St Dunstan's, Stepney

For the civil parish abolished in 1866, see Stepney (parish).

St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney
Denomination	Church of England
Churchmanship	Modern Inclusive Anglo Catholic
Website	Official website of St Dunstan's
History
Dedication	St Dunstan and All Saints
Administration
Parish	Stepney
Deanery	Tower Hamlets
Archdeaconry	Hackney
Diocese	Diocese of London
Province	Canterbury
Clergy
Rector	The Rev'd Trevor F Critchlow
Laity
Organist(s)	Richard Salmon
Churchwarden(s)	Eileen Longstaff

St Dunstan's, Stepney is an Anglican Church which stands on a site that has been used for Christian worship for over a thousand years. It is located in Stepney High Street, in Stepney, London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

History

In about AD 952 the Bishop of London — who is also Lord of the Manor of Stepney — replaced the existing wooden structure with a stone church dedicated to All the Saints. In 1029, when Dunstan was canonised, the church was rededicated to St Dunstan and All Saints, a dedication it has retained.

Up until the early fourteenth century the church served the whole of Middlesex east of the City of London. Then new churches were built at Whitechapel and Bow. The existing building is the third on the site and was built of Kentish ragstone mainly in the fifteenth century (although the chancel dates from 200 years earlier). A porch and octagonal parish room were added in 1872.

The church was restored extensively in 1899, at a cost of £5,600. The vestries and some of the main building were destroyed by fire on 12 October 1901, including the organ which had carvings by Grinling Gibbons. The restoration cost £7,084.

Bells

The ring of ten bells, the heaviest weighing 28¾ hundredweight, which hang in the belfry, were cast at the local Whitechapel Bell Foundry and are tuned to C#. The seven oldest bells were cast by Thomas Mears and Son, Whitechapel, in 1806. The bells were re-hung in 1899. Three were recast in 1952 when repairs were made to the tower. The bells are mentioned in the nursery rhyme Oranges and Lemons: "When will that be, say the bells of Stepney."

Monuments

Buried here is Lord Darnley, the elder brother of the husband of Mary Queen of Scots. He died aged 12. His resting place is marked with a 12 feet (3.7 m) slab of Purbeck marble.

Churchyard

The church is surrounded by a churchyard of nearly seven acres (28,000 m²). In 1658 William Greenhill was appointed vicar whilst retaining his position as a preacher at Stepney Meeting House. He held this post for about seven years, till he was ejected immediately after the Restoration in 1660.

Shortly after this, the churchyard was enlarged to cope with the massive number of deaths during the Great Plague of London. In one eighteen-month period 6,583 died, with 154 being buried in one day in September 1665.

The church has a long, traditional link with the sea and many sailors were buried here. It was once known as the 'Church of the High Seas'. The graveyard is also where Roger Crab, the 17th-century hermit who lived on a diet solely of herbs, roots, leaves, grass and water, is buried.

Current activities

The church continues to be open to visitors and worshippers from all over the world. There is an active congregation who help to continue the life of the church community. As well as the Arbour Centre (a St Dunstan's community project), there is a close connection with two schools: Stepney Greencoat Church of England Primary School and Sir John Cass and Redcoat Church of England Secondary School. St Dunstan's also employs a Children and Community Worker funded by the Bishop of London's Mission Fund.

See also

• List of churches and cathedrals of London

External links

• St Dunstan and All Saints', Stepney
• The Arbour
• Sir John Cass and Redcoat Church of England Secondary School
• Stepney Greencoat Church of England Primary School

Churches in Brent
Ancient parish churches (pre-1800)	Old St Andrew's Church, Kingsbury St Mary's Church, Willesden
Anglican daughter churches	St Gabriels, Cricklewood St James Church Alperton St Matthew's Church, Willesden
Other denominations	Cricklewood Baptist Church

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Churches in Croydon
Ancient parish churches (pre-1800)	All Saints, Sanderstead St John the Baptist, Croydon St John the Evangelist, Coulsdon St Mary the Blessed Virgin, Addington
Anglican daughter churches	St John the Evangelist, Upper Norwood

Churches in Greenwich
Ancient parish churches (pre-1800)	St Alfege, Greenwich St John the Baptist, Eltham St Luke, Charlton St Mary Magdalen, Woolwich St Nicholas, Deptford St Nicholas, Plumstead
Anglican daughter churches	Church Army Chapel, Blackheath
Other denominations	New Wine Church, Woolwich

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Churches in Harrow
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Churches in Redbridge
Ancient parish churches (pre-1800)	St Mary, Wanstead St Mary, Woodford
Anglican daughter churches	Ilford Hospital Chapel
Other denominations	Our Lady of Lourdes, Wanstead

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