms on a
floor', and later completed. (fn. 61) A drawing dated 1790
shows a substantial house, the centre block having 2
storeys of 5 bays, with a porch, 3 dormer-windows
in the roof, and small wings on either side. (fn. 62) The
vicarage was very much out of repair by 1803, but
was rebuilt by 1810. (fn. 63) A new one was built in 1903
on the same site, north-west of the church. (fn. 64)
George Monoux (d. 1544) endowed a chantry in
Walthamstow church by his will dated 1541. The
alms-priest, in addition to his prayers, was to sing in
the choir and to teach. At its suppression in 1548
the chantry was valued at £6 13s. 4d. (fn. 65) Seven lights
were maintained in the church before the Reformation; between 1426 and 1537 some 140 bequests
were made for their upkeep by 52 testators, the
most popular being Our Lady light. The others
were the Rood or Holy Cross light, and the Trinity,
St. Katherine, Hocking, Sepulchre, and Plough
lights. (fn. 66)
From the late 16th to the early 18th centuries
parish life suffered as a result of a succession of disputes and unsatisfactory appointments to the living.
Henry Siddall (1557–63), previously deprived of
Woodford for marriage, (fn. 67) was collated to Walthamstow by the bishop by lapse. He complained that he
could not serve the cure properly because he had
been forcibly evicted from the vicarage house and
glebe lands by the patron who did not recognize him
as vicar. (fn. 68) Siddall's successor, Richard Pattenson
(1563–5), prosecuted several of his parishioners in
1563 for withholding tithes (fn. 69) and appears later to
have abandoned the living. (fn. 70) John Reynolds (1583–1611) was listed in 1604 among insufficient or
negligent ministers. (fn. 71) After his death the contentious
Gabriel Grant was at odds with his patron, as
described above, and in 1635 was charged with
adultery. (fn. 72) As a result of the dispute over the advowson after Grant's death in 1638, the living was for
many years void and supplied by curates. (fn. 73) The
income of the vicarage was sequestrated by the
bishop until 1644, when the House of Commons,
on the petition of the inhabitants, ordered that it be
paid to Richard Lee, an active covenanter who had
been officiating since 1643. (fn. 74) About 1649 the Committee for Plundered Ministers appointed John
Wood to supply the cure. (fn. 75) His unpopularity provoked a riotous demonstration in the church and
most of the inhabitants refused to attend his services.
In 1650 the parish was in 'great distraction' and
Wood's ability in question. (fn. 76) By 1651 he had been
replaced by John Pigot. (fn. 77) The admission to the
vicarage in 1658 of Thomas Cartwright, later bishop
of Chester, was apparently the first normal appointment of a vicar for twenty years. (fn. 78) But parish life
was again disrupted in 1669 when Andrew Casse
(1666–79), 'an unhappy and obnoxious person',
suddenly abandoned the parish one Sunday morning and never returned. For ten years the cure was
sequestrated, until eventually Casse resigned and
the bishop collated Isaac Wright (1679–89) by
lapse. (fn. 79) The chancel dispute, renewed during the
incumbency of Edmund Chishull, the antiquary,
brought fresh discord to the parish, culminating in a
brawl in 1730 when the rector with his servants
tried forcibly to occupy the patron's pew in the
chancel. (fn. 80)
In 1733 two services were being held on Sundays
and by the late 18th century three, with two sermons, and mid-week services as well. (fn. 81) Edmund
Chishull employed a curate, (fn. 82) as did Thomas Wetenhall (1759–76). (fn. 83) During the incumbency of Edward
Conyers (1779–1822), who was also vicar of Epping
and lived there, William Sparrow served as curate
for 39 years. (fn. 84) William Wilson (1822–48), who
established three chapels of ease between 1829 and
1842, was employing two curates in 1831 and four
by 1837. (fn. 85)
The church of ST. MARY, which bore that
dedication by c. 1147, (fn. 86) stands at the top of Church
Hill, between Church Hill Road and Church Lane,
at the heart of Church End or 'the village'. It comprises a nave of five bays, small chancel with low
vestries on each side, embattled west tower, north
and south aisles with chapels, and north and south
porches. The walls are partly of flint and stone and
partly of brick. The whole building is rendered in
mustard-coloured cement. The church was partly
rebuilt in the 16th century and extensively altered,
restored, and enlarged from the 18th century onwards. (fn. 87) When the external rendering was renewed
after the Second World War important details of the
earlier structure were exposed and recorded. (fn. 88) The
church has a fine group of monuments.
