St Mary the Virgin, Stone (Kent)

Stone is an unlikely setting for one of Kent's most memorable churches, sandwiched as it is between the Dartford Crossing and the Bluewater shopping centre. But so locally renowned is this 13th century church - almost certainly the work of the Westminster Abbey masons - that is it known as "The Lantern of Kent".

Although a Saxon church is mentioned in Domesday, the present building dates mostly from 1250-70. The Manor belonged to the Bishop of Rochester, and it is likely that it was his influence that engaged the Westminster workshops, possibly during a lull in Henry III's rebuilding of the Abbey. Whatever the story, it resulted in the nave and chancel being built in the early Decorated Gothic style, and of a quality and richness unusual in a parish church. The 14th century saw the addition of a west tower over an additional bay of the nave, followed by the Wiltshire Chantry in 1527.

Entry is through the tower, which leads into the aisled nave. The western tower bays are later Decorated Gothic, but sympathetic in design to the earlier work. Going east, the arcades comprise there three bays of intricately moulded arches over slender clustered shafts with stiff-leaf capitals. These are flanked by aisle windows with plate tracery. Both windows and arcades  become more elaborate as one moves east, culminating in a beautiful chancel arch. Everywhere, the window label stops take the form of carved heads, among them those of Edward I and his wife, Eleanor of Castile.

The glory is the chancel. This is vaulted, with richly carved blind arcading matching that seen in the Abbey. Above this, much was renewed by George Edmund Street (1824-1881), including windows with bar tracery, faithful to the late 13th century style. He also reinstated  the vault, based on what remained after its removal in the 1640s. So impressed was Street with the quality of the original workmanship, that he refused to take a fee for the restoration.

Although the architecture is the main draw, there are faint remains of wall paintings on the north wall, including the Murder of St Thomas a Becket and two depictions of the Virgin and Child. The chancel has a superb brass to John Lumbarde (d. 1408), fully robed within a delicate octofoil cross. In the nave is the partially obscured brass to Robert Chapman (d. 1574): his wall tablet, depicting his family, is in the Chantry, along with tomb chest to Sir John Wiltshire (d. 1527).

The church has services daily (except Tuesday), including a Messy Church in the local CofE Primary school. It is normally open for visitors and private prayer on Wednesdays: I was very warmly welcomed on my visit.

St Mary the Virgin, Church Road, Stone, Greenhithe, DA9 9BE

St Lawrence Whitchurch, Little Stanmore

This exceptional and well-preserved baroque chapel sits close to the northern edge of London, and is well worth making a journey to see.

There has been a church on the site since Saxon times, but in 1712 James Bridges, later Lord Chandos, acquired the adjacent Canons Park and its house. He rebuilt the house in the latest baroque style, and did pretty much the same to the parish church. Although the 14th century mediaeval tower was retained, the rest was replaced in 1715 by architect John James (1673-1746) with what amounts to a proprietary chapel. 

The classical exterior, in red brick with prominent stone dressings, is restrained, almost severe; a splendid foil for the interior, which can only be described as theatrical. One enters under a large west gallery, which has a grand central box for the Duke and family, with flanking (and smaller) ones for his staff and guards. The view forwards through the unaisled but spectacularly painted nave leads to the sanctuary and retrochoir, with the organ effectively acting as the reredos. This is all framed by a screen which takes the form of a classical proscenium, attributed to Grinling Gibbons.

Every surface is decorated: the ceilings have trompe l'oeil of decorative plasterwork and panels depicting familiar miracles from the Bible, and on the walls there are 'statues' of the virtues and evangelists, all executed in restrained greys. At the east and west ends, more traditional (and colourful) paintings by Antionio Belluci (1654-1726) depict the Nativity and Pieta, with the Adoration of Jehovah above the sanctuary; and on the ceiling of the Duke's box, the Tranfiguration. Either side of the organ are more paintings, of Moses with the Tablets from Mount Sinai and of the Sermon on the Mount. These are said to have come from the house - demolished by the Duke's son to help pay off his debts.

