About the church

Built: 1954
Architect: C W Fowler
Listing: not listed

The development of West Wickham between the two World Wars necessitated the formation of two new parishes - St Mary of Nazareth and St Francis of Assisi. The parish of St Mary's began as a conventional district in 1933, made up of parts of three neighbouring parishes. A dual purpose church hall was built in 1934 to the design of Martin Travers.  Twenty years later, a church was built on to the church hall, with a vestibule in between with folding doors, enabling all three parts to be merged in one for special occasions, giving a total accommodation of 600. A chapel, dedicated to the Annunciation, and vestries built over the vestibule were dedicated in 1962.

The interior of the church is boat-shaped, with light-coloured bricks. The nave has a single span roof, lancet windows and oak pews and furniture. A memorial window lists the names of fourteen parishioners who died in the Second World War. The chapel has plain white walls, a blue altar frontal and a gold dossal behind the altar. Also in the chapel are two old side panels from the original sanctuary, carved in blue and gold.

A new organ was installed in 1977.

The vicarage, adjacent to the church, was opened and blessed in 1936. The buildings thus form an homogenous whole.