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St Sarkis Armenian Church (London)

2016-04-10T00:49:03Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2015}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}
{{Infobox church
| name = St Sarkis, Kensington
| fullname =
| color =
| image = St Sarkis Armenian Church, Iverna Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 464400.jpg
| imagesize = thumb
| caption = St Sarkis, Kensington
| landscape =
| coordinates = {{coord|51.49963|-0.19365|type:landmark_region:GB|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| denomination = [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]
| churchmanship =
| diocese = Diocese of the Armenian Church of Great Britain
| episcopalarea =
| archdeaconry =
| deanery =
| parish =
| division =
| subdivision =
| founded_date =
| founder =
| architect = [[Arthur Joseph Davis|Arthur Davis]]
| style =
| constructed_date = 1922–23
| dedicated_date =
| closed_date =
| demolished_date =
| bishop =
| priest =
| archdeacon =
| dean =
| provost =
| rector =
| canon =
| prebendary =
| curate =
| chaplain =
| vicar =
| deacon =
| abbot =
| minister =
| seniorpastor =
| pastor =
| address = Iverna Gardens, [[Kensington]], London
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| phone =
| website =
}}
'''St Sarkis, Kensington''' is an [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian]] [[church (building)|church]] and a [[listed building|Grade II* listed]] building in Iverna Gardens, [[Kensington]], London, England. It was constructed in 1922–23 by [[Calouste Gulbenkian]] as a memorial to his parents, and the architect was [[Arthur Joseph Davis|Arthur Davis]].<ref name="English Heritage">{{National Heritage List for England |num=1080556 |desc=Church of St Sarkis (Armenian Church), Iverna Gardens, W8|accessdate=3 April 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The London Encyclopaedia|edition=1993|author=Ben Weinreb and Christopher Hibbert|publisher=Macmillan|page=426|ISBN=0-333-57688-8}} Retrieved 17 March 2014.</ref> The largest Armenian church in the United Kingdom—[[Church of St Yeghiche, South Kensington|St Yeghiche]], a converted Anglican church—is in South Kensington.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{commons category|Saint Sarkis Armenian church in London}}
{{Churches in Kensington and Chelsea}}

[[Category:Churches completed in 1923]]
[[Category:Churches in Kensington and Chelsea]]
[[Category:1923 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Grade II* listed churches in London]]
[[Category:Armenian Apostolic churches in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Arthur Joseph Davis buildings]]
[[Category:Kensington]]

St Yeghiche Armenian Church

2016-04-10T00:45:11Z

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{{coord|51.489394|-0.177845|display=title|region:GB_scale:1000}}

[[File:Geograph-1452555-by-PAUL-FARMER.jpg|thumb|right]]
'''St Yeghiche Armenian Church''' (Սուրբ Եղիշե եկեղեցի) is the largest church of the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]] in [[Great Britain]]. It is located in [[Cranley Gardens]], [[Kensington]], London. The church was privately built in 1867 as St. Peter's Anglican Church by a local developer, C.J. Freake. It became the parish church of Kensington (St Peter's).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url = http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/rd/bb5cac77-31d6-47e4-af33-ebe1c96dcdb0|title = Saint Peter, Cranley Gardens|date = |accessdate = |website = |publisher = National Archives|last = |first = }}</ref>

By an Order in Council of December 1972 Saint Peter's was declared redundant with the intention that the building be leased to the Armenian Orthodox Church. Anglican services ceased in January 1973.<ref name=":0" />

The building was purchased by a benefactor 1998 and restored, with addition of features required by the Armenian Divine Liturgy. Another Armenian church in Kensington, of the traditional Armenian style, is [[St Sarkis, Kensington|St Sarkis]].