The original furnishings match the setting: a complete set of high box pews, wrought-iron communion rails, the charming classically-shaped font; and the organ (its case also by Gibbons). The Duke's composer in residence in 1716-18 was Handel, and it was on this organ that he composed the Chandos anthems, a number of hymns and the oratorio Esther: one could say the chapel was, in effect, the Duke's personal concert hall - and the acoustics are certainly superb. 

Added onto the north side of the church is the Mausoleum, erected in 1735-6. It is a stunning set-piece in its own right, and was built to house the large classical memorial (again by Grinling Gibbons) to the Duke. He is depicted, larger than life sized, in Roman costume and periwig, flanked by two of his three wives. The walls are painted with yet more trompe l'oeil, which the latest Buildings of England describes as providing 'a pantheon-like setting'. Both it and the ante-room contain impressive memorials to other members of the family.

The church describes itself as inclusive Anglican Catholic, and incorporates both the contemporary and traditional in its worship. It was wonderfully welcoming on my visit. It also serves the nearby Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore. There are also occasional concerts - granting the ability to experience Handel's settings on the instrument (and in the setting) for which they were composed. 

St Lawrence Whitchurch, Whitchurch Lane HA8 6RB

St James, Muswell Hill

The tower and spire of this Edwardian Gothic-revival church soars just shy of 180ft high, and is a prominent landmark in this part of north London. It is a short (but hilly) walk from Alexandra Palace.

A church was first built here in 1842 and extended in 1874, but by the end of the Century it was too cramped for the growing congregation and in poor condition. A new church was therefore built to replace it, to the designs of John Samuel Alder (1848-1919). He had settled with his family in nearby Hornsey, and was to design many churches in this part of London. St James was built in stages, with the chancel, chapels, and two bays of the nave consecrated in 1901. The rest of the nave and west end followed in 1902, and the upper stages of the tower and spire in 1910. The church was badly damaged in World War II, and was restored by Caroe & Sons.

Alder chose a mix of Decorated and Perpendicular Gothic for the church, executed in coursed limestone. The tower and spire are in the 14th century style and reminiscent of many Lincolnshire churches. The adjacent 7-light west window is similarly impressive, with a combination of Decorated and Perpendicular detailing. Inside, the spacious, aisled nave is lit by tall clerestory windows, and the pale wooden ceiling lends a surprisingly modern feel. The spacious chancel has similar proportions to the nave, but the chapel to its north is more intimate. Despite the war damage, the building retains some lovely stained glass, including two War Memorial windows by Morris & Co, and dignified modern woodwork.

St James is home to a thriving congregation, rooted in the evangelical tradition, with flourishing youth ministry and outreach activities. I had a great welcome on my visit.

St James, St James Lane, Muswell Hill, London N10 3DB

St Bartholomew-the-Less, Smithfields

St Michael Paternoster Royal

St Mary-at-Hill

St Margaret Pattens, Eastcheap

St Lawrence Jewry, Guildhall Yard

St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside

St Benet Paul's Wharf (The Welsh Church)

St Margaret of Antioch, Barking

Few who live outside Barking - and I suspect many who live there - will be aware that at the edge of the bustling town centre is a delightful (and substantial) mediaeval church, which is well worth a visit.

St Margaret of Antioch was built as a chapel within Barking Abbey, and in 1300 it became the town's parish church. It sits east of the centre in a wide expanse of green - once the Abbey grounds, of which only the Curfew Tower remains. The church has been expanded over the years, so it now contains a happy mix of all periods from the 13th to the 16th centuries. 

Inside, the oldest part is the chancel and part of the nave, which date from c. 1215, although most of the fabric is 15th Century:  the outer north aisle and chapel were added in the 16th Century using materials from the dissolved abbey. In 1772, the church was heavily remodelled under the direction of a local landowner, Bamber Gascoyne, who had much of the original fabric encased in decorative plasterwork. Of this, the lovely chancel ceiling remains, complementing the fine mediaeval roofs in the nave and north aisles. Traces of mediaeval painting remain in the chancel arch.

