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Inventory Site Record

St Mary the Virgin Churchyard, Chessington (Kingston)

Brief Description

St Mary the Virgin was the medieval church of the village of Chessington, although there may have been an earlier church on the site. Parts of the current building date from the C13th, with later additions and restoration taking place in ensuring centuries. The churchyard has gravestones among grass, and is hedged to the road, with a gate and overthrow erected in memory of Gertrude Field in 1980. Trees include a number of large evergreens and two yews. In the mid C19th access to the church was via footpaths and lanes, but it is now surrounded by a C20th housing estate.

Practical Information
Previous / Other name:
Chessington Parish Church
Site location:
Church Lane/Garrison Lane, Chessington
Postcode:
KT9 2DR
What 3 Words:
remedy.pens.employ
Type of site:
Churchyard
Borough:
Kingston
Open to public?
Yes
Opening times:
unrestricted
Special conditions:
Facilities:
Events:
Public transport:
Rail: Chessington South/Chessington North. Bus: 71, 467.
Research updated:
01/04/2012
Last minor changes:
19/07/2023

Please check with the site owner or manager for latest news. www.stmaryschessington.org; www.kingston.gov.uk

Full Site Description

The existence of a church here first appears in records of Merton Priory of 1174 and there may have been a Saxon church here. The present building has remnants of the medieval village church, parts of which date from the C13th with a timbered porch and some fine woodwork in the interior such as nave pillars and chancel roof. The vestry door is C14th; the church has one of the smallest silver chalices in the country, dated 1568. Cromwell's army is rumoured to have 'wrought havoc' in the church in the C17th. St Mary's was rebuilt in the 1850s by Revd Chetwynd Stapylton with a second aisle and it re-opened in 1854. The church was later restored 1870, and it has stained glass by Morris and Co. dated 1918. Among those buried here is Samuel Crisp (d.1783) who lived at Chessington Hall, whose epitaph is by Dr Charles Burney, father of Fanny Burney for whom Chessington was a favourite place.

Sources consulted:

Bridget Cherry & Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 2: South (Penguin) 1999; Ben Weinreb & Christopher Hibbert, 'The London Encyclopaedia' (Macmillan, revised ed. 1993); Mark Davison, 'Chessington Remembered', 1999

Further Information (Planning and Conservation)
Grid ref:
TQ184635 (518464,163530)
Size in hectares:
Site ownership:
Diocese of Guildford
Site management:
Churchyard: RBK: Grounds maintenance contractor: Quadron Services Ltd
Date(s):
medieval
Designer(s):
Listed structures:
LBII: St Mary the Virgin Church
On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens:

No
Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965:

No
Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931:

No

Local Authority Data

The information below is taken from the relevant Local Authority's planning legislation, which was correct at the time of research but may have been amended in the interim. Please check with the Local Authority for latest planning information.

On Local List:
No
In Conservation Area:
No
Tree Preservation Order:
Not known
Nature Conservation Area:
No
Green Belt:
No
Metropolitan Open Land:
No
Special Policy Area:
No
Other LA designation:
Proposal Site RL6

Please note the Inventory and its content are provided for your general information only and are subject to change. It is your responsibility to check the accuracy.