THE CHURCHES OF KENSINGTON:
INCLUDING SOUTH KENSINGTON, BROMPTON, AND NOTTING-HILL.
KENSINGTON PARISH CHURCH
At the moment of our writing, St. Mary Abbotts, Kensington, is, in a literal sense, without a parish church. The old one has passed away, and the new one is in course of erection. There is, however, the church, with its long, chequered, and interesting history and associations of the past, and, we trust, its equally interesting and still more glorious future. The Venerable Archdeacon Sinclair, the present vicar, his churchwardens and friends must feel themselves the subjects of peculiar and pleasurable feelings as being the chief actors in the great change now coming over the site lately occupied by the old church, and thus placing themselves on a line with a long and eventful history. We must go back far into the middle ages for the origin of the parish church of Kensington, and to the days of dark Papal rule in the land. In the time of Henry I. we read of this church being bequeathed, on his deathbed, by Godfrey de Vere, Lord of the Manor, to the Monastery of Abingdon. It was, however, shortly after claimed by and restored to the Diocese of London, in which it has ever since remained. This was in the thirteenth century. The first endowment of the Vicarage was in 1260, and from time to time it received consideration from various monarchs. In 1520 Queen Mary accorded to it a portion of the 7,000l. granted by Henry VIII. in augmentation of the living of incumbents and scholars in England. The history of the old Saxon church is bound up with that of the manor, which was bestowed, inclusive of the rectory, upon various noblemen by royal grants under several reigns. The collation of the vicarage has belonged to the Bishops of London, pleno jure, about 390 years. While the Reformation was yet struggling against Papal tyranny, as though we were to have a forecast of the Evangelical type and freedom which have marked this church in after times, it possessed a martyr. Not one, indeed, led, as far as we know, to the stake, but cruelly driven from his position and living, and possibly to temporal ruin. In 1527 Sebastian Harris, the curate, was proceeded against for having in his possession a translation of the New Testament and a book entitled Unio Dissidentium, containing the doctrines of Luther. He was, for this criminal offence, cited to appear before the Vicar-General in the long chapel, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and required there to make oath that he would not retain these books in possession any longer, nor sell them, nor lend them, nor make any acquaintance with any person suspected of heresy, and finally adjudged to quit London within twenty-four hours, and not to come within four miles of it for two years!
The late church began to supersede the first in 1683. The population even then was said to increase, and the inhabitants, to provide for the increase, built a new aisle on the south side. In the beginning of 1695 the north aisle and chancel were supplanted by others of larger dimensions; and in 1696 it was resolved to take down and rebuild the whole church, excepting the tower at the west end. The cost of this was met by subscription. King William gave 300l.; the Princess Anne 100l.; Earl Craven 100l.; the Bishop of London 50l.; and the Earl of Warwick 40l.; the entire expense amounting to no more than 1,800l. Bowack, who visited the church in 1705, thus describes the rebuilt church in his “Antiquities of Middlesex”: “In form quadrangular, somewhat broader than long, 80 feet from north to south, and hardly 70 from east to west. Paved handsomely with Purbeck stone. The pewing and galleries very neat and convenient. The pulpit and chancel handsomely adorned with carving and painting.” It might be added that the pulpit and desk were the gifts of King William the Third and Queen Mary, in addition to their contributions to the building fund. The pulpit has a crown inlaid with the initials, “W. & M. R.,” and the date, “1697.”
In 1704, the defects of the recent work evincing itself so clearly by the cracking of the building, it was found necessary to take off the old roof, pull down the north and south walls, and rebuild them; which was done at a further outlay of 1,800l.
Again in 1772 the church underwent a thorough repair, and the old Gothic tower was taken down and the later one erected.
Once more in the year 1811 the church showed signs of decay, and it was necessary to underpin the walls, rebuild the vaults, and entirely renovate and adorn the interior. This was done at an expense of 5,000l., which was met by a church-rate of sixpence in the pound, spreading over three years. This church, now spoken of as the “old church,” was a plain brick structure, with no pretensions to architectural display. The interior was composed of nave, chancel, and two aisles, separated by wooden pillars supporting the galleries. It was spanned from the entablature of six wooden columns over the nave, and three large brass chandeliers wore suspended from the ceiling. There was the royal pew curtained round in ancient style, which long continued to be used by high personages from the Palace. Here the Duke and Duchess of Kent and the late Duke of Cambridge worshipped; and from this very pew the Duchess returned thanks after the birth of our present gracious and beloved Queen Victoria. The brows of other distinguished persons have been seen within the old walls. Sir Isaac Newton, Addison (after his marriage with the Countess of Warwick, of Holland House), Lady Margaret Macdonald, “Lady of the Isles,” Wilberforce, George Canning, Sir David Wilkie, Lord Macaulay, Thackeray, &c.—all of whom were residents in Kensington, were attendants at the parish church. Such were the minor glories of the former house.
In 1866 it was seen that its fate was sealed. Competent architects pronounced that it would not be safe to use it for public worship more than two or three years beyond. The closing services were held on Whit-Sunday, May 16, 1869, when sermons were preached by the Bishop of London in the morning and by the Vicar in the evening. The church was crowded—said, indeed, to be “packed to the ceiling.” Collections made on the occasion towards the new building fund amounted to 265l. The church contained no less than 114 monuments and tablets, among which one in white marble was most conspicuous, dated 1759, in memory of the Earl of Warwick, the Countess, and their daughter, Lady Charlotte Rich. The Earl is represented sitting, resting his arm on an urn and clothed in a Roman habit. All the monuments were carefully removed before the church was pulled down, and some, it is expected, will be reinstalled in the new edifice.