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St Richard's Church, Ham
St Richard's Church, Ham
	51°26′2.6772″N 0°18′48.7722″W / 51.434077000°N 0.313547833°W
Location	Ashburnham Road, Ham, Richmond TW10 7LN
Country	England, United Kingdom
Denomination	Church of England
Website	www.achurchnearyou.com/church/650/
History
Status	Church
Founded	19 August 1964
Consecrated	20 May 1966
Architecture
Functional status	Active
Architect(s)	Ralph Covell
Specifications
Number of spires	1
Bells	1
Administration
Diocese	Southwark
Clergy
Vicar(s)	Revd Dr Simon Coupland since 2018
Laity
Organist(s)	Anthony Adkins
Listed Building – Grade II
Official name	Church of St Richard, Ham
Designated	9 February 2024
Reference no.	1488007

St Richard's Church, Ham is an Anglican church on Ashburnham Road, Ham in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. It was founded in 1964 and is dedicated to St Richard of Chichester.

History

The church was built as part of a substantial housing development on land given by the construction company Wates. The foundation stone was laid on 19 September 1964 by Norman Wates. During the construction, Wates provided access to a workmen's hut for the new and rapidly growing congregation to worship in.^[1]

Architect Ralph Covell based the design on the six-pointed Star of David creating an hexagonal space for worship to bring congregation and clergy closer together, as encouraged by the Second Vatican Council. The six sections of the star-shaped roof comprise alternate hyperbolic paraboloid (hypar) shells and pyramidal structures.^[2]

The triangular points of the star form, clockwise from the east, the entrance, lady chapel, parish room (Nash Room), vestry, kitchen and children's area. Henry Haig, then teaching at Kingston School of Art, was commissioned to create the fourteen stained glass windows. Haig also painted the sacristy doors and made the original processional cross. The non-figurative designs of the windows and paintings are inspired by aspects of the life and work of St Richard.^[3]^[4]

The pair of window panels behind the altar of the lady chapel depict the chalice of St Richard. Running clockwise from there the next window depicts the miracle of the fishes. The following pair represent St Richard's gentleness and humour. The ruling bishop's mitre features in the next panel. The next three panels, to the right of the altar, are a group that show St Richard's power and strength in the outer panels with the central one representing the initial suppression of Richard's power by Henry III. The following panel represents St Richard's miracle at Candlemas and the next two represent St Richard the gardener and the growth of plants. The next depicts birth whilst the pair flanking the entrance represent St Richard's death with one showing hands pressing down on the chalice and releasing the soul whilst the other shows gifts left at the tomb.^[4]

The tracker organ with electric blower, single manual keyboard, small pedal keyboard and nine stops, originally made in about 1900 by Bevington and Sons of London, was rebuilt in the church in 1965 by N. P. Mander Ltd.^[4]

On 20 May 1966 the church was consecrated to St Richard of Chichester by the Right Reverend Mervyn Stockwood, then Bishop of Southwark.

The kitchen and facilities for disabled people were improved in 1998.^[1] The children's area was developed in 2003 with the addition of folding screens and a mural. A large wooden cross that stands on the mound outside the church was constructed by local young people in 2006.^[5]^[4]

The church was listed Grade II in February 2024.^[2]^[6]

Church activities

A weekly Parish Communion is held at 10 am on Sunday and is followed by tea and coffee. A Said Communion is held on Tuesday at 10 am.^[4]

Community use

The church is linked to the adjacent St Richard's CE Primary School which uses the church for assemblies and other activities.^[7] The church space is also used by various community groups as well as those connected with the church. Users include a play group, a choir and a martial arts group.^[8]

References

^ ^a ^b Chave, Leonard, ed. (1 May 2000). Ham and Petersham at 2000. Ham Amenities Group / Richmond Local History Society. p. 53. ISBN 9780952209942.
^ ^a ^b Historic England (9 February 2024). "Church of St Richard, Ham (1488007)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
^ "Glass of Haig". Dorset Life. March 2013. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e About the Church, St Richard's Church, Ham, 20 May 2010 (Information sheet)
^ "The Building and its History". St Richard's Church, Ham. 2006. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
^ Coupland, Simon (2024). "St Richard's Church is listed". Ham & Petersham Community Magazine (Summer 2024): 10–11.
^ "History". St Richard's CE Primary School. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
^ "Community Activities". St Richard's Church, Ham. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 16 April 2013.