Description
St Mary's Catholic Church was built in 1853 to serve the Catholic community in Chislehurst. The land it was built on was given by Captain Henry Bowden, who also endowed the church, set in a rural environment near Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray Commons. In 1870 the exiled Imperial French family, Napoleon III, the Empress Eugenie and their son, the Prince Imperial, took residence in Camden Place, Chislehurst, then owned by Nathaniel Strode, a firm francophile. The Imperial family brought Chislehurst and St Mary's into greater prominence; after the Emperor's death a Mortuary Chapel was erected at the behest of the Empress on the south side of the church to house his sarcophagus. St Mary's churchyard is the burial place for many people of note, including Captain Bowden, past parish priests and French names are found on a number of the tombstones.
Practical Information
| Site location | Crown Lane / Hawkwood Lane, Chislehurst |
|---|---|
| Postcode | BR7 5PL |
| What3Words | ///even.party.tuck |
| Type of Site | Churchyard |
| Borough | Bromley |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | unrestricted (churchyard) |
| Public Transport | Rail: Chislehurst then bus. Bus: 162, 269, 61, 160 |
| Research Updated | 4 January 2023 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
St Mary's Catholic Church and its churchyard are set in a rural environment, near Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray Commons (q.v.). A Roman Catholic parish in the Archdiocese of Southwark, St Mary's Chislehurst has been a centre for Catholic worship for over 150 years. The Catholic faith was almost certainly established in Chislehurst by the C11th and continued until the Reformation. The parish came into being at a time when Catholicism was being revitalised in England and notable public figures were returning to the old faith. Newman became a Catholic in 1845 and this provoked much interest in, and controversy around the Church and its doctrines. Among the many converts was a Captain Henry Bowden of the Scots Fusilier Guards who lived in Chislehurst in a house called 'The Coopers'. After he became a Catholic he arranged for Mass to be said in 'The Coopers' and it continued to be celebrated here for the small congregation of Catholics until St. Mary's was built through the munificence of Captain Bowden, who both endowed the church and gave the land on which it was erected.
The foundation stone was laid on 8 December 1853, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary to whom the church is dedicated. The architecture is Early English Gothic in style, constructed of ragstone with Bathstone dressings, and originally had a nave with south porch, chancel, two sacristies and an adjoining residence for the parish priest. It opened for public worship on 8 August 1854 at which time it was very much a village church, surrounded by countryside. Much of this rural character remains and St Mary's, in its setting with the meadow sloping away beyond the churchyard, reminds us of its former country situation.
In 1870 the exiled Imperial French family, Napoleon III, the Empress Eugenie and their son, the Prince Imperial, arrived in Chislehurst and took residence in Camden Place, now Chislehurst Golf Club (q.v.). Camden Place was owned by Nathaniel Strode, a firm francophile, who had bought the estate in 1860. The Imperial family brought Chislehurst and St Mary's into greater prominence. The Emperor died on 9 January 1873 and his body was placed in the sacristy of St Mary's on 15 January. At the Empress's behest a Mortuary Chapel was built on the south side of St Mary's, a Portland stone building in early French Gothic style with a rose window, where the Emperor's body was laid in a granite sarcophagus, given by Queen Victoria. A memorial to the Prince Imperial, who died in June 1879, is also found near the sacristy; his body had been brought to the church on 12 July. In 1889 the Empress had the Emperor's sarcophagus and the Prince's coffin moved to the crypt of St Michael's Abbey in Farnborough, but the spot where the sarcophagus rested is marked by a slab of black marble. From 1871-92 the priest at St Mary's was Monsignor Isaac Goddard who became closely connected with the Imperial family, and was both friend and tutor to the Prince. He was responsible for erecting the memorial to the Prince that can be seen in the church. During his tenure provision was made for the growing Catholic population of the parish; a chapel of ease and school were opened in St Mary Cray, a schoolroom was built in 1873, restoration works were carried out to the church in 1878, and the presbytery was enlarged in 1883. In 1889 a new parish of Bromley and Bickley was created out of St Mary's parish. However in the 1890s it emerged that the parish was somewhat neglected and the cemetery and school were both closed. The congregation declined as new parishes were formed in Sidcup and Orpington, although restoration and improvements did take place under Father Augustine Mary Boone.
St Mary's churchyard is the burial place for many people of note, including the parish founder Captain Bowden, his wife and relatives as well as other parishioners. Graves of other well-known people include that of Doctor West who founded Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, and that of the illegitimate infant daughter of the Irish statesman Charles Stewart Parnell and Kitty O'Shea. Also buried here are parish priests Father Firderer and Father O'Beime, Captain Bowden's priest son, William John Bowden and a French priest Pierre Frechein, as well as a convert Anglican clergyman, the Reverend Henry Oxenham of Balliol College, Oxford. A number of French names are to be found on the tombstones, including that of Joseph Poniatowski, Senator of the French Empire, a composer of operas.
