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
| Previously known as | Chessington Parish Church |
|---|---|
| Site location | Church Lane/Garrison Lane, Chessington |
| Postcode | KT9 2DR |
| What3Words | ///remedy.pens.employ |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Kingston |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted |
| Public Transport | Rail: Chessington South/Chessington North. Bus: 71, 467. |
| Research Updated | 1 April 2012 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full 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.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ184635 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Diocese of Guildford |
| Site Management | Churchyard: RBK: Grounds maintenance contractor: Quadron Services Ltd |
| Dates | medieval |
| 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 | Kingston |
| 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.
Nearby parks and gardens
Church Fields Recreation Ground was laid out on fields adjacent to Chessington Parish Church of St Mary to serve the expanding population of the area in the C20th. At the end of WWII, VE Day Services were held in the recreation ground. It is largely open fields with scattered trees, the grass left long in parts and otherwise used for sports with a playground, playing fields and a bowling green leased to a club. Shrubs and trees are on the perimeter and there are small nature conservation areas.
The borough boundary is on an ancient lane called Chessington Park Lane, which is on the eastern boundary of Castle Hill. Earthworks here are believed to be the remains of a medieval hunting lodge that was at the northern end of a medieval deer park owned by Merton College, Oxford, so-called after William Merton, Lord of the Manor, who had enabled poor scholars to go to Oxford University. The deer park had extended to Park Farm in the south, and Bonesgate Stream to the west. Previously oak woodland, it was cleared of trees by the C19th for fields and meadows. A small area of woodland near the earthwork was planted in the C19th and a path runs through the site to Horton Country Park. It is managed as a local nature reserve.
Once the southern part of Surbiton Common, on the 1838 Enclosure map what is now Causeway Copse was marked as Gooseberry Hill, prior to which it had been known as Gosborough Hyll or Gosbury Hill. The woodland was owned by Merton Priory, and in 1537 was leased to William Saunders, requiring high standards of management. It remains partly wooded and is now a small park with a playground, surrounded by housing, reached through a narrow path from The Causeway by Durbin Road.