However, the true joy of the church is its furnishings, testament to the wealth of Barking from the 17th Century onwards, when it was a sizeable fishing port. In the chancel, the memorial to Sir Charles Montagu (d. 1625) shows him in his tent on campaign, dozing while armed musketeers stand guard. Nearby is the fine engraved tombstone of Martinus, the first recorded Vicar of Barking, dating from 1315. Of special note is that to Captain John Bennett (d. 1715) and his mother and father, his figure surrounded by the fore and aft of a fully-rigged sailing ship, navigational instruments and globes. He also has a fine tomb in the churchyard in the same style.

The nave has poppyhead pews incorporating 18th century woodwork, and the classical-style font (c.1635) is topped by a jolly cover, decorated by Jessie Jack, daughter of the Arts & Crafts craftsman George Jack. There is some good stained glass, and the Fisherman's Chapel includes statues of local notables associated with the parish, including Captain Cook (who married Elizabeth Batts here in 1762), the Quaker and prison reformer Elizabeth Fry, and St Ethelburga, the first Abbess of Barking.

The church is the centre of a busy parish life, and includes an excellent tea room in the adjoining church centre, where I enjoyed a lovely lunch and a very friendly welcome.

St Margaret of Antioch, Broadway & North Street, Barking, IG11 8AS 

St Peter Upon Cornhill

 

St Andrew by the Wardrobe

St Michael, Cornhill

St Nicholas Cole Abbey

St Mary, Aldermary

St Anselm, Kennington

 

St Anselm is located where Kennington Lane and Kennington Road cross, and so must compete with traffic rushing past day and night. Just getting there can be a challenge. But it is a surprise - an inter-war church with some interesting modernist sculpture.

Originally a mission church, the foundation stone of the present building was laid by the Prince of Wales in 1914, but work stopped almost immediately because of the First World War. When it recommenced, the original design - based on a Latin Cross with an elaborate dome - was reduced owing to lack of funds. The present simple basilica design, in stock brick with stone detailing, was completed in 1933.

The interior is described in the listing by English Heritage as "barn-like", and so it is: a vast single chamber with foreshortened aisles of three bays, all with sheer walls. The dark and windowless east end is particularly unforgiving, but there are exciting plans to redevelop this, inserting a gallery, which will surely add some much some needed structure, interest, and light.

Nevertheless, the building has some wonderful detailing. This starts at the main entrance door (see below), where the tympanum depicts St Anselm flanked by a lion and a lamb. The work is by modernist sculptor Alfred Horace Gerrard RBS (1899 – 1998), professor of sculpture at the Slade School of Fine Art 1949-1968. He also carved the four charming and unusually decorative capitals of the arcade, each depicting different animals: birds, foxes, owls, and - appropriately for a church - bats.

The vast space of the side walls is broken up by a series of huge abstract murals painted in 1971 by Norman Adams (1927-2005). The parish's website explains that their subject is the "idea of a progression from every day, material experience towards spiritual existence in Paradise" inspired by the The Pilgrim's Progress. Known for the spiritual intensity of his work, at the time Adams regarded these as his major achievement, although they are much darker in tone than many of his better-known works. (To me, they are reminiscent of Blake, and something of an acquired taste.)

My favourite piece, however, is the font (see top). The depiction of Christ with Angels, carved in high relief by Derrick Frith (a scion of the Frith family of sculptors and artists), is a wonderfully tender piece.

St Anselm's is part of the North Lambeth parish, is an inclusive church with informal and traditional worship, and serves this diverse inner-city community through a variety of outreach activities.

St Anselm, Kennington Road, London SE11 5DU

St Martin, Dorking

Holy Trinity, Upper Tooting

All Saints, Carshalton

St Stephen, Norbury & Thornton Heath

Located just off the London Road, midway between Norbury and Thornton Heath, St Stephen's is a classic brick-built Gothic Revival church - albeit, in this case, Edwardian rather than Victorian.

