Parish of Wonersh with Blackheath

To know Christ & to make Him known

St Martin’s, Blackheath, Surrey

Unless the Lord builds the house its builders labour in vain.
BibleGateway.com -  Psalm 127;

This Church of England church has stood at the heart of the village for a little over 100 years and it seeks to serve and support the community of Blackheath through prayer and in practical ways.  Services take place each week on Sundays at times displayed on the notice board, when all are welcome. Our patron saint is St Martin of Tours.

 

The church was dedicated on 26 July 1893 by Bishop Thorold of Winchester.  The initiative to build a church to serve the growing community in Blackheath was taken by Sir William Roberts-Austin K.C.B. a former Deputy Master of the Royal Mint who was a resident of Blackheath and a Lay Reader in Wonersh.  It is named after St Martin’s Canterbury with which Sir William’s family had connections, and in the churchyard of which he was afterwards buried in 1902.  Before the building was complete, services were conducted fortnightly in the cottage that is now the vestry of the church and worshippers were summoned by the ringing of a large dinner bell by his servant.  

The original idea was to use the nave of the new church as a village hall on weekdays, however this was avoided when Mr Henry Prescott gave the funds to construct the present Village Hall.  He also gave the Church the Chancel Screen, the organ and securities as the endowment for the Curate–in-charge. 

A scheme was launched in 1928 uniting Blackheath with Chilworth, comprising portions of the parishes of Wonersh, Shalford and St Martha’s into a separate Church District. After a trial period it was decided to continue the scheme and in 1932 fundraising was started to establish an Endowment Fund to form a Parish.  This was achieved in 1937 and Consecration by the Bishop of Guildford took place in September of that year.   To see the list of Curates-in-charge and Vicars, select Vicars. 

St Martin’s has since 1998 formed part of the Parish of Wonersh with Blackheath and shares its’ Vicar and Ministry Team.    

Ours is a living church and we welcome your support.  We recently ran a very successful Appeal to raise funds make the church watertight, to clean and restore the murals, and to carry out various other improvements to St Martin’s.  It has raised with grants promised some £91,374, significantly exceeding our initial target of £75,000.
Work has started, so there is something to show for the money raised. The upper part of the external rendering to the North Apse has been replaced and the parapet above redesigned and recovered. The notth slope of the roof of the vestry and the passage has been relined and tiled with a new design of tile, and is keeping the rain out! The redundant chimney has been removed. On the bellcot the tiles have been removed and replaced, improving the appearance and performance. The bells ahave been maintained and can now chime.   Inside plans to redecorate, to deal with the damp in one area of the south wall, and to install new lighting, will be putinto effect this year. The DCC has accepted the proposal for the conservation work on the murals by Rickerby & Shekede. This plan of action is scheduled to start in 2011.

This beautiful little church was designed by the Art Nouveau architect  Charles Harrison Townsend and was a prime example of the work of the Arts and Crafts Movement.   It is said to have been modelled on an Italian wayside chapel, but it is admirably suited to its surroundings on an English heath.  It is in basilican form (oblong hall) instead of the traditional cruciform (cross shape).  The Arts and Crafts movement pursued sincerity and simplicity, avoiding lofty and grand design and employed local materials such as the candleholders and lectern, made from ironstone from the heath and smelted at the Royal Mint.

 

 The alabaster work lining the chancel walls and sanctuary arch is the work of Messrs John Daymond and Son of London.  It was for the most part a memorial to Sir William Roberts-Austin who lived in  Blackheath, and whose initiative it was to build a church to serve the growing community.  A wall tablet records:-

To the Glory of God
And in memory of
Sir William Roberts Austen KCB,FRS,DCL
To whose generous and devoted efforts
The erection of this church was largely done
His friends completed the decoration in 1904
Born March 3 1843 – Died Nov 22 1902

 There is a second wall tablet on the opposite side:-

To the Glory of God and in memory of
Henry Warner Prescott
Born January 15 1837
Died November 10 1926
For thirty years a humble worshiper in this church
I had rather be a door keeper in the house of my God
Than to dwell in the tents of ungodliness.
Psalm84 Verse 11 

The crucifix window in the pulpit recess of Christ on the Cross is by F Hamilton Jackson, and this and the copper pulpit desk are in memory of John Bell, the inventor of asbestos.  He lived at Lockner and worshipped in this church.