== References ==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=St%20Yeghiche%20Armenian%20Church&w=all&s=int Photos of the church on Flickr]
*[http://www.npor.org.uk/cgi-bin/Rsearch.cgi?Fn=Rsearch&rec_index=E00638 Specification of the four-manual Willis/Walker organ]

{{commonscat|St Yeghiche's, South Kensington}}
{{Churches in Kensington and Chelsea}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Yeghiche, South Kensington}}
[[Category:Churches in Kensington and Chelsea]]
[[Category:Armenian Apostolic churches in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Former Church of England churches]]
[[Category:Church buildings converted to a different denomination]]
[[Category:South Kensington]]
[[Category:Churches completed in 1867]]

{{UK-church-stub}}

Holy Trinity Brompton

2016-04-10T00:40:11Z

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{{Infobox church
| name = Holy Trinity, Brompton
| fullname =
| color =
| image = Holy Trinity Brompton-2.jpg
| imagesize =
| caption = Holy Trinity Brompton with St Paul's, Onslow Square
| landscape =
| denomination = [[Church of England]]
| churchmanship = [[Evangelicalism|Evangelical Anglican]]<ref>http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/nov/10/justin-welby-archbishop-canterbury-holy-trinity-brompton Holy Trinity Brompton, the evangelical HQ that claims the new primate as one of its own</ref>
| diocese = [[Diocese of London|London]]
| episcopalarea = Kensington ([[Bishop of Kensington]])
| archdeaconry = Middlesex
| deanery = Chelsea
| parish =
| division =
| subdivision =
| founded_date =
| founder =
| architect = [[Thomas Leverton Donaldson]]
| style = [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]]
| constructed_date = 1826-1829
| dedicated_date = 1829
| closed_date =
| demolished_date =
| bishop =
| priest =
| archdeacon =
| dean =
| provost =
| rector =
| canon =
| prebendary =
| curate = Nicky Lee <br /> David Walker
| chaplain =
| vicar = [[Nicky Gumbel]]
| deacon =
| abbot =
| minister =
| seniorpastor =
| pastor =
| address = [[Knightsbridge, London]]
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| phone =
| website = http://www.htb.org.uk/
}}

'''Holy Trinity Brompton with St Paul's, Onslow Square and St Augustine's, South Kensington''', often referred to simply as '''HTB''', is an [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] [[church (building)|church]] in [[London]], England. The church consists of four centres; HTB Brompton Road, HTB Onslow Square (formerly St Paul's, Onslow Square), HTB Queen's Gate (formerly St Augustine's, South Kensington) and HTB Courtfield Gardens (formerly St Jude's, Courtfield Gardens - officially in the parish of St Mary of the Boltons but part of HTB), as well as being the home for Worship Central, the [[St Paul's Theological Centre]] and the [[Alpha Course]]. It is where the Alpha Course was first developed and is one of the most influential churches in the [[Church of England]].

The church buildings accommodate Alpha, other courses, conferences and meetings during the week and ten services each Sunday. With total Sunday service attendance at around 4,500 people and the Alpha course attracting several hundred guests during the week, HTB oversees a diverse range of activities. HTB's vision statement is the "evangelisation of the nations and the transformation of society".{{cn|date=July 2015}}

HTB's aim is for an Alpha Course to be accessible to anyone who would like to attend the course. In this way HTB seeks to spread the teachings of Christianity.

[[Nicky Gumbel]], the pioneer of the Alpha course, took over as vicar of HTB from [[Sandy Millar]] in July 2005. The associate clergy are Nicky Lee (since July 2007) and David Walker (since July 2014). Pete Greig, co-founder of 24-7 Prayer, joined HTB in 2008 as Director of Prayer.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alphafriends.org/news/pete-greig-joins-alpha-htb-team|publisher=Alphafriends |title=Pete Greig joins Alpha/HTB team| accessdate =2012-02-29}}</ref>

==History==
[[Image:Holy Trinity, Brompton.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Entrance driveway]]

===Holy Trinity===
Prior to the construction of Holy Trinity Brompton, the present site was a part of the large [[parish]] of [[Kensington]] which was served only by the nearby [[St Mary Abbots]] church. In the early 1820s the area was in the midst of a substantial population increase so a decision was taken to purchase land and construct a new church.