The architect was William Samuel Weatherley (1851-1922), a former assistant of Sir George Gilbert Scott. He eventually became commercially successful in his own right, designing and restoring churches as well as houses and commercial buildings. His plans for St Stephen's provided a large aisled nave of four bays with a generous clerestory, chancel, south west and north east porches, and a south chapel. An intended tower was never completed - the familiar story of a lack of funds. The foundation stone was laid in 1908 and the church was consecrated in 1912.

The church is built of brown brick with red brick and stone detailing, and has a mix of Perpendicular and Reticulated style tracery in the windows. The wagon roof is in a rich, dark brown wood, which helps to make what could otherwise be a rather barn-like space more intimate. A notable feature is that the nave and chancel are the same height, so that, looking through the chancel arch, the chancel actually appears higher. Weatherley exploited this further by raising the level of the floors successively from the nave to the chancel and sanctuary and the high altar itself, thus drawing the eye to the high altar as a focal point. 

The pulpit, rood screen and font cover are all beautifully carved in dark wood to compliment the ceiling, and there is also a jolly brass eagle lectern. World War II air raids took much of the stained glass, though it survives in the Lady Chapel and fragments in the north aisle.

The Church describes itself as progressive Catholic in tradition, and has a busy parish life with a Sunday School, Youth Alive group, and other groups and events through the week.

St John the Baptist, Old Malden

After Woking, here's another mediaeval church which provides a charming enclave among sprawling suburbs, this time in south-west London.

St John's origins date back to the Saxon period, although archaeology has confirmed that the site has been occupied continuously since the Iron Age. In mediaeval times, the manors of Malden and nearby Chessington were acquired by one Walter of Merton. A prominent courtier to Henry III, he became Chancellor of all England in 1261, founding and endowing Merton College, Oxford. After navigating the turbulent Baronial rebellion of Simon de Montfort and subsequent restoration, he eventually became Bishop of Rochester.

The church itself had a less happy fate in the Tudor period, for - despite the resistance of the College - it was acquired by Elizabeth I and then given the manor to the Earl of Arundel in exchange for the Palace at Nonsuch. Arundel sub-let the manor, resulting in the neglect of the church to the extent that, by the time College regained possession in 1627, it had needed complete rebuilding. This was funded largely through the efforts of the then Bishop of London (who had been born in Malden) and completed by one John Goode, then Lord of the Manor, in 1611.

For us, this complex history means that we have, happily, a largely intact, early 16th Century church, comprising a tower (with porch under), nave and chancel. This is mostly of brick, but earlier flintwork from the mediaeval church survives  and is clearly identifiable outside. This includes what may have been a Saxon doorway. The memorial to John Goode (d. 1627) records his work on rebuilding the church, and the adjacent south window contains heraldic Jacobean glass, including the arms of the diocese of Rochester impaled with those of de Merton.

The Victorians extended the church to the north in 1866 by firstly adding an aisle and then, in 1875, a new nave and chancel, relegating the earlier church to a south aisle and chapel. This is sympathetic to the original and decent in its own right, with a good chancel screen, a brilliantly painted chancel roof and rather low but wide pulpit, with carved Italian marble panels. A new northern 'transept' added in 2004 and provides a meeting room and kitchen.

The church proclaims an open and inclusive welcome to all alongside traditional eucharistic worship, as part of a busy parish life with groups for children, mothers & toddlers, a Mothers' Union and men's group.

St John the Baptist, Church Rd, Worcester Park KT4 7RY 

St Peter, Old Woking

Modern Woking grew up around the railway station, which opened in 1838. The original (and very old)  village is a mile and a half to the south east and still retains many of its original buildings, although it is sadly - and very noisily - dissected by two busy roads. Thankfully, St Peter's is quietly tucked away down a short road, close to the River Wey.

