St. Lawrence's church, Whitchurch

St Lawrence's, Whitchurch
St Lawrence's in 2005
Location	Whitchurch Lane
Country	United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Website	http://www.little-stanmore.org/
Architecture
Style	Baroque
Years built	reconstructed 1716
Administration
Diocese	London
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Archbishop	Justin Welby
Rector	Fr Paul Michael Reece

St. Lawrence, Whitchurch, is a Church of England parish church in Little Stanmore in the London Borough of Harrow, England. The building is Grade I listed. It retains a stone tower dating from ca. 1360, but the main body of the building was constructed in the eighteenth century in Baroque style.

The original medieval church was reconstructed by the architect John James, working for a wealthy client James Brydges. Brydges, who was later 1st Duke of Chandos, started rebuilding the church and Cannons, his nearby country house, around the time he succeeded his father as ninth Baron Chandos in 1714. Brydges had a habit of changing his architect and in 1715 John James was replaced as architect for the house by James Gibbs, who may have been involved in the completion of the church prior to its reopening in 1716.

Brydges later constructed a private chapel in the house, but he continued to take a personal interest in the church, where he had a gallery for the use of himself and his entourage. He had the right to nominate the minister, and chose John Theophilus Desaguliers FRS, who also served him as chaplain and engineering consultant.

The highly decorated interior of the church is unusual in England, Continental Baroque rather than English Baroque in style.

The decorative painter Louis Laguerre and other painters worked on both the church and the house.

Towards the end of his life Brydges had lost much of his wealth, but in 1735 he had a mausoleum, designed by Gibbs, built next to the church. Burials here include the 1st Duke of Chandos and his namesake James Brydges, 3rd Duke of Chandos.