St Margaret's Church, Barking

St Margaret’s Church stands on the grounds of Barking Abbey, a former royal monastery founded in the 7th century. The present building, dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, began as a 13th-century chapel for local people. Its oldest surviving part is the chancel, built early in the 1200s during King John’s reign. The tower was added late in the 15th century, long after the abbey’s original church. The church became a parish church in 1300, when Anne de Vere, abbess of Barking Abbey, reorganised the area’s worship. The church is worth visiting for its layered history and the figures connected to it. Captain James Cook married Elizabeth Batts here in 1762, and the church still holds memorials to notable figures. Sir Charles Montagu, a 17th-century MP, was buried here, and his mural monument shows him in armour inside a tent. The church’s unusual three churchwardens reflect its distinctive parish structure. Two stones from old London Bridge were placed outside in 2007 as part of public artworks. Inside, visitors find a Grade I listed building with a restored interior from the 1930s. The nave’s ceiling was plastered in 1772, though the plaster was later removed. A 20th-century extension on the south side now houses an office, bookshop and refectory. Outside, the ruins of Barking Abbey stand nearby, offering a contrast between medieval grandeur and later simplicity. The church’s Anglo-Catholic and open evangelical traditions shape its present life.