St Mildred's Church, Whippingham

Coordinates: 50°44′24″N 01°16′37″W / 50.74000°N 1.27694°W / 50.74000; -1.27694

St Mildred's Church, Whippingham

St Mildred's Church, Whippingham, c. 1910
Denomination Church of England
Churchmanship Broad Church
Website
History
Dedication St Mildred
Administration
Parish Whippingham
Diocese Portsmouth
Province Canterbury

St Mildred's Church, Whippingham is the Church of England parish church of the village of Whippingham, Isle of Wight.

History

The village of Whippingham, and St. Mildred's Church as its parish church, are best known for their connections with Queen Victoria. Whippingham was the centre of a royal estate supporting Osborne House and Barton Manor.

Queen Victoria took a close interest in 'her people' in Whippingham. This is reflected in the many memorials in St. Mildred's Church which commemorate members of the Royal Family and household, and Prince Albert took an active role in the redesigning of the church building. The chancel of the church was built in 1854 and 1855 by the architect Albert Jenkins Humbert[1] although Prince Albert is thought to have had a guiding hand. The remainder of the church was constructed in 1861 and 1862. A side chapel is dedicated to the Battenberg/Mountbatten family.

The church is now in a united benefice with St. James's Church, East Cowes.

Interior

Inside the church, there are brilliant rose windows and a large octagonal lantern in the centre.

Organ

A specification of the organ can be found on the National Pipe Organ Register.

Memorials

A number of memorials in the church commemorate members of Queen Victoria's family and household. [2]

Burials

Tomb of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg, with their son's ashes casket set into the wall above

St. Mildred's Church contains the last resting places of several members of the Battenberg/Mountbatten family. Inside the church, in a side chapel called the 'Battenberg Chapel', are buried:

Exterior

Grave of Uffa Fox, showing lifeboat of his design on parachute

The church has a tower reminiscent of a castle on the Rhine, with five soaring pinnacles.

Churchyard

In the churchyard are the graves of Prince Louis of Battenberg and his wife, Princess Victoria; also Uffa Fox, the yachtsman and designer.[3]

The churchyard contains war graves of 7 Commonwealth service personnel, 4 from World War I and 3 from World War II.[4]

References

  1. The Buildings of England, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Nikolaus Pevsner
  2. "Whippingham : St Mildred's Church". Isle of Wight Family History Society.
  3. "The Churchyard & Grounds". St Mildred's Church, Whippingham.
  4. CWGC Cemetery Report. Breakdown obtained from casualty record.
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