Although a church was in existence early in the
12th century, the oldest surviving work in the
present building appears to date from the 13th
century. (fn. 89) It consists of the remains of circular
piers and responds at the base of the three western-most bays of the nave arcades and suggests that the
Norman church was then either rebuilt or enlarged by the addition of aisles. (fn. 90) The walls of the
north aisle were originally of squared stone blocks
and faced flints. A tower built of Kentish ragstone
existed by 1431. (fn. 91) A round stone panel on the north-west buttress of the tower with a carved Agnus Dei
is probably of the 15th century. (fn. 92)
About 1535 the church was extensively restored
and altered, partly at the expense of George Monoux
(d. 1544) of Moons, and partly from a legacy from
Robert Thorne (d. 1532). Thorne, like Monoux, was
a London merchant who came originally from
Bristol. He had no known connexion with Walthamstow except family and business relationships with
the Withypoll family. By his will he left £1,000
to be spent at the discretion of his executors for the
good of his soul. The executors were Paul Withypoll,
whose brother Richard became vicar of Walthamstow
in 1534, and Emanuel Lucar, Paul's son-in-law.
The money, a huge sum in the 16th century, was
spent on rebuilding the south aisle and porch of
Walthamstow church, and an inscription recording
the fact, dated 1535, was placed in the east window
of the aisle. (fn. 93) The new aisle extended the length
of the nave and chancel, forming the Thorne chapel
at the east end. Both aisle and porch were built of
brick, on stone and flint foundations which may
have been partly those of the original structure. (fn. 94)
The aisle was flat-roofed, and the clerestory windows above it which are shown in later pictures
were probably inserted at this time. Above the
Thorne inscription in the east window were depicted the Four Evangelists, and in the other windows of the aisle the arms of the Merchant Taylors'
company, of which Thorne was a member, and of
the City of London, of which he was lord mayor. (fn. 95)
The extension of the south aisle eastwards of the
chancel arch did away with the original south door
to the chancel. It was replaced by a small stone
doorway in the south wall of the Thorne chapel,
which was bricked up in 1720, (fn. 96) and revealed when
the external rendering was renewed in 1960.
The upper parts of the north aisle and tower were
rebuilt in red brick about the same time as the south
aisle was reconstructed, the medieval masonry
being retained to about 14 feet above ground level
in the north aisle, and about 20 feet in the outer
walls of the tower. The tower arch was almost
entirely rebuilt in brick, but the stone bases of its
jambs, apparently dating from the 15th century,
survive. (fn. 97) An inscription recorded that George
Monoux paid for the aisle and his arms were depicted in the windows. (fn. 98) At the same time he built a
chapel at the east end of the north aisle, divided
from the chancel by an arch. The roof of the chapel,
in which there was a loft, (fn. 99) was higher than that of
the aisle, and gabled. No evidence was found in the
1960s of any earlier building on the chapel site.
The ownership of the seats in the restored north
aisle was apparently granted by the parish to
Monoux and his heirs. By 1635 the repair of the
north aisle and chapel was regarded as the responsibility of the Monoux trustees, although the
right to the pews had in fact been several times
conveyed as appurtenant to the property of
Moons. (fn. 100)
The restoration of the tower is also usually attributed to Monoux. (fn. 101) Since bequests for rebuilding
were made in 1517–19, (fn. 102) it is possible that its rebuilding was begun before that of the north aisle,
with Monoux perhaps contributing most towards
completion of the work.
