Place Name
Originally called Hubert Road, after Hugh or Hubert de Burgh. All Saints, South Wimbledon, was formed in 1892, to cater for the rapidly expanding population attracted to the area by the growth of London’s transport network. The church, in Haydon Road, however, was never finished. The original grand concept was for a church with a central nave and north and south aisles, a masterplan that was only abandoned some ten years after the consecration, due to lack of finance. That said, the church as it stands is Grade II listed. The Good Shepherd window in the central section was the work of Charles Eamer Kempe, a prominent stained glass artist, and, as such, is of considerable historical interest. Kempe’s windows appear in several cathedrals including Wakefield and Gloucester, and he was additionally responsible for the restoration of the windows in Kings College Chapel, Cambridge. The design of the font was adapted from that the one in the Baptistry of St. Mark’s, Venice. Sir John Murray – the publisher – was one of the earliest benefactors of All Saints’, dying one month prior to the consecration of the permanent church.
