Wonersh Church St John the Baptist
Over 1000 years of History
In bite-sized sections
Exodus 35:35;
He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers,embroiderers in blue, purple
and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers—all of them master craftsmen and designers.
This account of the history of our church acknowledges and has drawn heavily upon information provided in the following:-
Wonersh History Society
Parishes: Wonersh - British History Online –
History of the Church by Revd A L Brown.
The History of Antiquities of Surrey, Manning & Bray Vol II pages 108-116, circa 1811 (Manning visited Wonersh Church just before the alterations of 1793/4.)
History of England (1708), John Aubrey visited Wonersh circa 1690.
Background History of the Church of England and CofE in Wikipedia
A History of the County of Surrey by Thomas Allen 1831
Useful site on Church Architecture Suffolk Churches - Glossary of terms
Very many letters and documents are summarised and published online in the Surrey History Centre Archives, in particular collections 892 ,G24, G60, G1275 and WON Part 1 & WON Part 2. Document may be found by paging down manually in a relevant collection or else from the ADVANCED SEARCH page.
Events may be placed in historical context by clicking Timeline.
Quick links to:- Windows, Brasses & Paintings
Monuments and Dedications
Inscriptions on Gravestones
Summary
The church of St John the Baptist, Wonersh, Surrey, probably originally Saxon, was re-built shortly after the Norman conquest in the eleventh century with additions made until the fifteenth century. Major rebuilding took place in 1793 and restoration in 1901, however the core is still the Norman church. The churchyard was closed for burials in 1861, and a new churchyard opened at Shamley Green the same year which continued as the churchyard for Wonersh until 1900 when a new cemetery was opened near Blackheath.
For most of our history the Parish has been in the See of the ancient Diocese of Winchester in the Deanery of Stoke . The ancient Parish boundary was reduced in 1881 when Shamley Green became an ecclesiastical parish in its own right. The year 1893 saw the opening of St Martin’s Blackheath within the parish of Wonersh, forming into the separate parish of Blackheath and Chilworth in 1937; Blackheath was rejoined with the Parish of Wonersh in 1998. From 1927 the Parish of Wonersh became part of the newly formed Diocese of Guildford.
Over the years vicars have been presented under the legal church framework of advowson, with patronage resting today with Selwyn College, Cambridge. Similarly our Lay-Rectors and local Lords of the Manor have affected our church.
The First 500 Years - Pre Conquest (Saxon) to 1536 
Click here for more detail
The oldest part of the present church is probably the north wall of the nave, this probably being part of the original pre-conquest chapel built around 1050 if not sooner. The stem of the font which is an archaic band of ribbed work on coarse grit stone may also date to pre-conquest times. The Saxon church was destroyed and rebuilt after the Norman conquest.
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On the north side of the chancel was the sacristy, considered by some as the most interesting feature of the church still existing.
A chapel, which may have been a Guild Chapel for the weavers of Wonersh, was added to the north of the chancel in the 15th Century, opening into the chancel with a wide richly moulded arch. A plain arch of the same date was cut through the east wall of the tower. Its’ east wall was built across the middle of the old sacristry, the western half of which was filled up. The eastern half of the sacristry remained as a lean-to outside the chapel. |
The first recorded church was a Norman Chapel of the Hamlet of Wonersh or Wogheners, when it formed part of the parish of Shalford (or Scandeford), one of three churches in the Manor of Brunlei or Bramley mentioned in the Domesday Book. In 1224 it is spoken of in the Patent Rolls of Henry III as a chapelry. It probably consisted of a simple nave and small sanctuary of a rustic and unpretentious style. 
In the early part of the 13th century the tower was added and the chancel rebuilt on a large scale. Wonersh constituted a separate parish sometime before 1295 being mentioned as an “ecclesia” or parish church in the Patent Rolls of Edward 1. Soon after the chancel was rebuilt, the church was enlarged by the addition of a chapel at the south-east corner, probably dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. 