In the 17th century, through the negligence of the
Monoux trustees, the Monoux chapel and north
aisle were often in disrepair. (fn. 103) A great deal of restoration was carried out in the 18th century. In 1748
the vestry decided to repair the battlements, walls,
and gutter, of the south side of the church, if necessary from one end of it to the other. The battlements of the whole church were repaired in 1752,
and in 1764 the church was closed while the roof,
gutters, and parapet were repaired. (fn. 104) In 1768 the
nave and north and south aisles had leaded roofs,
while the chancel and Monoux chapel roofs were
tiled. (fn. 105) Alterations in the 18th century included the
erection of a cupola on the tower about 1715, by
the bequest of Susan Samms, (fn. 106) and the blocking
up, probably before 1719, of the east window of the
Thorne chapel. (fn. 107) In 1784 unspecified work costing
£1,250 was carried out at the church by (Sir) John
Soane. (fn. 108) It was probably in the chancel, as Soane
was already employed by the rector, William Cooke,
on the alterations to the rectory house already described.
Throughout the 18th century the need grew for
more seating in the church. In 1710–11 a west
gallery was built, (fn. 109) and in 1774 a gallery over the
south aisle, designed by Joel Johnson (fn. 110) and lit by
skylights in the flat roof. (fn. 111) The part of the Monoux
estate charged with the repair of the north aisle
and chapel had been in the ownership of the Marshall
family since before 1710, (fn. 112) and in 1782, by agreement with the Revd. Edmund Marshall and Joshua
Marshall, the parish assumed responsibility for the
north aisle and chapel as well as the Monoux school
and alms-houses. (fn. 113) A gallery over the north aisle
was built in 1806–7 and the south gallery altered to
correspond with it. The clerestory windows were
removed, the aisles were heightened, and three
small windows were inserted below their new embattled parapets to light the galleries. (fn. 114) The work
was carried out by William Pocock. (fn. 115) By 1813 the
exterior of the south aisle was rendered. (fn. 116)
In 1817–18 the church was restored and enlarged to the design of Charles Bacon (d. 1818). (fn. 117)
The alterations were structurally of yellow brick.
The chancel, already occupied since the 17th century by a number of pews, was heightened to unite
its 2 bays with the 3 bays of the nave, leaving only
a small sanctuary, in which the previous large
pointed east window of five lights with tracery
was replaced by a wheel window. The pulpit was
moved into the centre of the chancel. The Monoux
and Thorne chapels were raised higher than the
aisles, and the north and south galleries continued
to the east end of the church. Two tall lancet
windows on each side replaced the original north
and south chapel windows, and the present trefoil
windows were inserted in their east walls. As Bacon
mentions 'rough cast Derby lime' he probably continued the process of rendering the exterior to give it
a uniform appearance.
