History |
| The first chapel in Mortlake stood on the river side of the High Street, on a site now occupied by Mortlake Brewery. The present churchyard and church were given to the parish by King Henry VIII in 1543. The churchyard was originally much smaller, surrounding the Tudor church, of which only the Tower remains.
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| The churchyard was extended to the south in 1742 and1799 with gifts of land and was the sole burial place for parishioners for over three. centuries. It was closed in 1854 when a new cemetery was opened in South Worple Way. A further: addition was made in 1950 when some ancient houses along the High, Street were demolished.
The earliest surviving tomb is that of John Partridge, the astrologer (d.1715). Other famous people include a Prime Minister, Lord Sidmouth (d.1844), arid three Lord Mayors. There are vaults for well-known local families such as the Temples, Gilpins and Penrhyns. Other tombs recall craftsmen and tradesmen, such as the potters Sanders and Kishere, the market gardener Grayson and the Woodliss family of masons, who made many of the headstones. The Information Board near the old arch will help you with further details and show you where to find some of these features. |
| Wildlife |
| A quiet open space with plenty of different habitats and good sources, the Churchyard is a haven for wildlife. The most visible features are the trees - chestnut, yew, elder, holly, cherry, willow and the non-native sycamore. All but the latter potentially support a large number of species from the tiniest insect or fungus up to birds and squirrels. There are also excellent shrubs and plants providing nectar and fruit for our wildlife visitors, which include ivy, lavender, Christmas box, roses and brambles. If you cross Church Path you will see that the southwestern corner has been designated as a wildlife area and we are encouraging wild flowers and weeds to flourish here, |
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Some of our wildlife is very visible - squirrels, pigeons and the common garden birds are frequent visitors. A flock of long-tailed tits was observed by our local Wildlife Officer as a sign that we had a good habitat. A fox track crosses the Churchyard and we have also found some resident hedgehogs during work parties. Our one foray into bee-keeping resulted in calamity when the bees swarmed during our Summer Garden Party, though the apiarist who had provided the hive assured us that a swarm is harmless. |
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| We have also taken steps to introduce less common visitors. An owl box has been erected and some hooting has been heard although the box appears to be occupied by squirrels. We have purchased three bat boxes and we will be planting evening primroses to encourage the night-flying moths that the bats feed on.
We are planning to construct a wet garden in the wild area to encourage frogs, toads and slow worms. We have commenced building a log pile to provide a habitat for stag beetles and intend to introduce further wildflowers in this area to encourage a greater range of butterflies and moths. In the long term we will need to replace the sycamores with more valuable trees such as oak, rowan, birch, hawthorn or crab apple.
Reports of interesting wildlife observations in the churchyard are welcomed. Please contact us - our details are given overleaf.
The Friends of Mortlake Churchyard
In the 1980's this churchyard was derelict but funds were raised locally towards its restoration. The project was carried out to a sensitive design prepared by Allan Hart and completed in 1989. The Friends of Mortlake Churchyard was then launched as an association with the objective of maintaining the historic churchyard.
The Friends ensure that the churchyard is attractive to look at, is sympathetic to wildlife and is maintained as a resource for the whole community, helping people make connections with others in various ways. An annual programme of events is organised, including a summer garden party, and members receive regular newsletters. Our success was recognised by reaching the finals in the Best Kept Churchyard Competition 2001.
We hope you enjoyed your visit. Please support our efforts to continue to maintain the churchyard by making a donation to our funds or by joining the Friends. Please ask for a membership leaflet, or download a subscription form here Back to Top |
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