St Benet Fink Church, Tottenham Explained

St Benet Fink
Fullname:Parish Church of St Benet Fink
Pushpin Map:United Kingdom Greater London
Coordinates:51.5974°N -0.0911°W
Denomination:Church of England
Churchmanship:Traditional Catholic
Website:www.stbenetfink.org.uk
Founded Date: - but see note below
Dedication:Saint Benedict
Consecrated Date:1912-05-15
Status:Church
Functional Status:Active
Architectural Type:Mini-Cathedral
Groundbreaking:1911-06-03
Spire Quantity:One
Materials:Red brick walls, slate roof.
Parish:St. Benet Fink, Tottenham
Deanery:Haringey
Archdeaconry:Hampstead
Episcopalarea:Edmonton
Diocese:London
Province:Canterbury
Bishop:Rt Revd Jonathan Baker (AEO)
Vicar:Fr James Hill SSC
Organist:Ian Bednall

St Benet Fink, Tottenham, is an Anglican church in Tottenham, London.

History

Early history

See main article: St Benet Fink. The original St Benet Fink church was in Threadneedle Street in the City of London and is first mentioned in 1216. At an unknown prior date a Saint Benedict's Church had been rebuilt with a gift from one Robert Finke.

Name

Benet is short for Benedict from Saint Benedict. Historically, if there was more than one church in an area dedicated to a particular Saint then the benefactor's name was added to the church's name, hence Benet Fink.

20th century

In 1904, a mission to this district was established and a Tin Tabernacle opened in Granger Road in 1905, dedicated to St Luke, while funds were raised to build a permanent building. The current church was built during 1911 and 1912, and at its consecration on 15 May 1912, the Bishop of London referred to it as "the little Cathedral"; given its light and airy interior, reminiscent of Gothic cathedral architecture, it is easy to see why. The architect was J. S. Alder, and St Benet's is said to be his most complete and unaltered church. The spire houses a single bell, as was common architectural practice at the beginning of the last century; the building has a Grade II listing. The symbols in the windows are the symbols of the saints and martyrs of Christian antiquity.[1]

Architecture

The church is of red brick with a slate roof and has a small spire that accommodates a single bell. It is the style that was common in north London at the beginning of the twentieth century. The site includes a matching vicarage and church hall.

Incumbents

Vicar
1912-1917 Fr Harold Van Cooten
1917-1927 Fr Marcus Donavon
1927-1962 Fr Charles Waton
1962-1969 Fr William Stephenson
1969-2009 Fr Michael Davenport
Priest in Charge
2010-2011 Fr Mark Elliott Smith
2011-2016 Fr James Hill
Vicar
2016 Fr James Hill

Reference:.[2]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: History of St Benet Fink. 9 November 2012.
  2. Leaflet published by the church for its annual open day 2010-07-10