The church was a [[Commissioners' church]], receiving a grant from the Church Building Commission towards its cost. The full cost of the church was £10,407 ({{Inflation|UK|10407|1827|r=-4|fmt=eq|cursign=£}}),{{Inflation-fn|UK}} towards which the Commission paid £7,407. The architect was [[Thomas Leverton Donaldson]].<ref>{{Citation | last = Port| first = M. H.| author-link = | publication-date = | date = | year = 2006| title = 600 New Churches: The Church Building Commission 1818-1856 | edition = 2nd| volume = | series = | publication-place = Reading| place = | publisher = Spire Books| pages = | page = 327| id = | isbn = 978-1-904965-08-4| doi = | oclc = | url = | accessdate =}}</ref> Holy Trinity is a Grade II [[listed building]].
<ref>{{Citation |url=http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=203548 |title=Images of England: Church of the Holy Trinity, Brompton Road|publisher=[[English Heritage]] | accessdate= 9 May 2010}}</ref>

After three years of construction the church was consecrated on 6 June 1829 by the Bishop of London.<ref>{{cite news |author= |title=Brompton New Church |url=http://www.britishnewspaperarchive.co.uk/viewer/bl/0000174/18290608/028/0003 |newspaper=Morning Post |location=London |date=8 June 1829 |access-date=9 September 2015 }}</ref>

The same building stands today, although having been considerably modified. At some point a portion of HTB's land was sold to the [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholic Church]] in order for them to build the [[Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary|London Oratory]]. This created a long driveway from Brompton Road at the end of which HTB manages to gain relative tranquillity.

The most recent major modification was during the 1980s when the crypt was rebuilt to provide meeting rooms and the space for the bookshop. Also during this time the pews were removed and replaced with chairs to allow greater flexibility in seating arrangements, which became imperative as Alpha grew.

The substantial growth of the Alpha Course in the last 18 years has seen this course become the main focus of HTB, with its recent history reflecting this.

====List of vicars====
{{columns-list|3|
*[[Joseph Pott|Joseph Holden Pott]] 1829–1840
*Percival Frye 1829–1835
*[[Robert Battiscombe|Robert Samuel Battiscombe]] 1835–1840
*William Joseph Irons 1840–1870
*Thomas Fraser Stooks 1870–1872
*Arthur Brook 1872–1877
*William Covington 1877–1899
*Alfred William Gough 1899–1931
*[[William Selwyn (bishop)|William Marshall Selwyn]] 1931–1938
*[[Bryan Green (priest)|Bryan Stuart Westmacott Green]] 1938–1948
*Patrick Nevile Gilliat 1949–1969
*Raymond John Walton Morris 1969–1975
*Raymond Hilton Turvey 1975–1980
*John Theodore Cameron Buckle Collins 1980–1985
*[[Sandy Millar|John Alexander Kirkpatrick Millar]] 1985–2005
*[[Nicky Gumbel]] 2005 -
}}

===St Paul's Onslow Square===
[[St Paul's, Onslow Square|St Paul's Church]] in [[Onslow Square]] was opened in 1860.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/history |publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=Holy Trinity Brompton History |date=2009-12-24}}</ref> In the late 1970s, the parish of Holy Trinity Brompton merged with the neighbouring parish of St Paul's [[Onslow Square]]. St Paul's was declared [[Redundant church|redundant]]. An attempt by the diocese to sell the building for private redevelopment was thwarted in the early 1980s when local residents joined with churchgoers to save the church. In the late 1980s, the Parochial Church Council requested that the redundancy be overturned which allowed curate Nicky Lee and his wife Sila to "plant" a congregation there as well as undertake some building structural maintenance work.{{citation needed|date=July 2010}} At its peak in the 1990s, this congregation had grown to several hundred.{{citation needed|date=July 2010}}

In 1997, the congregation at St Paul's divided into three, with some going with curate Stuart Lees to plant a church in Fulham; others returning to Holy Trinity with Nicky and Sila Lee; and others forming the St Paul's Anglican Fellowship and remaining based at St Paul's with John Peters. This last group left in 2002 to plant into [[St Mary's, Bryanston Square]].

