Bermondsey Churches, Southwark, London

Burgums and Burghams lived here, or nearby.

BERMONDSEY ST MARY MAGDALEN lies in the London Borough of Southwark. The existing building is late 17th century and is Grade II listed. An earlier church was recorded on this site in 1290, but it was demolished in 1680. However the the late medieval tower was retained together with its' gothic window and arches. In 1705 a north gallery was added and a south gallery in 1794. The exterior of the church was rendered in 1829. In 1830 the west end and the tower were remodelled. A school and portico were removed at that time.

Further improvements were made over the years. In 1852 the interior was redecorated in a Gothic Revival style. In 1883 the chancel was lengthened. Despite surviving the bombing in the Second World War, the interior of the west end was damaged by fire in 1971. In 1994 the exterior was again re-rendered. There are two medieval carved stone capitals inside the church, which are thought to have come from Bermondsey Abbey. The churchyard was full and therefore closed to burials in 1854; this was common in most London churchyards.

© Copyright John Goodall and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

BERMONDSEY ST JOHN HORSLEYDOWN was built between 1727 and 1733 in Fair Street, South London. The church was simple with an aisled nave, but it was its distinctive spire consisting of a fine tapering spire supporting a weather vane with a comet attatched. Pevsner described the church as "a stately building, all stone-faced, the west face severely bare, without a portico, the north side symmetrical with two outer slightly projecting bays and a central big Venetian window." The church was badly damaged by a bomb on 20th September 1940 during the Blitz, but parts of it remained open. Only the west, north and east walls were standing by 1952. In 1956a rebuilding plan was approved, but it came to nothing. The last ever baptism took place in 1960 and the church finally closed in 1968. The church has since been demolished. The engraving on the right of the parish church of St John Horsleydown (as seen from the northwest) is by John Buckler (1770-1851).

The list below shows the baptism that took place at Bermondsey.

Name	Date	Location	BMD	Minister	Notes	FT
John Burgum	05 Feb 1762	Bermondsey St Magdalen	Baptism		P=John + Jane Burgum
John Burgum	23 Oct 1806	Bermondsey St John	Burial		Age 70; b.1736?
Jane Burgum	09 Jun 1793	Bermondsey St John	Burial