St Margaret's Church, Barking

St Margaret's Church, also called the Church of St Margaret of Antioch, is an important Church of England building in Barking, East London. It has been carefully protected as a Grade I listed building because of its special history and beauty. The church stands on land that has been used for worship since the 1200s, right next to the old ruins of Barking Abbey. Barking Abbey was once a big monastery for the Roman Catholic faith, started long ago in the year 600.

The church is named after a kind and brave woman named Margaret the Virgin, who is also called Margaret of Antioch. People have come to this place to pray and celebrate for many hundreds of years, making it a very special part of the community's history.

History

The church started as a small chapel for people living near Barking Abbey. Its oldest part, called the chancel, was built in the early 1200s when King John ruled. In 1300, it became a proper parish church thanks to Anne de Vere, who was in charge of the Abbey.

Over the years, the church has seen many changes. After the Abbey was closed down, control of the church passed to the Crown and later to All Souls College, Oxford. Important people, like politician Charles Montagu and explorer James Cook, have connections to the church. Inside, you can find memorials and beautiful old parts. The church was officially protected as important in 1954 and had an extension added in the late 1900s.

Present day

In the late 1970s, St Margaret's Church joined with two other churches in Barking to form a team parish. But in 2017, the other two churches got their own parishes back, so St Margaret's became smaller.

St Margaret's is special because it has three church leaders, called churchwardens, instead of the usual two. In 2007, two small stones from the old London Bridge were put together in a sculpture in front of the church. This was part of artworks placed in Barking Town Centre by an artist named Joost Van Santen.

The church follows both Anglo-Catholic and open evangelical traditions.

Notable clergy

Many priests who worked at St Margaret's Church later became important leaders in the church. For example, Hugh Jermyn served as a priest here and later became a bishop in different places, and Robin Smith, who was a helper priest here in 1962, also became a bishop many years later.

The church has had many priests over the centuries, including some well-known names like John Greening, John Frothingham, and Trevor Mwamba, who served as a bishop in Botswana before coming to St Margaret's.

Christenings, weddings and burials

Marriages

On December 21, 1762, famous explorer and mapmaker Captain James Cook married Elizabeth Batts at this church. Elizabeth's father, Samuel Batts, ran the Bell Inn in Wapping and helped guide Cook's early career.

Burials

Daniel Day (1682–1767), who started the Fairlop Fair, was buried using wood from a branch that fell from the Fairlop Oak. At the time, Fairlop was part of the ancient parish of Barking.

Henry Fanshawe (1506–1568) served in England's Parliament during Queen Elizabeth I's time and worked closely with the queen until he passed away in 1568.

Sir Charles Montagu (c.1564–1625) was a politician from Barking, Essex, who served in government for many years. He was buried here, and a special wall picture still shows him dressed for battle, with words remembering his life and a kind gift he gave to people in Barking.