Church of All Saints

About

All Saints' Blackheath is an Anglican parish church in Blackheath, London. Today a Grade II listed building, it was opened in November 1858 by the Bishop of London and was designed by Benjamin Ferrey.

History: Until the early 19th century, the hamlet of Blackheath south of the common was served by churches in nearby Greenwich, Lee, Lewisham and Charlton. In 1854, residents appealed for the building of their own church, and, in 1857, construction of a parish church was agreed. Land on the southern edge of the common was donated by William Legge, 5th Earl of Dartmouth, and he laid the foundation stone on 26 October 1857. On All Saints’ Day, 1 November 1858, the Bishop of London, Archibald Campbell Tait, consecrated the church, which had been designed by the architect Benjamin Ferrey; construction continued until 1867. From 1867 to 1905, the church formed part of the Diocese of Rochester; it now falls under the Diocese of Southwark. The church hosted choirs assembled by Sir Arthur Sullivan and Gustav Holst; the opera composer Alfred Cellier was organist from 1862 to 1866, playing an organ made by Hill & Son in 1859 (and later enlarged by them). A memorial screen commemorating local...