In 1830 a small vestry was built on at the east
end. (fn. 118) The cupola was taken down in 1836. (fn. 119) A
north porch existed by 1843, (fn. 120) built some time after
1799. (fn. 121) In 1843 the three original bays of the nave
arcades were raised with the aisles to the same height
as the two chapel bays. Two of the medieval circular
piers supporting the arcades were heightened in an
octagonal form, while two others were apparently
rebuilt. The earlier aisle windows were replaced by
uniform lancet windows. (fn. 122) In 1876 the interior of the
church was made more open; the box-pews were
removed, and the gallery fronts were set back. At
the same time the low plaster ceiling was replaced by
a high wooden one. A few years later stone mullions
and new glass were inserted in the lancet windows. (fn. 123)
A chancel extension was built in 1938, flanked by
2 vestries; a five-light lancet window replaced the
wheel window in the east wall. (fn. 124) The north side of
the tower parapet and the south aisle were damaged
by bombing in 1940 and during restoration in 1942
the south gallery was removed. The church was
extensively restored between 1949 and 1968. (fn. 125)
The church had at least one bell in 1431. Richard
Blakgrave in 1525 left a share of his goods to buy a
bell. (fn. 126) In 1552 there were 5 bells, and a hand bell
which was sold. (fn. 127) The largest bell was recast in 1727
by John Waylett. (fn. 128) There were 6 bells in 1768,
which were replaced in 1778 by a complete new
peal of eight bells cast by Thomas Pack and William
Chapman. (fn. 129) In 1852 the tenor bell was replaced by
one cast by C. & G. Mears. (fn. 130) The old bell-frame
was replaced in 1896, the eight bells were rehung,
no. 3 being recast, and two treble bells were added,
all by John Warner and Sons. (fn. 131) There were 10 bells
in 1969. (fn. 132)
The church had one silver-gilt communion cup
in 1552. (fn. 133) In 1674 all the silver plate, comprising
2 flagons, 2 cups with covers, and a basin, was stolen
and apparently never recovered. (fn. 134) This incident
probably gave rise to the later tradition that Dick
Turpin took the Walthamstow church plate and held
it to ransom. (fn. 135) The lost plate was replaced by a cup
and paten of 1680, (fn. 136) a cup and paten of 1685–6, and
two flagons and two alms-dishes of 1685. (fn. 137) The
church also has alms-dishes dated 1843 and 1906,
a cup of 1904, and a paten of 1901. (fn. 138)
There is a stoup on the north wall of the south
porch. (fn. 139) The white veined marble font, a fluted
bowl on a baluster stem, was given in 1714. (fn. 140) The
Royal Arms, of carved and painted wood, dates
from 1742. The beadle's staff is dated 1779 (fn. 141) and
the clock 1807. (fn. 142)
The inscriptions on 100 memorials in the church
were recorded in 1910. (fn. 143) Other memorials, no
longer extant, were recorded by Strype in 1720,
and Daniel Lysons in 1796, including a brass to
William Hyll (1487), vicar, (fn. 144) which had gone by
1756. In the north aisle is a marble monument to
Lady Lucy Stanley (d. 1601), (fn. 145) whose effigy kneels
under an arch before a prayer desk with four smaller
kneeling figures representing her daughters. On the
floor is a mutilated brass of Thomas Hale and his
wife (1588), both figures being palimpsest, with
parts of figures, c. 1450, on the reverse. Among a
number of memorials to members of the Bonnell
family, including Sarah (d. 1766), founder of the
charity school at West Ham, (fn. 146) is the monument at
the east end of the Monoux chapel to the family
of Captain John Bonnell (d. 1703). It comprises a
stone sarcophagus and a large inscribed banner and
achievement which once surmounted it but is now
displayed apart. Also in the Monoux chapel are
brass inscriptions to the vicar Henry Crane (1436)
and William Rowe (1596), and on the north arcade
are inlaid the kneeling brass figures of George
Monoux (d. 1544) and his wife Anne, all that
remains of the tomb originally built under the arch
dividing the Monoux chapel from the chancel. (fn. 147)
On the north wall of the chancel is a fine monument
designed by Nicholas Stone and erected by Sir
Thomas Merry of Winns (later Water House) to
his wife Mary (d. 1632), with demi-figures of them
both in oval niches and busts of their four children
in relief below. On the south wall of the chancel is
the monument to Henry Maynard (1686), one of
Walthamstow's greatest benefactors, (fn. 148) whose family
owned the manor of Walthamstow Tony. It is
an inscribed marble tablet surmounted by urns and
attended by cherubs. At the west end of the south
aisle is the tomb of Sigismund Trafford (d. 1723),
who was born in 1643 in Capworth Street in the
Walthamstow Slip. (fn. 149) It was erected between 1689
and 1719 (fn. 150) with life-size figures of Trafford and his
wife Susannah (d. 1689) in Roman dress with a
child between them. A tablet to William Raikes
(d. 1824) is by Sir Richard Westmacott and one to
Elizabeth Morley (d. 1837) is by W. G. Nicholl.
