| Administrative History | St John's Sidcup has its origins in a chapel of ease built between 1841 and 1844 to serve the growing population in the eastern part of the Parish of St Nicholas, Chislehurst and the western part of the Parish of All Saints, Foots Cray. Its principle benefactors included Lord Sydney (of Frognal), Lord Bexley (of Foots Cray Place) and Henry Berens (of Sidcup Place). The Chapel was consecrated in 1844 and assigned its own Ecclesiastical District. In 1857 St John's, Sidcup (or East Chislehurst as it was also known) was constituted a parish in its own right. The existing church proved to be too small and in 1882 a new chancel and Lady Chapel were built and consecrated by the Bishop of Dover. In 1899 work began on the knave and transepts, which were consecrated by the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1901. |