Parish of St Mary, Battersea , Church of England

The Grade 1 Listed church building of Saint Mary, Battersea dates from 1777. The successful preservation of an almost complete series of registers from Saint Mary's since 1559 reflects the long and ongoing history of this 'ancient' London parish. The manor of Battersea was under the ownership of Westminster Abbey from the eleventh century until the dissolution of the monasteries in 1540. The manor church therefore enjoyed an unbroken succession of vicars during that period, as it has to the present day. The development of Battersea as a residential area during the eighteenth century was the impetus behind the building of the current church, to designs by Joseph Dixon. As the population of the area rose it became necessary to found several more churches, and the parish was divided into smaller districts. This began in 1853 with the church of Saint George, Nine Elms. J.M.W. Turner, William Curtis, Benedict Arnold and William Blake have all had associations with Saint Mary's, the latter being married there, to Catherine Butcher, in 1782.

Caius Mission Church and Settlement was a joint initiative between Saint Mary's and Caius College founded on the principles of 'social settlements'. This late nineteenth century movement, in which many of the old universities were involved, sought to bring about social reform through the educational and cultural enrichment of poorer urban area. Caius College Mission continues to operate as a community education initiative.