Church Heritage Record 623356

Aisled nave of seven bays with transepts in east bays (project at clearstorey level only) and porches in the west bays of the aisles, north choir vestry and adjacent organ chamber, chancel with ambulatories and projecting Morning Chapel to south, south-east clergy vestry, ambulatory joining the vestries behind the chancel.

Nave approx 24m (75 ft) x 8m (25ft).

The church was built in 1905, replacing an iron mission church, re-erected on the site from elsewhere in 1901. It was designed by the architect C H B Quennell of London, who did not build many churches, but here has brought sound understanding to the job in terms of the design. The innovative use of some materials, such as concrete for the aisle roofs, has proved less well advised.

The architectural style chosen is a stern Early English Gothic (pointed lancets throughout) with Arts and Crafts influences, the latter more obvious in the interior. It appears almost as a precursor to the “brutalist” designs of the inter-War years, quite uncompromising in its forcefulness. This is balanced by some very clever details and tricks, revealing the hand of a talented architect confident in this medium.

The lack of a tower (apparently there was no wish to challenge the gasholders which originally stood nearby) is almost made up for by the height of the nave, skilfully accentuated by the use of three closely grouped tall lancets in the west front, above the central of which is a corbel supporting a statue of St John under a canopy, now crumbling and possibly in a dangerous state; the façade is also wreathed in copious vegetation. Above this is a small roof light and a cross finial. There is a row of three small cusped windows directly under the lancets, lighting the baptistery within, but also serving to visually “stretch” the facade. Blocky clasping buttresses which project slightly beyond the eaves also accentuate the height. A nicely articulated gabled brick belcote with two bells gives further vertical emphasis, and delineates externally nave from chancel, which are of the same height.

The symmetrical west porches have a broad pointed doorway in the west face, with tall rectangular panelled double doors. The nave fenestration is regular, the clearstorey having a plain lancet in each bay between buttresses terminating in an eaves band of patterned brick. The aisles and porches have stepped 3-lights with wavy cusped heads within sharply pointed, almost triangular arches. The porches and transepts have shouldered coped gables, the latter with two lancets in the clearstorey above 3-lights as above at ground floor in the south transept, a doorway in the north. 

The chancel has single lancets in each bay of the south wall between flying buttresses, and a pair of tall lancets in the east wall; also a roof light and two small cusped lights low down which effectively frame the altar within. The south chapel is set low under the chancel windows, and has two 3-lights in its south wall, as does the clergy vestry east of it; the wall is carried around at this height behind the chancel, incorporating the eastern flying buttresses.

The interior is undeniably at first sight less impressive than the exterior, but really only because of its dilapidated state and now rather shoddy and garishly painted furnishings and fittings and screens dividing off the aisles. Looking beyond these ephemera, the bare bones of the architecture still pack a powerful punch. The arcades are carried on broad triple-stepped pointed arches, the octagonal piers encased in panelled wood painted a turquoise colour, also picked up in the pulpit. The eye is dragged up by the tall clearstorey windows and the plain square pilasters rising to plain corbels supporting an excellent false hammer-beam roof with curving lateral struts, high above; the church makes the viewer feel quite insignificant. 

The point of keeping the Lady Chapel low is apparent from the inside; there are tall cusped lancets either side of the chancel arch, admitting extra light. Apropos light, the glazing throughout in often wavy leaded panels was by Paul Woodroffe, of high quality. There are pointed openings underneath the windows, behind which are ambulatories down the sides of the chancel. The chancel arch is consequently very tall and narrow; within it is a rood screen including loft with a pierced front (lancets) which connects to the organ loft on the west bay of the north side of the chancel.  

The setting for the liturgy is of high quality, with a luminous atmosphere. The chancel is raised three steps from the nave, with a gated iron screen. The high altar flanked by the windows mentioned above and set before a large blind arch, with panelling to a dado, painted white. The Morning Chapel is also a fine worship space, with broad pointed arches opening to the aisle and chancel, though this, like the aisles, is dangerous because of the danger of falling concrete from the roof.

There are choir stalls in the chancel, and sedilia in the wooden screens to both sides. The floors are of woodblock with brown carpet in the chancel, apparently over tiles.