The Reformation Years - 1536 to 1755 Click here to see more detail
Over this period physicaly little change took place to the church appearance however, starting with the Dissolution, the Protestant Reformation affected the church in many other ways.
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The north chapel was used as a vestry and schoolroom but steadily fell into disrepair and by the early 1700’s was in a state of dilapidation. About this time the arches of the tower were filled in and a doorway cut through the north wall of the tower. In 1751 the old four sided shingled spire was taken down and replaced by the present battlemented top storey, which bears that date. |
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Engraving by James Peake of the church circa 1780, drawn by John Hill & published 1819 |
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The Grantley Years - 1756 to 1900 Click here for more details
These years largely cover the period of influence of the Grantley family. Fletcher Norton, who became the 1st Lord Grantley, moved into Wonersh House adjacent to the church in 1756. By 1770 he had become the Lay-Rector and Patron of the Church and Lord of the Manor.
By 1791 the church “being much gone into decay” could only be saved by drastic action. In the course of rebuilding 1793/4 most of the exterior was taken down, with the exception of the tower, the north walls of the nave and north chapel, and the side walls of the western & southern part of the chancel. A good sized square nave was built in the plain style of the period, and the dividing arches between the nave and south aisle demolished. The entire floor of the church was raised by about 18ins. The south chapel was pulled down and replaced on the same foundations by a brick mausoleum for the Grantley family. The chancel arches to north and south chapels were filled in with lath & plaster partitions.
The churchyard at Wonersh was closed for new burials in 1861 and burials took place at Shamley Green. In 1881 Shamley Green became a Parish in its own right, formed out of part of the parish of Wonersh.
The 5th Lord Grantley sold all property in Wonersh in 1883 and in 1895 the positions of Lay Rector and Patron passed to Lord Ashcombe.
Rendering of Wonersh Church circa 1823
Modern Times - The 20th Century Click here for more detail.
1901 Restoration
Proverbs 22:28 Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set.
When it was determined to refit the church a scheme for careful restoration submitted by Charles Nicholson was accepted. The chancel was restored to its original length and height and was re-roofed. The north chapel was reclad in stone and the roof and windows were copied from old paintings. The floor level retained at the previous raised level, with a step up to the chancel and another two to the altar. The western half of the sacristry, filled in when the north chapel was built, was opened out, with arches constructed to support the chapel altar. The various lath & plaster partitions were removed as were the ceilings in the chancel and nave. The Grantley mausoleum was restored as a vestry and opened out to the church. Considerable structural repairs were undertaken, especially to the tower, and the entire church was re-seated and arranged in accordance with contemporary ideas of worship.
1901 to 1981
Internal improvement continued after the restoration.
A small porch was added on the west wall of the nave in 1913.
The church was first lit by electricity in 1927.
In 1934 Wonersh House was demolished, and afterwards the grounds adjacent to the church gifted in Trust to the Village, to be known a Church Green Trust
In 1937 the Parish of Blackheath and Chilworth was formed, comprising parts of the parishes of Wonersh, Shalford and St Martha’s.
In 1944, just 7 days before D Day, the Queen Mother (then wife of George VI), in her capacity as President of the UK Red Cross, attended a service at St Johns Wonersh in commemoration of the gift by Mrs Beatrice Cook of her family home, Barnett House, to the Red Cross.
An clock mechanism was provided in 1966.
1981, the 1988 Re-ordering to Date
Periods in the church history have previously been marked by major building or restoration work. However from 1981 with the arrival of Revd Tom Farrell there was a major revival in the fellowship and in 1988 further internal alterations to the church were necessary to make the best use of the whole church.
In 1995/6 a new porch complex was added to the west of the church.
In 1998 Blackheath was reunited with Wonersh becoming the Parish of Wonersh with Blackheath.
St John the Baptist Wonersh in 2006.