An early chapel at Higham gave its name to
Chapel End. (fn. 151) In 1441–2 Sir William Tyrwhitt
founded a chantry of one chaplain in a chapel of
St. Edward lately built by him at Higham; he
granted to the chaplain the chapel, a house, and 4 a.
of land at Higham. (fn. 152) Various sites near Chapel End
have been suggested for the chapel. (fn. 153) The most likely
may be the holding on the south-west corner of the
Chapel End cross-roads, which comprised in 1817
and 1822 a small house and garden, and a 4-acre
meadow called Chapel field. (fn. 154) Although the chapel's
builder was later, if not at the time, lord of the
manor of Salisbury Hall, the chapel was regarded as
belonging to the lord of the manor of Higham. (fn. 155) It
was described in 1519 as a free chapel. (fn. 156) Nothing
more is known of the chantry. The chapel is not
mentioned after 1563 until 1648 when the sequestrators granted £50 for the minister of the chapel in
the hamlet of Higham, two miles from the parish
church. This may have been an attempt to restore
it, for in 1650 the chapel was reported in ruin and
the Higham court leet vainly suggested that it be
rebuilt since the neighbourhood was so far from the
parish church. (fn. 157)
The private chapels or oratories of the Rowe
family in the manor-house of Higham and of George
Monoux in his house, Moons, near Chapel End,
are described elsewhere. (fn. 158)
Apart from the early chapel at Higham, St. Mary's
parish church was the only Anglican place of worship
until 1829. In that year a chapel of ease, St. John's,
was built at Chapel End on the initiative of the
vicar, William Wilson, who later established two
more chapels of ease, St. Peter's-in-the-Forest
(1840), and St. James's (1842) at the lower end of
Marsh Street. In 1844 parishes were formed for all
three chapels of ease. After 1870 more churches
were built to serve the rapidly increasing population, and by 1903 there were 12 churches and 7
missions in Walthamstow. But although in 1903 St.
Mary's was the best attended church in Walthamstow of any denomination, the proportion of Anglicans among total church attendances was only some
40 per cent. (fn. 159) One more church and another mission
church were founded before the First World War.
In the 1930s the numbers of regular church-goers
decreased. Two mission churches closed at the outbreak of the Second World War and during the war
two churches were destroyed by bombing. In 1970
11 churches and 1 chapel remained.
The following accounts of individual churches
and missions are arranged under parishes, listed in
order of their formation. Where it is stated that the
advowson was vested in the bishop, this means the
bishop of the diocese which then or later included
Walthamstow. (fn. 160)
St. Mary's conducted several missions which did
not become independent churches. In 1894 St.
Mary's clergy were holding evening services in the
Victoria hall, Hoe Street, which had been registered
in the previous year. (fn. 161)
CHRIST CHURCH mission,
Shrubland Road, probably originated about 1895
as St. Mary's mission on Hoe Street bridge. In
1904 the mission moved to Shrubland Road where
an iron building acquired from the Post Office
was put up and altered by the addition of a chancel
and vestry. (fn. 162) The mission closed about 1939 and
was later demolished. In 1910 a mission was opened
in the Pioneer café, Hoe Street, with evening services for the residents of High Street. Before 1889
a mission cottage was built in Vestry Road by Alfred
Janson as a centre for the social work of his two
sisters. (fn. 163)
The church of ST. JOHN, Chingford Road, was
built in 1829–30 as a chapel of ease to St. Mary's.
A separate parish was formed in 1844, the advowson
of the vicarage being vested in the vicar of St.
Mary's. In 1923 the original church, which had for
some years been structurally weak, was demolished.
