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London Kensington Saint Mary Abbots Church 
Located at the corner of Kensington High Street and Kensington Church Street: St Mary Abbots Church is a historic parish church that dates back to the Doomsday Book, making it the first church in Kensington. The church that exists today was founded in 1262 by the Benedictine Abbey of St Mary, following a bequest of land by the de Vere family. In 1370 the original Norman church was rebuilt, and later in the late 17th century replaced by a Late Renaissance-style building when the medieval church was demolished and replaced due to the relocation of the Royal Court to Kensington Palace by William III. As London urbanised in the 19th Century, due to the growing population, the church became too small which lead to the construction of the current building. This was instigated in 1868 by the vicar, John Sinclair, who commissioned Sir George Gilbert Scott, a renowned architect, to design a new church. The main building was completed and consecrated on May 14, 1872. The spire and tower were finished in 1879, a year after Scott's death. The church suffered damage in WWII during the Blitz, with the nave and chancel roof destroyed and damage to stained glass and the organ. Damage that was repaired following the war. The architectural style is that of Victorian Gothic Revival, which was popular in the 19th century. This style is characterized by pointed arches, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses, reminiscent of medieval Gothic architecture. Externally, the church has a tower topped with a spire reaching to 278 feet (85 metres) making it the tallest in London. Containing ten bells the original bells were installed around 1879 when the church was built, although some of them have been replaced. The bells are regularly rung for Sunday services, special occasions, and practice sessions by the St Mary Abbots Guild of Bellringers which was founded in 1896. The facade is adorned with intricate stone carvings and features large pointed arch windows, typical of the Gothic style. This includes floral motifs, religious symbols, and figures of saints. The main entrance is flanked by decorative columns and statues, adding to its grandeur, with large pointed arch stained-glass windows depicting biblical scenes and saints.  The interior has a spacious and grand design with its nave flanked by side aisles and separated by pointed arch arcades, with stained-glass windows above.  The ceilings are ribbed and vaulted, enhancing the Gothic aesthetic with the ribs converging at intricate bosses, The interior with its capacity to hold 700 people, is designed to create a sense of height and space, with a clear view towards the chancel. The chancel, where the choir and clergy are seated, is elevated and contains seats that are richly decorated with carvings.  At the end is the high altar which is elaborately decorated, featuring ornate carvings and religious symbols with the beautiful stained-glass window behind it. The High altar was constructed as part of the new church building designed by Sir George Gilbert Scott, which was consecrated on May 14, 1872. The altar, along with the rest of the church's interior, was completed in the early 1870s, reflecting the Gothic Revival style that characterizes the church. The church also features altars, situated along the sides of the nave. These are used for additional commemorative services, smaller ceremonies, and private prayers and are dedicated to the Holy Family and to specific saints and it also contains the Resurrection Chapel.  Within the Resurrection Chapel is the Battlefield Cross which commemorates the men from the 22nd Kensington Battalion, Royal Fusiliers, who fell in the WWI battle of Oppy Wood, April 29 to May 3, 1917 during World War I. Originally, the cross was erected on the battlefield, but in 1929, it was replaced by a permanent memorial and brought to England. In 1949 it was brought to St Mary Abbots Church and rededicated in 2014. Below the cross is a board listing the names of the fallen soldiers.  Located to the left of the nave just in front of the chancel, is the simple timber pulpit which was designed and installed as part of the Gothic Revival design by Sir George Gilbert Scott.  Located in the north aisle, to the left side of the pulpit, the churches organ was built by William Hill & Son in 1872, the same year the church was completed. A Victorian-style organ, its design complements the Gothic Revival architecture of the church. The organ is one of the least altered Hill organs still in existence, making it of international importance. Featuring a tracker action, which means the keys are connected to the pipes by mechanical linkages, providing a direct and responsive touch, it produces a rich, warm sound characteristic of Hill organs, with a blend of both classical and romantic tones.  Installed at the same time as the pulpit, near the entrance to the church, symbolizing the entrance into the Christian faith through baptism, is the stone and marble baptismal font with its intricate carvings.  Within the church placed on the walls or floors are several memorial plaques and tombstones dedicated to notable individuals, who include: Alice Kipling, mother of Rudyard Kipling, who married John Lockwood Kipling at the church. William Wilberforce: Politician and leader of the movement to end slavery. Isambard Kingdom Brunel: The famous civil engineer, who married at the church in 1836, and Helen Beatrix Potter: Children's author, who married William Heelis at the church. The church’s graveyard, known as St Mary Abbots and Alec Clifton Taylor Memorial Gardens, contains a variety of stone sarcophagi and tombstones and is the final resting place of Sir Isaac Newton, P.D. James and William Thackeray. The last burial was in 1853 and the area was transformed into a garden in 1953. 
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All Photographs were taken by and are copyright of Ron Gatepain
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