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Useful information

Patron

The Bishop

Episcopal Area

Croydon Episcopal Area

Deanery

Croydon Addington Deanery

Archdeaconry

Croydon Archdeaconry

Details of the Church

Built

1954

Architect

C W Fowler

Listing

NL

The development of West Wickham between the two World Wars necessitated the formation of two new parishes – St Mary of Nazareth and St Francis of Assisi. The parish of St Mary’s began as a conventional district in 1933, made up of parts of three neighbouring parishes. A dual purpose church
hall was built in 1934 to the design of Martin Travers Twenty years later a church was built on to the church hall, with a vestibule in between with folding doors, enabling all three parts to be merged in one for special occasions, giving a total accommodation of 600. A chapel, dedicated to the Annunciation, and vestries built over the vestibule were dedicated in 1962.

The interior of the church is boat-shaped, with light-coloured bricks. The nave has a single span roof, lancet windows and oak pews and furniture. A memorial window lists the names of fourteen parishioners  who died in the Second World War. The chapel has plain white walls, a blue altar frontal and a gold dossal behind the altar. Also in the chapel are two old side panels from the original sanctuary, carved in blue and gold.

A new organ was installed in 1977.

The vicarage, adjacent to the church, was opened and blessed in 1936. The buildings thus form an homogenous whole.

The South London Church Fund and Southwark Diocese Board of Finance is a company limited by guarantee (No. 236594).
Registered Office: Trinity House, 4 Chapel Court, Borough High Street, London SE1 1HW. Registered Charity: (No. 249678).

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