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Parish of St. Mary the Virgin, Lewisham

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A brief History of
St Mary’s
by Julian Watson

Origins
Lewisham people have worshipped here for at least a thousand years. The site of the church is close to, and almost certainly linked with, the ancient well at nearby Ladywell. Although the foundation date of the church is not known a tenth century charter, confirming the gift of Lewisham and the surrounding area to the Abbey of St. Peter’s in Ghent, refers to “churches.” The ownership by St.Peter’s Ghent continued from the tenth century to 1414.

INDEX
The Medieval Church - Abraham Colfe - The Tower - The Vicarage
Re-Building 1774 - The Fire 1830 - Restoration 1881
Re-Ordering 1995 - The Churchyard - Historic Articles - Organ History

Dury and Andrews map of 1769 showing the church’s central position in Lewisham’s long village street. (Greenwich Local History Library)
Top picture: Litho by Day and Haghe 1820. A view from the old Ladywell Bridge (A.R.Martin Collection - Lewisham Local Studies Library)

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Complete History publication