England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
West Wickham St John the Baptist

The Parish

The parish of West Wickham lies in the extreme west of Kent, indeed it forms a part of the border with neighbouring Surrey. West Wickham is located about 3 miles south of the London suburb of Bromley and is largely contiguous with that place having been absorbed into the spread of the metropolis in recent times. West Wickham sits on the A232 road which connects Orpington through to the Surrey town of Croydon. Whilst West Wickham was a separate village at the time of this transcript with an economy largely based on arable farming it has gradually assumed a more urban character as Greater London has spread outwards to the foot of the North Downs on which lower slopes West Wickham sits. West Wickham is drained northwards by a number of small, man-modified streams to eventually reach the Thames Estuary through Deptford Creek. West Wickham is sited at around 60 metres above the sea, albeit the church sits some 20 metres higher and land rises towards the North Downs to West Wickham's south to local heights of around 130 metres. West Wickham parish was of a fairly typical size for this area, it covered just over 1,600 acres and would have supported a population of around 650 parishioners, nowadays as a commutable suburb of London the population is much higher. In Domesday times West Wickham was relatively small, it was held by Bishop Odo of Bayeux and could offer just 6 ploughs although it did possess a mill.

The Church

St John the Baptist's church sits a little away from the main housing area of the parish, a few hundred yards down a short lane west of Layhams Road. The church has received many rebuilds and restorations which makes it difficult to establish the true dates of the building. Much has been reused to further complicate matters. It is clear, however, that the church probably dates from the 14th century (Pevsner cites the chapel arches as being original and of this date) whilst many of the reused windows show a 15th century style. What is certain is that in 1847 the nave, northern aisle and the southwestern tower were almost completely rebuilt using the local flint to great effect. Modifications have continued into the 20th century when the chancel was remodeled to accommodate a first-floor vestry. The churchyard is set amongst playing fields, crossed by its access road, and sits close to Wickham Court School. A rather open lychgate grants access to a rather crowded churchyard, the trees considerably impeding angles for photography.