St Luke's Church, Charlton

51°28′54″N 0°02′07″E / 51.48167°N 0.03528°E / 51.48167; 0.03528

Southeast view of the Church of St Luke, Charlton

St Luke's Church in Charlton, London, England, is an Anglican parish church in the Diocese of Southwark.

Records suggest that a church dedicated to St Luke existed on the site around 1077. It was rebuilt in 1630 with funds provided by Sir Adam Newton, of Charlton House.[1] The coat of arms of one of Newton's executors, the Scottish courtier David Cunningham of Auchenharvie is displayed on the pulpit.[2] The 1630s work, constructed of Kentish red brick, forms the core of the present building, which is Grade II* listed. It was modified in the 17th century, again in 1840 and finally in 1956. Remnants of chalk and flint walls have been found and may relate to the original building.[3]

Porch on the south side of the church

The church operated under the aegis of Bermondsey Abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries; thereafter, in 1607, the lands upon which it stood passed to Newton.[4] It now practises the Modern Catholic tradition.[3]

Marriages of notable people at St Luke's include that of Anne Shovell, granddaughter of Sir Cloudesley Shovell, to John Blackwood on 28 July 1726.

  1. ^ "Directory: Visitor attractions: St Luke's Church". Royal Borough of Greenwich. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012.
  2. ^ John Burke, A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies of England (London, 1838), p. 385: Henry Vane, 'Historical Memoir on Charlton', Gentleman's Magazine (May 1865), pp. 576, 580.
  3. ^ a b "Charlton Deanery". Diocese of Southwark. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014.
  4. ^ Hibbert, Christopher; Weinreb, Ben; Keay, Julia; Keay, John (2010). The London Encyclopaedia (Reprinted ed.). Pan Macmillan. p. 781. ISBN 978-1-40504-925-2.