A new one on the same site, designed in a Gothic
style by H. P. Burke Downing and built of brown
brick with stone dressings, was consecrated in
1924. Because of lack of funds only three bays of
the nave were built at that time. A fourth bay and a
permanent west wall were added in 1961. Parts of
St. John's parish were transferred to those of St.
Luke (1903), St. Andrew (1911), All Saints (1912),
and St. Edmund, South Chingford (1922).
The church of ST. PETER, Woodford New
Road, commonly called 'St. Peter's-in-the-Forest',
was built in 1840 as a chapel of ease to St. Mary's
to the design of John Shaw (1803–70). It was a
small square building of yellow brick in a Romanesque style with an eastern apse and south-west
tower. A separate parish was formed in 1844. The
advowson of the vicarage, originally vested in the
vicar of St. Mary's, was transferred in 1859 to
Edward Warner who had given £1,000 for a vicarage
house, and it has continued in the Warner family. (fn. 164)
In 1887 the church was extended westwards so that
the tower stood at the centre of the south side; the
east end was reorganized as a chancel. The interior
was renovated in 1936–7 by Martin Travers. In
1945 the church was badly damaged by a rocket
bomb. Repairs and alterations completed in 1951
included a further western extension containing
vestries and entrance lobby. The sanctuary, chancel,
and west windows were altered in 1958. The
cemetery, consecrated in 1845, is the only one
attached to a modern Anglican church in Walthamstow. Parts of the parish of St. Peter have been
transferred to All Saints, Woodford Wells (1875),
All Saints, Highams Park (1912), and St. Anne,
Chingford Hatch (1956).
The church of ST. JAMES, St. James Street,
was built in 1842 on a site given by the vicar of St.
Mary's and S. R. Bosanquet. A separate parish was
formed in 1844. The advowson of the vicarage was
transferred in 1873 by the vicar of St. Mary's to
the bishop. In 1875 St. Saviour's became the parish
church of St. James's parish with St. James's as its
chapel of ease. From 1882 to 1885, while the new
church of St. Michael and All Angels was being
built, St. James's was the centre of work for a mission district. (fn. 165) The church was demolished and
rebuilt in 1902–3. The new building, designed by
J. E. K. and J. P. Cutts, contained the altar, east
window, and many of the bricks from the old church.
It was dedicated to ST. JAMES THE GREATER.
The parish of St. James the Greater, formed in
1904, was taken out of the old parish of St. James
(alias St. Saviour). In 1941 its vicar became responsible for the parish of St. Oswald after that
church had been bombed. Part of St. Oswald's
parish was united with St. James the Greater in
1949. In 1957 St. James the Greater was placed
temporarily under the vicar of St. Barnabas. It was
closed in 1960 and was later demolished. The parish
was merged in that of St. Barnabas in 1961. Some
furnishings from St. James the Greater went to a
mission church at Widford; others, including an
altar from the first church of St. James, were used
for a chapel of St. James in St. Barnabas' church.
The church of ST. ANDREW, St. Andrew's
Road, originated in 1871, when an iron mission
church was erected to serve this part of St. John's
parish. A brick hall was built in Higham Hill Road
in 1890. A conventional district was formed for St.
Andrew in 1908, which became a separate parish
in 1911 when a permanent church designed by
Hoare & Wheeler was built on the site of the old iron
one. The advowson of the vicarage was vested in the
vicar of St. Mary's. The church, a large aisled
building of dark brown brick with simple Gothic
windows, was left incomplete at the east end owing
to lack of funds. (fn. 166) It was badly damaged by bombs
in 1940 and 1944 and was closed in 1969, when a
new church was planned. Until completion of the
new church, services were transferred to the new
church hall in Church Road, (fn. 167) built in 1962, when
the original hall was sold to the borough council
and demolished to make way for redevelopment.
