St Mildred's Church, Whippingham

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

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]

• Chancel
  • Queen Victoria Reredos presented by King Edward VII.
• North transept
  • Rt. Hon. Sir Henry Ponsonby, Private Secretary and Equerry to Queen Victoria and Keeper of Her Majesty's Privy Purse. A work in bronze by Lady Feodora Gleichen.
  • Lord Henry Seymour-Conway, second son of the Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford.
  • William Arnold, Collector of His Majesty's Customs', died 1801. Father of Thomas Arnold, Headmaster of Rugby School.
  • Rev. Matthew Arnold, a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and Forces Chaplain, who was drowned at the age of 35.
• South Transept
  • Prince Henry of Battenberg. Brass Lectern
  • Canon Prothero (1818–1894), Chaplain to Her Majesty, Canon of Westminster and Deputy Clerk of the Closet and Rector of Whippingham.
• Battenberg Chapel
  • Tomb of Princess Beatrice and Prince Henry of Battenberg. A double sarcophagus of white marble, adorned with cast-iron sword.
  • Urn of Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke. A brass casket set into a niche above his parents' double sarcophagus.
• West wall
  • Albert, Prince Consort
• South wall
  • Princess Alice of the United Kingdom
  • Prince Leopold, Duke of Albany
  • Prince Sigismund of Prussia (1864–1866)
  • Prince Waldemar of Prussia (1868–1879)

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:

• Prince Henry of Battenberg (double sarcophagus with his wife, Princess Beatrice)
• Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom (double sarcophagus with her husband, Prince Henry)
• Alexander Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Carisbrooke (ashes in a brass casket above his parents' double sarcophagus)
• Irene Mountbatten, Marchioness of Carisbrooke (ashes, photo)
• Lady Iris Mountbatten (ashes)
• David Mountbatten, 3rd Marquess of Milford Haven (ashes, photo)

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.

External links

• website: whippinghameastcowes.org.uk