During 2007, after plans by HTB to rebuild the 1960s offices were withdrawn following difficulty in getting support from local residents, HTB decided to undertake some renovations and to resume services in the church. St Paul's launched 9:00 am and 6:00 pm services in September 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/news/sunday-worship-resumes-st-pauls|publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=Sunday worship resumes at St. Paul's |date=2007-07-12}}</ref> and followed with an 11AM service on 20 January 2008<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.htb.org.uk/news/st-pauls-gets-ready-11am-service|publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=St Paul's gets ready for 11am service |date=2008-01-18}}</ref> and a 4 pm service on 28 September 2009.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/media/htb-news/2009-09|publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=4pm service launched at St Pauls |date=2009-12-24}}</ref> In December 2009 the upstairs balcony was recommissioned for worship, having previously been used for administrative offices (the office occupants having moved to HTB's nearby office building purchased in 2008<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/news/article/alpha-charity-buys-london-office-building|publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton |title=Alpha Charity Buys London Office Building|date=2012-02-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.alphafriends.org/news/builders-move-new-offices-cromwell-road|publisher=Alphafriends|title=Builders move in to new offices on Cromwell Road|date=2012-02-29}}</ref>).

===St Augustine's Church===
Services at St Augustine's, Queen's Gate began to be administered from Holy Trinity Brompton following an invitation by the Bishop of Kensington in 2010, where Nicky Gumbel was made priest-in-charge. In March 2011, St Augustine's was formally merged into the parish of HTB.

===Church plants===
* 1985 - curate [[John Irvine (priest)|John Irvine]] leads a plant of 100 to '''St Barnabas, Kensington'''<ref>{{cite web|title=Recent History|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/about-htb/history/recent-history|publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton|accessdate=2012-02-29}}</ref>
* 1987 - Paul Perkin and a team of 50 move to '''St Mark’s Battersea Rise'''
** 1994 - curate Andrew White leads a team of 65 from St Mark's to '''Ascension Church, [[Balham]]'''<ref>{{cite web|title=Related Churches|url=http://www.htb.org.uk/about-htb/related-churches|publisher=Holy Trinity Brompton|accessdate=2012-02-29}}</ref>
*** 2010 - Ben Goodyear leads a team from Ascension Church to '''St Paul's, Brixton'''
** 2007 - curate Patrick Malone leads a team from St Mark's to '''St Peter's Battersea'''
* 1991 - Nicky Lee takes a team of 200 to '''St Paul's Onslow Square'''
** 1997 - curate Stuart Lees leads a team from St Paul's to '''Christ Church Fulham'''
** 2002 - the St Paul's congregation, under John Peters, moves to '''[[St Mary's, Bryanston Square]]'''
* 1994 - Tom Gillum leads a plant of 40 to '''St Stephen’s, Westbourne Park'''
* 2000 - Simon Downham leads 200 members to a plant at '''[[St Paul's, Hammersmith]]'''
* 2002 - John Valentine leads a plant of 100 to '''[[St George the Martyr Holborn]]'''
** 2006 - ex HTB curate Paul Zaphiriou leads a team from St George's to '''St Mary Magdalene and St David's, Islington''', now '''[http://www.hopechurchislington.org Hope Church Islington]'''
*** 2010 - curate Graham Hunter and his wife went from St Mary Magdalene and St David to '''St John's, Hoxton''' which had a 100 strong congregation.
** 2013 - David Ingall leads a team from St George's and HTB to '''[[St Sepulchre-without-Newgate]]''''''.'''
* 2005 - Sandy Millar retires as vicar of HTB and moves to '''St Mark's Tollington Park'''. He was already priest-in-charge of the church and had led a plant there two years earlier
* 2005 - HTB curates [[Ric Thorpe]] and Jez Barnes lead a team of 100 to '''[[St Paul's Church, Shadwell|St Paul’s, Shadwell]]'''
** 2010 - Cris Rogers leads a team from St Paul's, Shadwell to '''[[All Hallows, Bow]]'''.
** 2010 - HTB curate Adam Atkinson leads a group from St Paul's to '''St Peter's, [[Bethnal Green]]'''
** 2013 - Ed Dix leads a team from St Paul's to relaunch '''St Luke's, Millwall'''
* 2006 - curates Andy Keighley and Graham Singh lead a team to plant '''Holy Trinity [[Swiss Cottage]]'''
* 2007 - HTB resumes services in St Paul's, Onslow Square, moving a new congregation there
* 2009 - Archie Coates leads a team of 50 to '''[[St Peter's Church, Brighton|St Peter's, Brighton]]'''
* 2010 - curate Azariah France-Williams leads a plant to '''St Francis Community Church, North Kensington'''
* 2010 - Holy Trinity Swiss Cottage curate Graham Singh and HTB curate Jerry Field led a team of 70 from HTB to '''St John's Hampton Wick'''
* 2010 - former HTB curate Matt Hogg leads a team of 50 jointly from HTB and St Paul's, Hammersmith, to '''St Alban's, Fulham'''
* 2010 - HTB takes over the running of '''St Augustine's, Queens Gate''', sending Paul Cowley to start a new congregation there
* 2011 - curate Jon March leads a team to '''[[St Luke's Church, Oseney Crescent|St Luke's Kentish Town]]'''
* 2014 - Pat Allerton leads a team of 50 to '''St Dionis, Parsons Green'''
* 2014 - Tim Matthews leads a plant at '''St Swithun's, Bournemouth'''

