Description
St Bartholomew's Church was built in 1827-32 as a chapel-of-ease to St Mary's Lewisham and became Sydenham Parish Church in 1856. The small churchyard has a number of chest tombs and monuments among the grass and mature trees include yew and oak. The view to St Bartholomew's along Lawrie Park Avenue was made famous by the painter Camille Pissarro in 1871. Next to the church was Aberdeen House where the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton lived as a child.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Sydenham Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Westwood Hill, Sydenham |
| Postcode | SE26 6QR |
| What3Words | ///organs.wonderfully.bossy |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Lewisham |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted (church normally open 9.30-11.30am Sat) |
| Public Transport | London Overground: Sydenham. Bus: 75, 122, 450, 176, 197, 202, 194 |
| Research Updated | 24 October 2024 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Bartholomew's Church is fine Gothic brick building designed by Lewis Vulliamy and built in 1827-32, as part of government scheme to provide new churches after Napoleonic Wars. There was a delay in completion due to 'scandalous quarrels' about the choice of a site. The nature of the soil necessitated taking the foundations down to 20 feet below the surface, which increased the cost by £4,000. It was originally a chapel-of-ease to St Mary's Lewisham (q.v.), and it became Sydenham Parish Church in 1856. Between 1858 and 1874 the building was enlarged by Edwin Nash, an eminent local architect, who added the apsidal chancel as a memorial to Thomas Bowdler, its first minister. The lych-gate was erected in 1906 in memory of Mayow Wynell Adams, after whom Mayow Park (q.v.) is named. The north aisle and transept were turned into a parish hall in 1985. A nave altar designed by Karen Butti to fit with the style of the east window was dedicated in 2001. In 2020 the tower clock, originally designed and installed in 1833 by Benjamin Vulliamy, was once again functioning after extensive restoration to the tower and other parts of the church. The large crypt was adapted during the 1980s for club purposes and is awaiting further redevelopment to provide appropriate accessibility.
In the churchyard is the large tomb to Robert and Elizabeth Harrild dated 1853; Harrild lived in Round Hill House, and was a manufacturer of printing equipment and a major developer of Sydenham Park Estate from 1840s. His son-in-law George Baxter, also a printer, is commemorated in Baxter's Field (q.v.). There is also a monument in the form of a colonnaded building commemorating Charles English, first vicar of the new parish, who died on 31 May 1867. Underneath the yew at the entrance to the church is the grave of 10 men who died during the rebuilding of the Crystal Palace in Sydenham in 1853 when the scaffolding they were on collapsed. Their funeral at St Bartholomew's was attended by the many people touched by the tragedy. The grave was restored in 2003 and re-dedicated by the Bishop of Woolwich and an information board is now located next to the grave.
The view to St Bartholomew's Church along Lawrie Park Avenue was made famous by the painter Camille Pissarro in 1871, and his painting is in the National Gallery. Next to the church was Aberdeen House where the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton lived as a child.
In the churchyard is the large tomb to Robert and Elizabeth Harrild dated 1853; Harrild lived in Round Hill House, and was a manufacturer of printing equipment and a major developer of Sydenham Park Estate from 1840s. His son-in-law George Baxter, also a printer, is commemorated in Baxter's Field (q.v.). There is also a monument in the form of a colonnaded building commemorating Charles English, first vicar of the new parish, who died on 31 May 1867. Underneath the yew at the entrance to the church is the grave of 10 men who died during the rebuilding of the Crystal Palace in Sydenham in 1853 when the scaffolding they were on collapsed. Their funeral at St Bartholomew's was attended by the many people touched by the tragedy. The grave was restored in 2003 and re-dedicated by the Bishop of Woolwich and an information board is now located next to the grave.
The view to St Bartholomew's Church along Lawrie Park Avenue was made famous by the painter Camille Pissarro in 1871, and his painting is in the National Gallery. Next to the church was Aberdeen House where the famous explorer Ernest Shackleton lived as a child.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ351716 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Diocese of Southwark |
| Site Management | LB Lewisham Greenscene Department, Glendale Grounds Management |
| Dates | 1832 |
| Listed Structures | LBII*: St Bartholomew's 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 | Lewisham |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Jews Walk |
| Tree Preservation Order | Not known |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | Yes |
| Special Policy Area | No |
| Other LA Designation | Local Landmark |
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.
Nearby parks and gardens
Sydenham Wells Park is near the former site of mineral springs that were discovered in the C17th, becoming a popular spa whose numerous visitors included King George III. The spa's success led to the building of larger houses, and wealthy people began to settle in the area. The opening of Crystal Park encouraged further influx. Sydenham Wells Park opened as a public park in 1901 following a campaign to save the land from being built over by housing development. The park was laid out with broad paths, ornamental plantations and a miniature watercourse designed in imitation of the River Rhine as well as a wide variety of sports facilities. While retaining much of its early layout, the park has continued to develop in response to changing needs of the park users.
Mayow Park opened in June 1878 as Sydenham Recreation Ground and is Lewisham's second oldest public open space after Blackheath. It was later named after Mayow Wynell Adams, the Mayow family having acquired land here in the C18th, which was once been part of Westwood Common. The land for the new recreation ground was sold at well below its market value to Lewisham Board of Works in 1877, following an active campaign to achieve this and raise the necessary money for a much-needed public facility. The recreation ground opened on 1 June 1878. The design of the park is little altered since it was laid out although a bowling green and tennis courts were added on the south side in the mid C20th, and the park once had an aviary. A drinking fountain was erected in recognition of the efforts of the Revd. William Taylor Jones of Sydenham College in acquiring the land for the park. Among the trees are pedunculate oak that pre-date the 1870s layout, which indicate old farmland field boundaries.
Dacres Wood Nature Reserve is on the site of the former garden of a Victorian house called Irongates. It takes its name from Dacre House, which was once located in the area, owned in 1767 by Sir Samuel Fludyer for whom the grounds were laid out with advice from 'Capability' Brown. In the early C19th the route of the Croydon Canal went through the site; after the Canal closed in 1836 it was purchased by London & Croydon Railway Company and a number of the old loops were infilled and built over, one becoming part of Irongates' garden. Irongates was demolished by 1962 and flats built, the site of its garden passing to the GLC and then to Lewisham Council who originally intended to build further housing. The former garden was taken over by Lewisham Parks Department in 1984 and became a nature reserve in 1989. Relics of the former Croydon Canal loop were discovered here in 1990; a pond was formed by digging out the canal bed, with a new pond created in the north.