The church of ST. SAVIOUR, Markhouse
Road, which in 1875 became the parish church of
St. James's parish, was erected in 1874 from designs
by T. F. Dolman. (fn. 168) It is the only church left in
Walthamstow which dates from the great days of
the Gothic Revival. Built of stone in a correct 13th-century style, it consists of aisled nave, apsidal
chancel, and tall north-west tower with broachspire. The church and vicarage house and an
endowment of £100 a year were given by Richard
Foster and John Knowles. The mission hall of
ST. ALBAN, Ashford Road, was built in 1889 as a
mission of St. Saviour's. A mission room in Gosport
Road listed in 1903–5 may have been connected
with it. (fn. 169) St. Alban's closed in 1939. It was later
used as a factory until 1966, when it was bought
by Walthamstow borough council for demolition. (fn. 170)
The 'Navvy Mission', an iron building in Station
Road, was in use from 1896 to 1908. In 1945 the
church was badly damaged by fire. Repairs were
started three years later and the church was rededicated in 1950. Parts of the parish of St. James
were transferred to those of St. Barnabas (1901)
and St. James the Greater (1904). Since 1963 the
name of the parish has been changed to
St. Saviour. (fn. 171)
The church of ST. STEPHEN, Grove Road,
originated in 1874 when a temporary church was
built in Copeland Road on a site given by Alfred
Janson and Henry Ford Barclay to serve that part
of St. Mary's parish. (fn. 172) A conventional district was
assigned to St. Stephen in 1874, which became a
separate parish in 1881, formed partly from St.
Mary's, Walthamstow and partly from St. Mary's,
Leyton. The advowson of the vicarage was vested
in the Church Patronage Society. A permanent
church, designed by W. G. Habershon and adjoining the temporary one, was consecrated in 1878.
About 1891 a mission of St. Stephen's was opened
in Western Road in the hall previously occupied
by Miss Barclay's school (fn. 173) and the Forest mission. (fn. 174)
The hall, which was given to St. Stephen's by the
Barclays, was sold after the mission ceased during
the First World War. (fn. 175) Another mission in West
Street, known as St. Stephen's schools, was opened
between 1894 and 1898. (fn. 176) It was demolished in
1961. The church of St. Stephen was demolished
in 1969 because it was structurally weak. The church
hall, built in Copeland Road in 1880, was altered
for use as a church. (fn. 177) In 1969 the parish was placed
in the care of the vicar of St. Mary's. (fn. 178)
The church of ST. MICHAEL AND ALL
ANGELS, Palmerston Road, the largest in Walthamstow, was built in 1885, to the design of J. M.
Bignall, to serve the area of St. James's parish north
of the Great Eastern railway. The cost was met by
public subscription assisted by the bishop of St.
Albans' fund. The building, of brown and red
brick with stone dressings, is in the Early English
style, and has a very lofty nave and chancel with
lower side aisles. A separate parish was formed in
1887, the advowson being vested in the bishop. The
church of ST. PAUL, Courtenay Road, was built
in 1900 as a mission church of St. Michael's, on a
site given by T. Courtenay Warner. It was closed
in 1917, but reopened in 1919 as the centre of a
mission district. The church was damaged by bombing during the Second World War and completely
restored after the war. From 1954 the vicar of St.
Michael's exercised pastoral care. The church of
St. Paul was closed in 1964. (fn. 179)
The church of ALL SAINTS, Selwyn Avenue,
originated in 1898 when All Saints, Castle Avenue,
a red brick structure with stone dressings in the
Perpendicular style, was built as a mission of St.
Peter's. Elizabeth Ainslie (d. 1901) of Rolls in
Chingford contributed to the cost of the building,
and by her will gave £1,000, the income from which
was to be used towards the stipend of the mission
curate until a separate parish of All Saints should be
formed, and then to become part of the endowment
of the benefice. A conventional district was formed
for All Saints in 1907. A new parish, taken from
those of St. Peter and St. John, was formed in 1912,
the advowson of the vicarage being vested in the
bishop. In the same year a new and larger parish
church, designed by Hoare & Wheeler, was built
in Selwyn Avenue, where there had been an iron
mission room, known as St. Matthew's, since
1908. (fn. 180) The building, of brown brick with
Decorated windows, is incomplete at the east end.