The foundation stone was laid on 8 December 1853, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary to whom the church is dedicated. The architecture is Early English Gothic in style, constructed of ragstone with Bathstone dressings, and originally had a nave with south porch, chancel, two sacristies and an adjoining residence for the parish priest. It opened for public worship on 8 August 1854 at which time it was very much a village church, surrounded by countryside. Much of this rural character remains and St Mary's, in its setting with the meadow sloping away beyond the churchyard, reminds us of its former country situation.
In 1870 the exiled Imperial French family, Napoleon III, the Empress Eugenie and their son, the Prince Imperial, arrived in Chislehurst and took residence in Camden Place, now Chislehurst Golf Club (q.v.). Camden Place was owned by Nathaniel Strode, a firm francophile, who had bought the estate in 1860. The Imperial family brought Chislehurst and St Mary's into greater prominence. The Emperor died on 9 January 1873 and his body was placed in the sacristy of St Mary's on 15 January. At the Empress's behest a Mortuary Chapel was built on the south side of St Mary's, a Portland stone building in early French Gothic style with a rose window, where the Emperor's body was laid in a granite sarcophagus, given by Queen Victoria. A memorial to the Prince Imperial, who died in June 1879, is also found near the sacristy; his body had been brought to the church on 12 July. In 1889 the Empress had the Emperor's sarcophagus and the Prince's coffin moved to the crypt of St Michael's Abbey in Farnborough, but the spot where the sarcophagus rested is marked by a slab of black marble. From 1871-92 the priest at St Mary's was Monsignor Isaac Goddard who became closely connected with the Imperial family, and was both friend and tutor to the Prince. He was responsible for erecting the memorial to the Prince that can be seen in the church. During his tenure provision was made for the growing Catholic population of the parish; a chapel of ease and school were opened in St Mary Cray, a schoolroom was built in 1873, restoration works were carried out to the church in 1878, and the presbytery was enlarged in 1883. In 1889 a new parish of Bromley and Bickley was created out of St Mary's parish. However in the 1890s it emerged that the parish was somewhat neglected and the cemetery and school were both closed. The congregation declined as new parishes were formed in Sidcup and Orpington, although restoration and improvements did take place under Father Augustine Mary Boone.
St Mary's churchyard is the burial place for many people of note, including the parish founder Captain Bowden, his wife and relatives as well as other parishioners. Graves of other well-known people include that of Doctor West who founded Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, and that of the illegitimate infant daughter of the Irish statesman Charles Stewart Parnell and Kitty O'Shea. Also buried here are parish priests Father Firderer and Father O'Beime, Captain Bowden's priest son, William John Bowden and a French priest Pierre Frechein, as well as a convert Anglican clergyman, the Reverend Henry Oxenham of Balliol College, Oxford. A number of French names are to be found on the tombstones, including that of Joseph Poniatowski, Senator of the French Empire, a composer of operas.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ442696 |
|---|---|
| Site Ownership | Archdiocese of Southwark |
| Site Management | St Mary's Catholic Church |
| Dates | 1853 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: St Mary'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 | Bromley |
| In Conservation Area | No |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
Gallery
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
The church of St Nicholas surrounded by its burial ground forms a picturesque group on the edge of Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray Commons. Its tall shingled spire has long been a local landmark. There has probably been a church here since Norman times; the present church is largely C15th with C19th alterations. The churchyard boundaries remained the same from at least 1680 to 1860s, with a lych gate to the south. A sign of the growing suburb was the extension of the churchyard in 1890 on a site previously occupied by 2 cottages, and in 1892 the lych gate was moved to the new boundary. Since then the layout of the churchyard has remained substantially unaltered. There are some good monuments in the church and churchyard, in part accounted for by the fact that the highly influential Walsingham family were Lords of the Manor of Scadbury; their Scadbury Chapel is in the church.
The Commons comprise grassland, heath, ponds and woodland that were once grazing land for Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray. In the mid-C19th encroachment threatened the commonland in order to extract gravel and develop the land for housing, which was opposed by a group of local residents. Their successful challenge led to the Metropolitan Commons (Chislehurst and St Paul's Cray) Supplemental Act passed in 1888, which set up a voluntary Board of Conservators to protect and preserve the land for the benefit of the community. Woodland now covers much of the former scrub and grassland although ancient acid grassland remains in parts. Former gravel pits form the 2 largest ponds now found on the commons and there is also a well-preserved cockpit. Numerous paths cross the commons and a number of recreational facilities are located here, such as the West Kent Cricket Club Ground. The Imperial Memorial is found adjacent to Prince Imperial Road.
Camden Park Golf Course was established for the newly formed Chislehurst Golf Club in 1894 on part of the former C18th landscape park of Camden Place. The old mansion was converted as the golf clubhouse and there are vestiges of parkland planting although it was largely altered when the golf course was laid out.
