View source for St Alfege Church, Greenwich

{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox church
| name = St Alfege Church
| fullname = 
| image = File:Southeast View of Saint Alfege's Church, Greenwich (03).jpg
| imagesize = 
| caption = The church seen from the southeast
| denomination = [[Church of England]]
| diocese = [[Anglican Diocese of Southwark|Southwark]]
| parish = 
| division = 
| subdivision = 
| founded date = 
| founder = 
| architect = 
| style = 
| heritage designation = Grade I
| years built = 1714 (present)
| dedicated date = 1718
| closed date = 
| demolished date = 
| bishop = 
| priest = 
| asstpriest = Revd Stephen Nshimye
| archdeacon = 
| dean = 
| provost = 
| rector = 
| canon = 
| prebendary = 
| chaplain = 
| vicar = Revd Simon Winn
| director = Benjamin Newlove
| deacon = 
| reader = David McEvoy
| abbot = 
| curate = Revd Tati Gutteridge
| minister = 
| seniorpastor = 
| pastor = 
| location = [[London]], [[SE postcode area|SE10]]
| country = England
| website = 
}}

'''St Alfege Church''' is an [[Church of England|Anglican]] church in the centre of [[Greenwich]], part of the [[Royal Borough of Greenwich]] in [[London]]. It is of medieval origin and was rebuilt in 1712–1714 to the designs of [[Nicholas Hawksmoor]].

==Early history==
[[File:St Alfege Church, Greenwich, stained glass, Thomas Tallis.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Thomas Tallis]] depicted in the Church ]]
The church is dedicated to [[Alphege|Alfege]] (also spelt "Alphege"), [[Archbishop of Canterbury]], and reputedly marks the place where he was martyred on 19 April 1012, having been taken prisoner during the [[Siege of Canterbury|sack of Canterbury]] by Danish raiders the previous year. The Danes took him to their camp at Greenwich and killed him when the large ransom they demanded was not forthcoming.<ref name=dan>{{cite book|title=London Riverside Churches|first=A. E.|last=Daniell| location=London |publisher=Constable|year=1897|pages=[https://archive.org/details/londonriversidec00dani/page/288 288]–98|url=https://archive.org/details/londonriversidec00dani}} Accessed 5 July 2017</ref>

The church was rebuilt in around 1290, and [[Henry VIII]] was [[baptism|baptized]] there in 1491.

The [[advowson|patronage]] of the church was given to [[Saint Peter's Abbey, Ghent|the abbey at Ghent]] during the 13th century. Following the suppression of alien priories under [[Henry V of England|Henry V]], it was granted to the [[Sheen Priory|priory at Sheen]] with which it remained until transferred to the Crown by exchange under Henry VIII in 1530.<ref name=dan/>

During a storm in 1710 the medieval church collapsed, its [[foundation (architecture)|foundations]] having been weakened by burials both inside and outside.

==The present church==

Following the collapse of the medieval church, the present building was constructed, funded by a grant from the [[Commission for Building Fifty New Churches]], to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor, one of the commission's two surveyors. The first church to be built by the commissioners, it was begun in 1712 and basic construction was completed in 1714;<ref name=downes>{{cite book |last1=Downes|first1=Kerry  |title=Hawksmoor |series=World of Art |year=1987  |orig-year=first published 1970  |publisher= Thames and Hudson|location=London |pages= 110–11}}</ref> it was not, however, consecrated until 1718.<ref name=BoE/> The church was built by [[Edward Strong the Elder|Edward Strong the Younger]] a friend of [[Christopher Wren the Younger]].<ref>Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1859 by Rupert Gunnis</ref>

[[File:Southwest View of the Church of Saint Alfege, Greenwich (01).jpg|left|thumb|A view of the church from the southwest]]

The church is rectangular in plan with a flat ceiling and a small apse serving as a chancel. The east front, towards the street, has a portico in the Tuscan order, with a central arch cutting through the entablature and pediment—a motif used in [[Christopher Wren|Wren]]'s "Great Model" for [[St Paul's Cathedral]].<ref name=BoE/> A [[giant order]] of [[pilaster]]s runs around the rest of the church, a feature [[Kerry Downes]] suggests may have been added by [[Thomas Archer]], who, according to the minutes of the commission, "improved" Hawksmoor's plans.<ref name=downes/> On the north and south sides of the churchwide projecting vestibules rise to the full height of the building, with steps leading up to the doors.<ref name=BoE>{{cite book |last1=Cherry |first1= Bridget |last2=Pevsner |first2=Nikolaus   |title=London 2: South  |series=The Buildings of England |year=1990  |orig-year=1983 |publisher=Penguin Books |location=London }}</ref>