==Alpha and HTB==

The Alpha course was founded by [[clergy]] at HTB who over a period of twenty years kept adapting the programme in accordance with feedback until in the early 1990s the Alpha course started gaining worldwide attention. As Alpha grew it became the main focus for HTB as it sought to support Alpha's spread and growth.

Today this involves the production of advertising material and course material such as videos, books and tapes for each Alpha session and leader training material. Alpha is now run as a separate enterprise with separate fundraising and accounting but it remains closely tied to HTB, with most of Alpha's staff being accommodated in HTB's offices. The clergy of HTB also share Alpha duties such as overseeing Alpha conferences and training events in the UK and overseas.

Since the mid-1990s the Alpha course programme has remained largely unchanged allowing the energy of the church to develop other initiatives which fit with the Alpha course such as creating courses on marriage preparation, parenting teenagers, bereavement and recovering from divorce as well as publishing new books.

HTB itself runs Alpha courses three times a year and with these attracting 300-400 guests during each course they require all of the available space in the church buildings.

==Pastoral care==

In order to address the problem of how to give pastoral care to such a large congregation as well as provide a means for new people to become a part of the church, HTB uses the ''Pastorate'' model.

Pastorates consist of 20-50 people who, through meeting at least once a fortnight, can form strong friendships and support each other in care as well as developing individual gifts and ministries.

HTB has quite a transient congregation caused in part by its location in London, a city which itself has a transient population, that HTB attracts a large student population often only resident in London during their studies, and that the Alpha course brings in a number of people who are either visiting the home of Alpha or have completed the course and then quickly move on to other churches or [[Christian ministry|ministries]]. In order to reach out to this substantial number of visitors, HTB is somewhat extroverted{{elucidate|date=December 2013}} in welcoming newcomers and providing various means for them to get involved.

==Services==

HTB conducts ten services each Sunday across the four sites. The family services include items aimed at children. The formal services feature traditional Church of England [[liturgy]] and a professional choir. The informal services centre on a longer period of [[contemporary worship]] with a longer talk and close in a reflective prayer mood which extends beyond the end of the service.

The 4:30pm and 6:30pm services at HTB Onslow Square church extend this informal nature further as most of the congregation sit on carpet, whilst some couches, cushions and bean bags are also provided. These services are sometimes conducted [[Theatre in the round|in the round]].

Some services reuse the same talk and song list from a service earlier in the day.

==Other activities==

Another important activity of HTB is its yearly church camp, named "Focus". This takes place over a week at a seaside campsite where typically 3,500 people attend and involve themselves in the many seminars, workshops and recreational activities. The size also attracts some prominent speakers to speak on issues affecting the church and society. Regular such speakers include [[Mike Pilavachi]] from [[Soul Survivor (charity)|Soul Survivor]], the [[Bishop of London]] ([[Richard Chartres]]), Frog and [[Amy Orr-Ewing]].

