St Lawrence Church, Morden
Encyclopedia
St Lawrence Church is the Church of England
parish church for Morden
in London Borough of Merton
. The building is located on London Road
, at the highest point of Morden, overlooking Morden Park
.
, a choir led service, followed by family contemporary worship
. The evening services differ from week to week with holy communion and prayer and praise.
The nearby Merton Abbey
was closed down by Henry VIII
as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
and the estate sold. Edward Whitchurch
and Lionel Dutchet bought it, but had to flee to Europe when Queen Mary
took over, and the estate went to the Garth family.
In the 1630s, the Garths were Puritans, and St Lawrence church was rebuilt in Protestant style — i.e. no places for images of saint
s, or reservation of bread and wine.
(now part of the Parish Hall Community) over the road is still used for educational purposes.
There are coats of arms along the ceiling are called hatchment
s and a large Queen Anne coat of Arms preserved on the south wall with the motto over it Fear God and Honour the Queen!, this is possibly in relation to the Anne's establishment of the Church Commissioners
, which paid Church of England clergy until recently.
The gallery at the back used to have a pipe organ in it, but was originally built for a Sunday School. In the tower are three bells, which can only be tolled, i.e. not swung right over due to restrictions placed by English Heritage
on renewing the frame.
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
parish church for Morden
Morden
Morden is a district in the London Borough of Merton. It is located approximately South-southwest of central London between Merton Park , Mitcham , Sutton and Worcester Park .- Origin of name :...
in London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Merton
The London Borough of Merton is a borough in southwest London, England.The borough was formed under the London Government Act in 1965 by the merger of the Municipal Borough of Mitcham, the Municipal Borough of Wimbledon and the Merton and Morden Urban District, all formerly within Surrey...
. The building is located on London Road
London Road
-England:There are countless London Roads in the UK. Only those significant outside their local area are listed here:* London Road, Brighton; for which a railway station is named* London Road, Guildford; for which a railway station is named...
, at the highest point of Morden, overlooking Morden Park
Morden Park
Morden Park is an area within the district of Morden in the London Borough of Merton, and includes the Park itself, an area of green space in an otherwise dense cluster of 1930s suburban housing....
.
Services
There are several services each Sunday, including book of common prayerBook of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
, a choir led service, followed by family contemporary worship
Contemporary worship
Contemporary worship is a form of Christian worship that emerged within Western evangelical Protestantism in the twentieth century. It was originally confined to the charismatic movement, but is now found to varying extents in a wide range of churches, including many that do not subscribe to a...
. The evening services differ from week to week with holy communion and prayer and praise.
History
The first church building here was possibly wooden as churches dedicated to St Lawrence were usually Saxon in origin.The nearby Merton Abbey
Merton Abbey
Merton Abbey may refer to:*Merton Priory, a former Augustinian priory in what is now southwest London, England*Merton Abbey, London, the residential area in southwest London on the site of the former priory...
was closed down by Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
as part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
and the estate sold. Edward Whitchurch
Edward Whitchurch
Edward Whitchurch , was an English publisher of Protestant works.Whitchurch published the first complete version of the Bible in English. Other published works included The 1547 A Treatise of Morall Phylosophie, contayning the Sayinges of the Wyse, authored by William Baldwin.-References:Attribution...
and Lionel Dutchet bought it, but had to flee to Europe when Queen Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
took over, and the estate went to the Garth family.
In the 1630s, the Garths were Puritans, and St Lawrence church was rebuilt in Protestant style — i.e. no places for images of saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
s, or reservation of bread and wine.
Interior
The Pulpit has a sounding-board over it for amplification and there is a monument opposite to Elizabeth Gardiner commemorates a benefactor to the first Morden school — the Old School HouseOld School House
The Old School House was a historic school in Tampa, Florida, United States. It is located on the University of Tampa campus. On December 4, 1974, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.-References and external links:* at * ** **...
(now part of the Parish Hall Community) over the road is still used for educational purposes.
There are coats of arms along the ceiling are called hatchment
Hatchment
A hatchment is a funeral demonstration of the lifetime "achievement" of the arms and any other honours displayed on a black lozenge-shaped frame which used to be suspended against the wall of a deceased person's house...
s and a large Queen Anne coat of Arms preserved on the south wall with the motto over it Fear God and Honour the Queen!, this is possibly in relation to the Anne's establishment of the Church Commissioners
Church Commissioners
The Church Commissioners is a body managing the historic property assets of the Church of England. It was set up in 1948 combining the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners formed in 1836...
, which paid Church of England clergy until recently.
The gallery at the back used to have a pipe organ in it, but was originally built for a Sunday School. In the tower are three bells, which can only be tolled, i.e. not swung right over due to restrictions placed by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
on renewing the frame.
Leadership and staff
- Rev. Ray Skinner — Rector. He has been at the parish since 1990, prior to this he was co-pastor in the Protestant Church in Oman for 3 years and before that served in parishes in the North East.
- Rev. Precious Omuku — Associate Vicar. Precious has recently been licensed as a non-stipendiary curate.
- David McCall — Reader at St Lawrence's. He plays an active role in church life and preaches regularly,
- Gary James — Parish warden for the Morden Team. He helps take care of the church property and financial aspects of church and parish
- Paul Howard — Church warden. Paul takes on the role of leading the duty warden's for Sunday worship.
- Pam Bullen — 'SPA' (Southwark Pastoral Auxiliary) — which means she is recognised by the diocese as exercising a pastoral ministry.
- Steve Harries — church administrator.
Parish Hall Community
Morden Parish Hall Community has been set up on the site of the Parish Hall in Central Road, Morden. The site has been used in the past as a School House and as clergy accommodation. It consists of three accommodation units: the Old School House, an eighteenth century cottage, and Hall Cottage, both attached to the Hall, and New Row, a purpose built building consisting of four bed/sitting rooms and two shower/ toilets, built behind the hall giving room for eight people to live on site.catalyst
catalyst is the over-arching name for the youth work organised in the Morden Parish.External links
- St Lawrence Church
- Catalyst Website - parish youth work website.