Hawksmoor planned a west tower, in the position of the existing one, which had survived the collapse. However the commission was reluctant to fund it, and the medieval tower was retained. In 1730 [[John James (architect)|John James]] refaced it, and added a spire. Hawksmoor's design, published in an engraving in 1714, had an octagonal lantern at the top, a motif he was later to use at [[St George in the East]].<ref name=downes/>

The crypt served as an air-raid shelter during [[World War II]]. During the [[The Blitz|Blitz]] on 19 March 1941, [[incendiary bomb]]s landed on the roof causing it to collapse, burning into the [[nave]]. The walls and the tower remained standing but much of the interior was gutted. The church was restored by Sir [[Albert Richardson (architect)|Albert Richardson]] in 1953. As part of the post-war restorations, stencils of Mary the Mother of Jesus and St John the Evangelist were installed either side of the Cross (forming a traditional [[rood]]) in the side chapel of St Alfege with St Peter by the [[tempera]] artist [[Augustus Lunn]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.st-alfege.org.uk/Groups/325751/Side_chapels.aspx|title=St Alfege, Greenwich: Side chapels|access-date=14 February 2021}}</ref>

===Organs===
The present organ was installed in 2001, having been relocated from the Lower Chapel at [[Eton College]], with some minor changes.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=E00392|title=National Pipe Organ Register: E00392|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> It is an 1891 [[Lewis & Co]] instrument, with modifications in 1927 by [[A. Hunter & Son]] and 1970 by [[Harrison & Harrison]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=E00391|title=National Pipe Organ Register: E00391|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> 

Additionally, there is a small, six-stop moveable organ located in the north aisle, by W & A Boggis of [[Diss, Norfolk|Diss]] from c 1960, with a later restoration by [[Mander Organs]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=A00782|title=National Pipe Organ Register: A00782|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref>

====Tallis organ====
The previous organ had a long history. It dated from the 16th century (when St Alfege was recorded as having a pair of organs).
The [[National Pipe Organ Register]] does not record its present whereabouts. However, a three manual drawstop [[organ console|console]] is on display at the West End of the South aisle. This may incorporate keys from the time of the composer [[Thomas Tallis]],<ref name="BIOS366"/> who was buried in the chancel of the medieval church in the 16th century.
The organ was restored in 1706 by [[Thomas Swarbrick]], with further restorations and modifications by Dallam (1765), [[George England (organ-builder)|George England]] (1770) and [[J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd]] (1840, 1853 and 1863).<ref name="BIOS366">{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N16366|title=National Pipe organ Register: N16366|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=C00963|title=National Pipe Organ Register: C00963|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> It was further restored and rebuilt in 1875 by the organ-builder Joseph Robson and [[Benjamin Flight]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N16368|title=National Pipe Organ Register: N16368|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> modified by Lewis & Co in 1910<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N16369|title=National Pipe Organ Register: N16369|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> and rebuilt by R. Spurden Rutt & Co in 1934. By this point it had grown to 47 stops.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N16370|title=National Pipe Organ Register: N16370|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> It survived the bomb damage of 1941 and was rebuilt, again by R Spurden Rutt, in 1953, with 55 stops.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://npor.org.uk/NPORView.html?RI=N16371|title=National Pipe Organ Register: N16371|access-date=26 January 2021}}</ref> 



[[File:St Alfege Church 1, Greenwich, London, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|Interior view]]
[[File:Western End of Saint Alfege's Church, Greenwich (2).jpg|thumb|left|The tower on the west of the church]]

The church is currently used to celebrate "Founder's Day" of [[Addey and Stanhope School]] and [[The John Roan School]].