Since 1985, HTB has been actively involved in a process called [[church planting]] whereby struggling churches in London are boosted by scores - sometimes hundreds - of people committing to move from HTB to the identified church for at least a year. This also involves at least one member of HTB's clergy similarly moving to the new church to help lead worship, form pastorates and run local Alpha courses. Over the years nine churches have been planted in this way, including [[St Gabriels, Cricklewood]], with some of these churches going on to make church plants of their own. The most recent plant was to St Swithin's, Lincoln, in October 2014.

HTB also has thriving children's and youth ministries. Other notable activities HTB undertakes are services twice a year involving the large HTB choir - at [[Easter]] and [[Christmas]] - and several free classical concerts that utilise the church's pipe organ that was refurbished in 2004 as well as drawing on the talent of the nearby music colleges.

In September 2005 HTB started providing the talks given at the Sunday services as free downloads from its website and through the [[iTunes]] podcast directory. These downloads, which HTB has termed ''HTB Podcasts'', have proved popular and more recently other talks specifically provided for the HTB Podcast community have also been offered, including answers to questions sent in by listeners. Each month the total download count from this catalogue of talks is over 40,000, with some talks making it into the top ten in the "Religion and Spirituality" section for iTunes.

In 2011 HTB formed the William Wilberforce Trust<ref>{{citation|url=http://new.thebiggive.org.uk/charity/view/8452/aims|title=About the William Wilberforce Trust|publisher=theBigGive.org.uk| accessdate= 29 Feb 2012}}</ref> to bring together various social action projects that were linked with HTB. These projects include work in deprived neighbourhoods, addressing homelessness and providing practical support for people with addictions.

HTB is also home to:
* [[Worship Central]], led by worship pastors [[Tim Hughes]] and Al Gordon
* [[St Paul's Theological Centre]], led by its Principal [[Graham Tomlin]]

==See also==
{{Portal|Anglicanism}}
{{commons category|Holy Trinity Brompton Church}}
*[[List of Commissioners' churches in London]]

==References==
{{Reflist|33em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.htb.org.uk HTB website]
* [http://www.shipoffools.com/mystery/specials/london_05/reports/1045.html Mystery Worshipper Report] at the [[Ship of Fools (website)|Ship of Fools website]]
* [http://www.sflgroup.co.uk/news-item.aspx?id=86 HTB Sound Design - A Story of Excellent Sound]
* [http://www.williamwilberforcetrust.org.uk William Wilberforce Trust]
{{Coord|51.4978|-0.1700|type:landmark_region:GB-KEC|display=title}}

{{Churches in Kensington and Chelsea}}

[[Category:Churches completed in 1829]]
[[Category:19th-century Church of England churches]]
[[Category:Anglican congregations established in the 19th century]]
[[Category:Religious organizations established in 1829]]
[[Category:Evangelicalism in the Church of England]]
[[Category:Church of England churches in London|Brompton]]
[[Category:Churches in Kensington and Chelsea]]
[[Category:Commissioners' churches|London, Holy Trinity Brompton]]
[[Category:Diocese of London]]
[[Category:1829 establishments in the United Kingdom]]

Liberty of the Clink

2014-02-21T14:00:22Z

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{{infobox historic subdivision

| Name = Liberty of the Clink
| AltName = Manor of Southwark
| Image =
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| Map =[[File:Southwark Civil Parish Map 1870.png|250px]]
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| Origin =
| Start = 12th century
| End = 1889
| Replace = [[County of London]]

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| Status = [[Liberty (division)|Liberty]], [[Manor]]
| Government = [[Court leet]] (until {{abbreviation|c.|circa}} 1850)<br>Clink Paving Commissioners (1786–1855)
| Arms =
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}}
The '''Liberty of the Clink''' was an area in [[Southwark]], on the south bank of the [[River Thames]], opposite the [[City of London]]. Although situated in [[Surrey]] the [[liberty (division)|liberty]] was exempt from the jurisdiction of the [[High Sheriff of Surrey|county's high sheriff]] and was under the jurisdiction of the [[Bishop of Winchester]] who was usually either the Chancellor or Treasurer of the King.{{citation needed|date=May 2012}}

==Formation==
The liberty was originally the north-eastern part of the 'hide of Southwark' granted by Henry I to the Priory of Bermondsey (later [[Bermondsey Abbey]]) in 1104-09. That house then sold it in around 1149 to the Bishop of Winchester, who wanted a house for his London governmental duties. The Bishopric's administration referred to it as the '''Manor of Southwark''' i.e. the Manor of the Bishop in Southwark. It was also known as the 'Liberty of Winchester'. The liberty (i.e. a manorial jurisdiction) was confirmed when King [[Stephen of England|Stephen]] sanctioned the transaction for his brother [[Henry Blois]], then Bishop of Winchester.