The original church in Castle Avenue, subsequently
known as ALL-SAINTS-ON-THE-HILL, became a chapel of ease to the new church. Part of
All Saints parish was transferred in 1956 to that of
St. Anne, Chingford.
The church of ST. BARNABAS, St. Barnabas
Road, originated in 1900 when an iron mission
church was erected within the parish of St. Saviour.
A separate parish was formed in 1901, the advowson
of the vicarage being vested in the bishop. In 1903 a
permanent church was built at the expense of Richard
Foster, who also gave the sites for the church, church
hall, and vicarage house. (fn. 181) The church, of red brick
with stone dressings, was designed by W. D. Caröe
and has a small spired turret at the north-west angle
and late-Gothic windows. In 1961 the parish of
St. Barnabas was united with that of St. James the
Greater; St. Barnabas became the parish church.
After the demolition of St. James the Greater a
chapel of St. James was formed in the south aisle of
St. Barnabas.
The church of ST. GABRIEL, Havant Road,
originated in 1881 as a mission of St. Mary's.
Services were held in a shop in Wood Street and
in the grounds of a house in Forest Rise. After two
years the name of St. Gabriel was adopted. In 1884
a mission room was built on land given by Sir F. W. J.
FitzWygram, Bt. A permanent church, planned to
adjoin the mission room, was never built for lack
of funds. A separate parish of St. Gabriel was formed
in 1919, the advowson of the vicarage being vested
in the Simeon Trustees. The church of ST. MARK,
Shernhall Street, was founded in 1900 as a mission,
originally called St. Bride's, in the parish of St.
Mary. Services were held in a laundry in Raglan
Road until an iron building was erected in 1901.
A permanent church was built in 1908 to the design
of W.A. Lewis. In 1919 St. Mark was included in the
new parish of St. Gabriel. In 1937 a conventional
district was formed for St. Mark, but in 1940 this
was again merged in St. Gabriel's parish. St.
Mark's church was badly damaged by a land mine
in 1941 and finally wrecked by a flying bomb in
1944. One of the blocks of council flats built on the
site is named St. Mark's House.
The church of ST. LUKE, Greenleaf Road,
originated in 1900–1 as a mission of St. Mary's.
Services were conducted in Greenleaf Road board
school until a church room was built in 1901–2, and
later in 1902 a church, both to the design of Bottle
and Olley of Yarmouth. A separate parish was
formed in 1903, taken from St. Mary's and St.
John's parishes, the advowson of the vicarage being
vested in the Simeon Trustees. The church is of
brown and red brick with wood traceried windows
and a small south tower. In 1923 the chancel was
widened and new furnishings installed. (fn. 182)
The church of ST. OSWALD, York Road, was
originally a mission of St. Michael's. It was built
in 1909–10 to the design of Olley and Haward.
The site was partly the gift of Richard Foster, who
stipulated that the church was to be 'a nursery of
advanced catholic teaching'. The church was closed
in 1917 after a dispute with the bishop over ritualistic practices. (fn. 183) In December 1918, however, the
conventional district of St. Oswald was formed and
the church reopened a month later. A separate
parish of St. Oswald, taken from that of St. Michael,
was formed in 1924. St. Oswald's church was
destroyed by a bomb in 1940. The altar was placed
in the church of St. James, and, when that was
demolished, was sent to the mission at Hastingwood
in North Weald. In 1955 the parish of St. Oswald
was divided between those of St. Michael and All
Angels and St. James. The benefice was united with
that of St. James. The site of St. Oswald's was sold
in 1957 to the borough council, which built flats there.