===Churchyards===
The church had two churchyards, which were closed to burials in 1853. In 1889 they were transferred to the [[Greenwich District (Metropolis)|Greenwich District Board of Works]]. The later of the two churchyards was laid out as a garden and recreation ground by the landscape gardener [[Fanny Wilkinson]], and opened in 1889. It was renamed St Alfege Park. Wilkinson planted 500 trees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://londongardenstrust.org/conservation/inventory/site-record/?ID=GRN051&sitename=St+Alfege+Park|title=London Gardens Trust: St Alfege Park|access-date=19 January 2021}}</ref>

In 2015 a fund-raising [[cream tea]] garden party for [[Christian Aid]], held in the churchyard after the Sunday [[sermon]], was stormed by armed police. An attendee said that the vicar's wife was "almost knocked over by a policeman with a huge [[machine gun]]”, but "people just carried on drinking their tea" in a display of typical British fortitude even though "all these armed police bursting in was like the film ''[[Hot Fuzz]]''”. The police proceeded to the adjacent St Alfege Park, where a man was arrested and a firearm found.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Morgan |first=Ben |date=2015-05-18 |title=Armed police storm through church garden party hunting for man |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/crime/armed-police-storm-through-church-garden-party-hunting-for-man-shooting-gun-at-a-bush-10256991.html |website=[[Evening Standard]]|location=London}}</ref>

==Notables buried here==
[[File:Pinkie detailed.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Sarah Barrett Moulton in the portrait [[Pinkie (painting)|''Pinkie'']] by [[Thomas Lawrence]].<br> [[Huntington Library]], California.]]
Notable people buried in and around the church include the Renaissance choirmaster and composer [[William Newark]] (died 1509, no surviving memorial), [[Richard Bower]] (died 1561), [[Master of the Children of the Chapel Royal]] 1545–1561, the composer [[Thomas Tallis]] (died 1585), the courtier [[Elizabeth Roper]] (died 1658),<ref>Daniel Lysons, The Environs of London: Counties of Herts, Essex & Kent, vol. 4 (London, 1796), p. 475.</ref> the merchant Sir [[John Lethieullier]] (died 1719) on the outer south-west corner of the church, the English-born explorer of Canada [[Henry Kelsey]] (died 1724), General [[James Wolfe]], the victor over the French in [[Canada]] but who died in the process at the [[Battle of the Plains of Abraham]] in 1759, the actress [[Lavinia Fenton]] (died 1760), and the MP Sir [[James Creed]] (died 1762), against the outer north wall.<ref name=Green>[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.asp?compid=45275 'Greenwich: The parish church', ''Old and New London'': Volume 6 (1878), pp. 190–205] Accessed 26 May 2007.</ref>

[[Pinkie (painting)|Sarah Barrett Moulton]], the [[Jamaica]]n-born schoolgirl (1783&ndash;1795) who was the subject of the celebrated painting ''Pinkie'' (shown above right), was buried in the church after dying aged twelve, just a year after her portrait had been painted. The merchant, [[Lloyd's of London|Lloyd's]] [[underwriter]] and art collector [[John Julius Angerstein]] (died 1823), who was a [[churchwarden]] in the early 19th century, is also buried here.

==Literary connection==
In [[Charles Dickens]]'s novel ''[[Our Mutual Friend]]'', Bella Wilfer marries John Rokesmith in St Alfege Church.

In [[Tom McCarthy (novelist)|Tom McCarthy]]'s novel ''[[C (novel)|C]]'', after a [[Filippo Tommaso Marinetti|Marinettiesque]] car crash, Serge Carrefax laughs from his position within the upturned chassis. This laughter is "a pleasant noise; reminds him of liturgical chants and whispers echoing around St. Alfege's interior."

==See also==
* [[List of churches and cathedrals of London]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|https://st-alfege.org.uk/}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20080205044911/http://www.shipoffools.com/Mystery/mws_05/reports/1013.html Mystery Worshipper Report] at the [[Ship of Fools (website)|Ship of Fools website]]

{{Churches in Greenwich}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Alfege Church, Greenwich}}
[[Category:Churches completed in 1702]]
[[Category:18th-century Church of England church buildings]]
[[Category:Church of England church buildings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich|Greenwich]]
[[Category:Grade I listed buildings in the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:Grade I listed churches in London|Greenwich]]
[[Category:Rebuilt churches in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Nicholas Hawksmoor buildings]]
[[Category:English Baroque church buildings]]
[[Category:Anglican Diocese of Southwark|Greenwich]]
[[Category:History of the Royal Borough of Greenwich]]
[[Category:1702 establishments in England]]
[[category:Buildings and structures in Greenwich]]