 The  Roll of Honour for Blackheath is on the north wall with a wooden enclosure outside the church which contains some additional information:- 

Roll of Honour Further details of those on the Roll of Honour may be found by searching the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.  All are also remembered on the Roll of Honour at St John the Baptist. The war dead are also commemorated on the war memorial situated up on the heath.

1914 – 1918 In Memoriam  Additional text outside church Frank Frederick Hayward  L Cpl 2nd Bt. The Queens 1914 Belgium Aged 21. The Queens (S Africa & Bermuda) Missing Nov 7th. 1916 at Ypres after retaking the trenches. “Cheer up there’s a rainbow in the sky” James Charles Mant Ld St RN HMS Invincible 1916 Jutland Aged 29. May 31st 1916.  Which sank at the battle of Jutland. “So long but not goodbye.” William Charles Callingham Pte 74th Canadian Regiment 1916 France Aged 32. “Died of wounds received in the trenches” Leonard George Edwards Pte 7th Bt The Queens 1916 France Aged 21.  Killed at Ferincourt July 15th.  “He in a short while fulfilled a long while” Frank Hardwicke Pte 1st Bt 29 th London Regiment 1917 France   Henry James Hayward Pte 6th Bt The Queens 1917 France Aged 23. Died of wounds receives bringing a message as a Queens runner. Charles Basil Mortimer Hodgson Capt 3rd Bt The Queens 1918 Egypt Died in Cairo hospital April 12th 1918 from wounds received in Palestine March 9th. Served in France, Gallipoli and Palestine. Cyril Arthur Godwin Hodgson Capt R N Devon Hussars 1918 Egypt Royal North Devon Hussars. Died in Cairo hospital March 20th 1918 after serving in Gallipoli, Egypt and Palestine. Glory to God in the Highest on Earth Goodwill Toward Men

 

This Roll of Honour is repeated on a wooden enclosure outside the church, together with names of others possibly those who also served.   

 

 

 

 

The font “In memory of Elizabeth Oliveria Prescott” was given by Misses L E and O Prescott. 

The striking wall paintings were painted in 1894-95 by Anna Lea Merritt, an American artist trained in Europe, who developed a style used by Pre-Raphaelite painters of her day.  She was the first woman artist to have work acquired by the Tate collection (‘Love Locked Out’ which echoes Holman Hunt’s ‘Light of the World’ can still be seen at the Tate Gallery).  The technique used for the wall painting was revolutionary, using silicon based paints for the first time to resist the effects of damp and deterioration.  This explains remarkable success in retaining the lightness and quality of the colours.  She and Sir William Roberts-Austin presented a paper on the new technique to the Society of Arts, chaired by Holman Hunt, in 1895 (Mural Painting by the Aid of Soluble Silicates and Metal Oxides, with Examples chiefly from St Martin’s Wonersh - Journal of the Society of Arts Vol XLIV December 6th 1895 pp39-51). 

 

Virgin and Child in the manger. With St Joseph keeping back the cows while shepherds guided by angels came in, adoring. Matthew 1-2;	Christ on the Mount of Olives The three disciples asleep at his feet. Matthew 26:36-46;

The Resurrection, Christ appearing to Mary Magdalene. Note the large flat block of stone, like a millstone fitted to run in grooves below and above. The preparatory oil painting was “Watchers of the Straight Gate” Matthew 28:1-7;	The Raising of the Widow’s Son Luke 7:11-16;

St Martin giving his coat to the beggar. With the churches of St Martin’s Canterbury and St Martin’s Blackheath.	Angel bearing symbol of the Eucharist  “I will give you a crown of eternal life”	St John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness. Shown as an unusually youthful figure.

 

The paintings depict a number of scenes from the Life of Christ.  She describes painting these in her book of memoirs. 

 

These paintings ensure that even the walls of the church point to the central focus of the Christian faith; to Jesus Christ the Son of God who died on a cross and rose again for us.  As a parish our purpose is to know Christ and to make him known and this beautiful building serves us well in this mission.