Church in Greenwich Town Centre - St Alfege Greenwich.
The church is built on the traditonal site of the martyrdom of St Alfege, a Saxon Archbishop, taken as hostage in Canterbury and killed here in 1012.
A church has been on this site since medieval times. Henry VIII was baptized here. General James Wolfe is burried here.
This the third church on the site, dates to the early 18th century.
It is Grade I listed.
Church of St Alfege, Greenwich
786/26/G1 GREENWICH CHURCH STREET SE10
19-OCT-51 (West side)
CHURCH OF ST ALFEGE
GV I
GREENWICH CHURCH STREET SE10
4412
(West Side)
Church of St Alfege
TQ 3877 26/G1 19.10.51.
A
2.
1711-14 by Nicholas Hawksmoor. One of the 1st of the "Fifty New Churches" arising
from the Act of 1711. Masons were Edward Strong (who had worked for Wren on
St Paul's Cathedral) and Edward Tufnell. Steeple 1730 by John James, rebuilt
1813. Cruciform church with West tower. Portland stone ashlar. Doric entablature
all the way round, supported on pilasters defining bays. Moderately low pitched
roof now copper covered. Pediment at East end with urn finials at either side.
Doric entablature beneath broken by high, round arch. Centre of East end recessed,
producing portico distyle in antis, with steps up to it but no entrance. Wide,
segment-headed 1st floor window supports, modified entablature with 2 pilasters
rising thence to archivolt. Flat pilasters define back wall of portico. Flanking
windows round arched. Low, flat-arched windows below. Along sides round headed
1st floor windows, in round arches recesses, have aprons below with guttae.
Square ground floor windows in square recesses. In transept ends 3 round arched
doors with plain architraves and impost blocks. Paved terrace in front of them
reaching to gabled crypt entrances. 3 nave windows at either side of transepts.
Square west tower of 4 stages. Ground floor blank with shallow niches and projecting
angle pilasters. Low 2nd stage has oculus with one keystone, and low, round
angle buttresses. Taller, Ionic 3rd stage with paired angle pilasters. Above
this octagonal stage with clock faces and urns at angles. Tall, Corinthian drum,
with oculus above round arch in each of 8 faces, supports dome with stone spike,
ball and vane finial. West entrance in tower has shouldered architrave, triple
keystone, alternating block sides, cornice and pediment. Flanking round he
