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This magnificent Georgian church
was erected on the site of an earlier church that marked the
martyrdom of St Alfege, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury.
The Archbishop was murdered on
this spot by Danish invaders in 1012, after refusing to sanction
a demand for ransom that would have secured his release.
A slab in the pavement of the chancel commemorates this event.
For two centuries Greenwich Palace
stood in the parish. Henry VIII was born at the palace,
then known as Placentia, in 1491, and baptised at the old
church.
The present church, dating from
1712 - 18, was rebuilt under the Fifty New Churches Act of
1711. This act aimed
to combat the spread of Non-Conformism to the established
Church of England.
The magnificent church is one
of the finest designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor, whose distinctive
and powerful design has columns and pediments surmounted by
urns.
The east end, which faces the
centre of Greenwich, is dramatic, divided by four Doric
pilasters at the sides and two columns in the middle and surmounted
by a pediment, crowned with three vast urns. The columns
frame the recessed east window and above this an arch breaks
through into the pediment itself. In 1730 John James
encased the surviving tower of the old church, and added a
steeple, in the style of James Gibbs.
St Alfege's, which suffered bomb
damage in 1941, was restored after World War II by Sir Albert
Richardson.
The post-war interior of St Alfege's
has reproduced Hawksmore's design and fittings. The
shallow arch and pilasters that frame the apse at the east
end retain the 18th century monochrome murals by Thornhill.
However, his superb trompe l'oeil painting in the apse was
redone by Glyn Jones in the post-war restoration. The
carved dark wood reredos consists of four Corinthian columns
and a straight entablature directly beneath the east window,
flanked by pairs of Corinthian columns which appear to support
the arch of the window.
The original wrought iron altar
and gallery rails are attributed to Jean Tijou. A Huguenot
refugee, Tijou was one of the best craftsman in wrought iron.
The stained glass of the east window, depicting the Risen
Christ, was created by Ruskin Spear in 1953, who also designed
the aisle windows, representing historical scenes of the church
and parish, in 1956.
A south aisle window, commemorates
the 16th century composer and organist, Thomas Tallis, who
is buried here. There is also brass plate marking the
tomb of General Woolfe, who died in 1759 fighting the French
at Quebec.
St Alfege's has supported a number
of charities over the years, including the Royal Hospital
for mariners, Trinity Hospital and local almshouses.
Admission free
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