St Barnabas Church - Ranmore Common, Surrey, UK - Anglican and Episcopal Churches on Waymarking.com

"Welcome to St Barnabas' Church on Ranmore Common which has been known for many years as "The Church on the North Downs Way". A few years ago Bishop Christopher [of Guildford] visited the church for the first time and remarked "I have discovered that I have another cathedral in the woods".

The parish of Ranmore is sparsely populated and most of the small but faithful congregation come from surrounding parishes to experience the special spiritual ambience of this remarkable building, a gem of art and architecture. Most, but not all, services follow the Book of Common Prayer (the church is affiliated to the Prayer Book Society and the Royal School of Church Music) and new members are always welcome and we invite them to help us maintain the life and the fabric of this church.

The church was built in 1859 by George Cubitt MP who became the 1st Baron Ashcombe in 1892. His architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott who designed a 'High Victoriana' scaled-down cathedral to serve the people who worked on the Denbies Estate and a school in a similar style was built next door. A hundred years ago the number of people working on the estate and their families was counted as between 300 and 400 and a full time Rector looked after them living in the Rectory behind the trees opposite the church. The church is listed Grade II* and is virtually unchanged since 1859. A more detailed history of the church can be found in the “Brief History of the Church” in the ‘Pages and Links’ panel.

The current general concern about the risks of metal theft and vandalism mean that the church cannot be left open when it is unattended. We are happy to arrange visits for interested groups such as local history societies, NADFAS, U3A etc. and the Victorian Society have visited twice recently!"
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"The question that occurs to many visitors to St Barnabas' Church in its remote rural location is “Why is this extraordinary building here, apparently in the middle of nowhere?” The answer is that for a hundred years the church was at the centre of life on the Denbies Estate and its foundation and construction was the result of the efforts of three remarkable men of their time.

The first is the celebrated builder Thomas Cubitt (1788–1855) who rebuilt nearby Polesden Lacey in the 1820s and this probably brought him to this area and resulted in his purchase of the Denbies Estate in 1850. The mansion he built was demolished in 1953 and replaced by a somewhat smaller but still splendid residence.

The second was his son George Cubitt MP (1828–1917). The history books tell us that “when he came down from university, George wanted to go into the church but his father would not hear of it and he became an MP” which he did for 32 years. He also served as 2nd Church Estates Commissioner from 1874 to 1879. In 1857, following his father’s death in 1855, plans were drawn up for a church and school to serve the people who worked on the estate and their families. The church was built in eighteen months and consecrated on All Saints’ Day (November 1st) 1859 when George was only 31.

The third remarkable man was architect George Gilbert Scott PRIBA (1811–1878). He was knighted in 1872 and became president of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1873. He died in 1878 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Scott was particularly keen on Gothic architecture and this church follows the simple ‘Early English’ style from c1400, although one expert has pointed out that his design has features of early French Gothic. He completed some 1000 projects during a busy working life which included restorations of many of England’s cathedrals, the Albert Memorial and St Pancras Station in London and St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh. This church has been described as “one of George Gilbert Scott’s original gems with his fingerprints all over it.” On Ranmore this eminent architect took the opportunity to build scaled-down cathedral for his wealthy patron. On his first visit The Rt. Rev’d Christopher Hill, Bishop of Guildford remarked “I am delighted to find that I have another cathedral in the woods”.

There was, perhaps, a fourth man who brought all the expertise of the Cubitt building firm who was Clerk of Works George Dines, Thomas Cubitt’s foreman on many projects."
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Active Church: Yes School on property: Yes Date Built: 01/01/1859 Service Times: Every First, Second, Fourth Sunday at 11 a.m. for 1hr Website: [Web Link]

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