Kensington Church
| St Mary Abbots | |
|---|---|
St Mary Abbots Church in 2007
|
|
| Location | Kensington, London |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Churchmanship | High Church |
| Website | stmaryabbotschurch.org |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 1262 |
| Architecture | |
| Status | Parish church |
| Functional status | Active |
| Heritage designation | Grade II* |
| Architect(s) | Sir George Gilbert Scott |
| Style | Neo-gothic |
| Completed | 1872 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 700 |
| Length | 179 feet (55m) |
| Width | 109 feet (34m) |
| Number of spires | One |
| Spire height | 278 feet |
| Clergy | |
| Bishop(s) | Richard Chartres, Bishop of London |
| Vicar(s) | The Rev'd Preb Gillian Craig |
St Mary Abbots is a church located on Kensington High Street and the corner of Kensington Church Street in London W8.
The present church structure was built in 1872 and designed by the celebrated architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, combining neo-Gothic and early-English styles. This edifice remains noted for having the tallest spire in London and is the latest in a series on the site since the beginning of the 12th century.
The church is listed Grade II* on the National Heritage List for England.
Sir Aubrey de Vere was a Norman knight who was rewarded with the manor of Kensington, among other estates, after the successful Norman Conquest. Around 1100, his eldest son, Godfrey (great-uncle of Aubrey, 1st Earl of Oxford), was taken seriously ill and cared for by Faritius, abbot of the Benedictine Abbey of St Mary at Abingdon. After a period of remission, Godfrey de Vere died in 1106 aged about 19.
The de Vere family's gratitude to the abbey for their son's care was recognised by its bequest of land 270 acres (1.1 km2). In 1262 the abbey founded a church and parish in Kensington, dedicated to St Mary. The epithet of Abbots is deemed to derive from its link with the ancient Abingdon Abbey rather than that subsequently with the diocese of the Bishop of London. However, this led to a dispute with the bishop and legal action followed in the diocesan consistory court. This resulted in the patronage of the church passing to the bishop in perpetuity but rights over the surrounding land remaining with the abbey. The succession of vicars is recorded in a direct line back to this foundation in 1262.
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