St Mary's Church, Chislehurst

St Mary's Church
51°24′28″N 0°04′20″E / 51.4077°N 0.0722°E / 51.4077; 0.0722
OS grid reference	TQ442696
Location	Chislehurst
Country	England
Denomination	Catholic
Website	Official website
History
Status	Parish church
Founder(s)	Henry Bowden
Dedication	Saint Mary
Consecrated	23 April 1943
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Heritage designation	Grade II listed
Designated	29 June 1973
Architect(s)	William Wardell
Style	Gothic Revival
Groundbreaking	8 December 1853
Completed	8 August 1854
Administration
Province	Southwark
Archdiocese	Southwark
Deanery	Bromley[1]
Parish	St Mary's

St Mary's Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Chislehurst, the Borough of Bromley, London. It was built from 1853 to 1854, and was designed by William Wardell. Wardell, a friend of the architect Augustus Pugin, built the church in a similar Gothic Revival style. It is located on the corner of Crown Lane and Hawkwood Lane to the south of Chislehurst. The church is a Grade II listed building.^[2]

In 1874, the church was expanded. A chapel, designed by Henry Clutton was added to the church. It was built to house the tomb of Napoleon III, who died the previous year, spending his last years in exile in nearby Camden Place. In 1879, Napoleon's son, Louis-Napoléon, Prince Imperial, or Napoleon IV, also died and was also buried in the church. In 1888, their tombs were moved to Farnborough Abbey. Around the church is a graveyard, dating to 1864, and contains the tomb of Charles West, the founder of Great Ormond Street Hospital.^[3]