| Croydon Minster | |
|---|---|
| The Minster Church of St John Baptist at Croydon | |
.jpg) Croydon Minster from the southwest | |
 Croydon Minster | |
| Location | Old Town,Croydon |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Church of England |
| Previous denomination | Catholic |
| Churchmanship | Liberal Catholic |
| Website | http://www.croydonminster.org/ |
| History | |
| Dedication | John the Baptist |
| Architecture | |
| Style | English Gothic |
| Administration | |
| Diocese | Diocese of Southwark |
| Episcopal area | Croydon area |
| Archdeaconry | Croydon archdeaconry |
| Deanery | Croydon Central deanery |
| Parish | Croydon |
| Clergy | |
| Vicar | Andrew Bishop |
| Curate | [position vacant] |
| Laity | |
| Director of music | Justin Miller |
| Churchwarden(s) | Arlene Esdaile, Stephen Willmer OBE |
Croydon Minster is the parish and civic church of theLondon Borough of Croydon, located in theOld Town area of Croydon. There are currently more than 35 churches in the borough, with Croydon Minster being the most prominent.[1] It isGrade I listed.[2]
SixArchbishops of Canterbury are buried in the church:Edmund Grindal (d.1583),John Whitgift (d.1604),Gilbert Sheldon (d.1677),William Wake (d.1737),John Potter (d.1747), andThomas Herring (d.1757).
The church was established in themiddle Saxon period, and is believed to have been aminster church: one which served as a base for a group of clergy living a communal life, who may have taken some pastoral responsibility for the population of the surrounding district. Acharter issued by KingCoenwulf of Mercia refers to a council which had taken place close to what is called themonasterium (meaning minster) ofCroydon.[3] An Anglo-Saxon will made in about 960 is witnessed by Elfsies, priest of Croydon; and the church is also mentioned in theDomesday Book of 1086.
The earliest clear record of the church'sdedication to StJohn the Baptist is found in the will of John de Croydon, fishmonger, dated 6 December 1347, which includes a bequest to "the church of S. John de Croydon".[4]
In its final medieval form, the church was mainly aPerpendicular-style structure of late 14th and early 15th-century date. It still bears the arms of archbishopsCourtenay andChichele, believed to have been its benefactors.
The medieval building underwent some restoration in 1851 and 1857–9, under the direction ofGeorge Gilbert Scott. On the night of 5 January 1867, a fire broke out – possibly caused by overheating of the poorly positioned flues of recently installedGurney stoves – which eventually gutted the entire building.[5] It was rebuilt to Scott's designs between 1867 and 1869, incorporating some of the medieval remains (notably the west tower and south porch), and essentially following the medieval plan, while enlarging the building by extending its footprint further east. During the period of rebuilding, services were held in a temporary "iron church", with seating for 700, erected in April 1868 in Scarbrook Road.[6]
The church's reconsecration by ArchbishopArchibald Tait took place on 5 January 1870. The church still contains several important monuments and fittings saved from the old building.[7]
The church was elevated to the status of CroydonMinster (the modern honorific title) on 29 May 2011, the first such change in the diocese of Southwark.
Croydon has strong religious links,Croydon Palace having been a residence of theArchbishop of Canterbury from at least the beginning of the 13th century to the beginning of the 19th. TheBishop of Croydon is a position as anarea bishop in theAnglicanDiocese of Southwark. The current area bishop isJonathan Clark, who was consecrated on 21 March 2012. Until recently (mid 2016) the vicar was Colin J. Luke Boswell, Vicar of Croydon and Chaplain to theWhitgift Foundation.
Croydon Minster todayde facto serves asWhitgift School's chapel.[8] It is also linked to The Minster Schools.
The Minster stands in theinclusiveliberal catholictradition of the Church of England.[9]
The church has a large four-manual pipe organ, much of which is byWilliam Hill & Sons and dates from 1869.[10] There is also a small organ in the St Nicholas Chapel which was obtained from St Mary the Virgin,Preston Candover in 1997.[11]
Before the fire of 1867 records are incomplete, but include:
After the fire of 1867:
Organists Laureate
Organists Emeritus
The tower houses a ring of 12bells cast by the Croydon firm ofGillett & Johnston in 1936, replacing an earlier ring of eight. The eight original bells were recast and hung with new fittings in a new frame with four additional trebles. The new ring of 12 was dedicated by the Bishop of Croydon on 12 December 1936 and the first peal on the new 12 was rung for thecoronation of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in 1937.
The tower and ringers are affiliated to the Surrey Association of Church Bell Ringers.
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To the south of the Minster is St John’s Memorial Garden, an area of 2 acres (0.81 ha). Up until 1957 it was a traditional cemetery which was no longer used and had become neglected. Earlier gravestones and tombs were relocated or used for walling or paving and a War Memorial was also repositioned.[14]
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51°22′22″N0°06′22″W / 51.3727°N 0.1061°W /51.3727; -0.1061