==Prison and palace==
The Clink is most famous for its [[The Clink|prison]]. The first recorded use of the term Liberty of the Clink was in 1530; the nickname was used informally to avoid confusion with the other manors in Southwark. 'Clink' seems to be derived from the name of the Bishop's prison, which he held as a civil authority deriving from his role as Chancellor or Treasurer. It was also the manorial gaol maintained by the bishop as part of the administration of the liberty. The bishop's London residence, [[Winchester Palace|Winchester House]], was built in the liberty, originally surrounded by parkland.

==Illicit activities==
The liberty lay outside the jurisdiction of the City of London, and that of the county authorities of Surrey, and some activities forbidden in those areas were permitted within it.

===Prostitution===
In 1161 the bishop was granted the power to licence prostitutes and brothels in the liberty{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}. The prostitutes were known as '''Winchester Geese''', and many are buried in [[Cross Bones]]{{Citation needed|date=August 2013}}, an unconsecrated graveyard. Similarly, to "be bitten by a Winchester goose" meant "to contract a venereal disease",<ref>[http://www.takeourword.com/TOW199/page4.html Take Our Word For It Issue 199, page 4]</ref> and "[[goose bumps]]" was slang for symptoms of [[venereal disease]]s.

===Theatres===
Theatres and playhouses were allowed in the Clink, the most famous being the [[Globe Theatre]] where [[William Shakespeare]] performed his plays. Another noted one was [[The Rose (theatre)|The Rose]], where Shakespeare and [[Christopher Marlowe]] both premiered plays.

===Animal baiting===
Bull and bear baiting were also permitted.

==Local governance==
It formed part of the parish of St Margaret's, Southwark until 1539 when it was replaced by St Saviour's (now [[Southwark Cathedral]]).

An Act of 1786 (long title "An Act for paving, cleansing, lighting and watching the Streets, Lanes and other publick Passages and Places, within the Manor of Southwark, otherwise called The Clink") established the Clink Paving Commissioners.<ref>http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=091-cpc&cid=0#0</ref> Bollards marked "Clink 1812", part of the works of the commissioners, can be found in the Bankside area.<ref>http://visitbankside.com/page/liberty-clink</ref>

As a civic area it was united in the [[St Saviour's District (Metropolis)|St Saviour's District]] with St Saviour's and Christchurch, Surrey under the [[Metropolitan Board of Works]] from 1855. The metropolitan board assumed the powers of the paving commissioners.

==Abolition==
During the period of the [[Commonwealth of England|Commonwealth]] the [[episcopy]] was abolished, and the liberty was sold to a private owner in 1649. It was returned to the bishop on the [[Restoration (England)|restoration in 1660]].

The Clink prison was destroyed in 1780, and the bishop's palace in 1814. In 1863 the rights of the Bishop of Winchester in the liberty were vested in the [[Ecclesiastical Commissioners]].

The liberty was finally abolished in 1889, when the [[Local Government Act 1888]] merged all remaining liberties into their surrounding counties. The Liberty of the Clink had been surrounded by Surrey, but the 1888 act created a new [[County of London]] in the metropolitan area and thus it became part of the new county.

==Geography==
It was approximately 70 acres (28 hectares) in area and was situated in the modern [[Bankside]] area of the [[London Borough of Southwark]]. Clink Street and Winchester Street recall the former liberty.

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=43043 'The Borough of Southwark: Manors', ''A History of the County of Surrey'': Volume 4 (1912), pp. 141-151]

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[[Category:History of Southwark]]
[[Category:Liberties of London]]