Records confirm the establishment of a Minster dedicated to St Peter as early as 675AD, and a church here is mentioned in Domesday. The oldest fabric (the north and west nave walls) is early 12th century; the 13th added the nave and the base of the west tower, which is a a happily messy mix of roughly knapped flint and old tiles. The 14th and 15th century provided the south aisle and upper part of the tower; and in the early 17th century came a pretty brick south porch, and the west gallery. 

The chief point of interest is the original west door: the simple roll-moulded arch has piers with cushion capitals, but - more importantly - retains its original Norman door. The wonderfully curved ironwork evokes classic Viking imagery of serpents and dragons. Consisting of four planks from a single tree, it has been dated between 1100 and 1138, making it a notable survivor. 

Other furnishings of interest include late mediaeval pews, a Jacobean pulpit, two early 16th century brasses, and some splendid 18th century monuments. But the chief joy is that they are set in a homely jumble of windows and wall monuments. This feels a friendly interior.

St Peter's is part of a benefice of three churches, offering a range of  traditional and more modern, informal, services. It is open weekdays and Sunday for visitors and private prayer.

St Peter, Church Street, Old Woking GU22 9JF

Christ The King, Wimbledon Park (RC)

After the sumptuousness of Farm Street, this suburban church offers a contrasting lesson in calm, inter-war modernism.

Worship had been offered in the area from 1913 from the Sacred Heart Church in Wimbledon, but plans were drawn up for a permanent church in 1926. The architect was one of the Gilbert Scott dynasty of church architects: Adrian Gilbert Scott (1882-1963), younger brother of Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (designer of Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral). Like his brother, he favoured blending traditional and modernist forms. The church was dedicated in 1928 and became a parish church in its own right in 1955. 

The exterior has a certain anonymity: with its grey-brown brick walls and low pitched roofs, it could be a public library or inter-war underground station. Only a small cross above the entrance indicates its purpose. (It has to be said that the trees and bushes in the small garden, while a welcome oasis of green, do obscure the lines of the architecture somewhat.) The windows provide a nod to the Romanesque, with simple round-headed and circular forms.

The spaciousness of the inside is a bit of a surprise - Scott used the slope of the site to good effect, so the interior is both loftier and longer than you expect, an effect accentuated by the dark timber of the roof and dado panelling. The chancel and south transept chapel have plaster barrel vaults which spring seamlessly from the walls. Furnishings are similarly restrained. A true oasis of calm.

The church is the centre of a busy parish life and offers the mass daily: and, unlike many urban churches, it is similarly open for private prayer every day of the week. That is a lesson many others could learn from.

Christ the King, 9 Crescent Gardens, Wimbledon Park SW19 8AJ 

Immaculate Conception, Mayfair (RC)

 

Tucked away on Farm Street, surrounded by residential mews and mansion blocks, the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception could almost define the phrase 'hidden gem'. It is worth making a special effort to visit.

The church itself was built in 1844-49 as a base for the Jesuit order in London, following the Catholic emancipation of 1829. The architect behind this jewel was Joseph John Scoles (1798–1863). He designed a number of Roman Catholic churches and, on the basis of the Immaculate Conception alone, deserves to be better known. For its early date, it is a remarkably confident, and accomplished, example of Gothic Revival.

The facade is a fair introduction to the church, the (liturgical) west door surmounted by a striking Decorated Gothic west window, filled with delicate tracery in a bold rose design. But the interior steps up a gear: eight bays of clustered marble-clad columns, tall clerestory windows flooding the interior with light, all drawing the eye to the chancel and the high altar. The nave and chancel ceilings are stencilled and painted, the aisles vaulted. Every surface is covered with marble or decoration, the aisle chapels filled with sculpture and intricate blind arcading. Most notable is the chancel reredos, designed by Pugin, the stone brilliantly gilded, but the side chapels can hold their own.

It became a parish church in 1966 and also has a significant ministry of outreach to refugees, young adults, LGTB+ Catholics, Japanese and Filipino congregations, and those considering returning to the faith. It also has a notable reputation for music. 

The church is open every day, with daily masses and confession.

Immaculate Conception, Farm Street, London W1K 3AH