The Sacred Heart (RC), Wimbledon

The Sacred Heart is Wimbledon's Catholic parish church and a prominent landmark on the ridge between Wimbledon and Raynes Park.

The church was funded by Edith Arendrup, a member of the Courtauld family who, having moved to Wimbledon, persuaded the Jesuits to begin a mass at her home in 1877. Seven years later she paid for the building of the present church, to designs by the architect Fredrick Walters (1849-1931), who also designed Buckfast Abbey. The nave was completed in 1887 and the rest of the building by 1901. A planned tower was replaced by twin turrets flanking the west front.

The exterior is of knapped flints with stone dressings. Designed in the decorated Gothic style, the interior resembles an abbey: an aisled nave, beneath a tall clerestory, leads to a chancel with an ambulatory and radiating chapels. The dimensions are impressive: the nave is 100ft long and 60ft high. The arcades carry niches with saints connected with the Jesuit Order. The church has numerous late Victorian and 20th century fittings, the best of which are found in the St Ignatius Chapel in the north aisle.

The church normally has three daily masses (six on a Sunday, plus a Saturday night vigil mass) and is the centre of a vibrant parish life.

 Edge Hill, Wimbledon, London SW19 4LU

St John the Baptist, Peterborough

St John's is Peterborough's parish church, and sits in the centre of Cathedral Square, a few minutes' walk from the Cathedral.

Although Peterborough has had a parish church since the 11th century, flooding of the original site to the east of the abbey led to it being rebuilt in 1402 on the present site, and it was dedicated in 1407. It was much restored in the Victorian period, by the architect J L Pearson, architect of Truro Cathedral. The north porch dates from 1473.

Its bells sounded for the funerals of both Katharine of Aragon (1536) and Mary, Queen of Scots (1587) in the cathedral. The church sexton, Robert Scarlett, buried both Queens, and is himself buried in the cathedral, having died in 1594 at the age of 98. A portrait of him hangs at the west end of the cathedral.

The exterior is largely in the Perpendicular Gothic style, church itself has a long nave arcade and aisles, with a chancel and Lady Chapel, but no crossing. The most prominent external feature is the tower. The 15th century south porch is the best preserved part of the building, and its vault has attractive bosses depicting the Trinity, Annunciation and Crucifixion.

Furnishings of interest (most are Victorian or 20th century) include a 15th century font, and two rare framed examples of 15th century embroidery, probably from church vestments. The monument to the local MP, Matthew Wyldbore, d. 1781, is the most impressive of several in the church.

The church is open twice a week with a cafe at the west end, as well for services, which are traditional in style.

Church Street, Cathedral Square, Peterborough PE1 1XB

St Nicholas, Compton (Guildford)

The parish church of St Nicholas in Compton has the double honour of being Surrey’s best Norman church, and of possessing England’s only two-storeyed sanctuary. It is well worth a visit.

The lower part of the tower and the corners of the nave date from the earlier Saxon church. The Norman work is in two phases: the chancel arch and chancel date from 1080-1100, and the aisles with their solid, rounded arcades, together with the upper sanctuary, date from 1160-80. The only major later addition was the upper part of the tower with its shingle broached spire, in the late 13th or 14th centuries. The porch is Victorian.

Inside, the whitewash reveals a wealth of Norman decoration. The chancel arch has fine dogtooth carving, and the capitals of the arcade piers have scalloped and crude foliage designs. The east nave wall has the remains of an unusual 15th century painted decoration, of stepped cubes in perspective, instead of the usual Judgement.

The chancel is a gem: the lower sanctuary is framed by an exquisite arch with roll mouldings, saw-tooth and dog-tooth ornament. The balustrade of the lower sanctuary is Jacobean, c. 1620 (as are the fine pulpit and screen), but this is outshone by the Romanesque balustrade of the upper sanctuary: this is original Norman work (c. 1180), making it the oldest architectural timberwork in situ in England. Squints to the north and south chancel walls may relate to anchorite cells: that on the south side may have been a chantry chapel. An ancient wooden staircase joins the two sanctuaries.

The fittings and fixtures are  equally rich: the north aisle and lower sanctuary have 14th and 15th century tomb recesses, and piscinas and aumbries abound. The chancel arch has rare Crusader graffiti, a 12th century image of a knight with a pointed helmet, with crosses and intersecting circles. The east window has 13th century stained glass of the Virgin and Child, and in the nave floor are brasses to the Thomas Genning and his family (d. 1508), though sadly with some of the images missing.

The church has no fewer than four services on a Sunday. After your visit, the nearby Watts Cemetery Chapel provides a striking contrast of Arts and Crafts workmanship.
The Street, Compton, Guildford, Surrey GU3 1EG

Watts Cemetery Chapel, Compton (Guildford)

After the Romanesque delights of the parish church, the Cemetery Chapel provides a rich contrast.

It was funded by the Arts and Crafts luminary George Frederic Watts and his wife Mary. She assembled the designs for the chapel, but much of the decorative scheme of deeply coloured glazed tiles and hand-painted gesso, were made by the villagers under her instruction. It was completed in 1904.

The exterior is rich enough, with elaborate terracotta friezes depicting Hope, Truth, Love and Light, and a round-headed doorway with three orders of Celtic  style decoration.

But the interior takes the breath away.

Once your eyes become accustomed to the gloom, the richness of the decoration reveals itself: Celtic and religious symbolism, in flowing Art Nouveau style, with deep reds, blues and greens highlighted in gold. Every square inch of the interior is heavily moulded and painted - a true labour of love and dedication.

The sanctuary painting is also by George Frederic Watts (1904) and is entitled The All Pervading. It depicts a spirit, understood as an interpretation of God.

The chapel is used only for funeral services, but is open daily for visitors.
Down Lane, Compton, Guildford, Surrey GU3

St Michael, Cropthorne

Cropthorne lies mid-way between Evesham and Pershore, and is known for its many fine half-timbered houses. Its church has a charming interior and some impressive monuments.

The church has Saxon origins: the village had a royal hunting lodge, and was presented to the Priory of Worcester by King Offa of Mercia in 786AD. The core of the church we see today was built around 1100-1180, from which survive the nave arcades of plain round arches, and the lower part of the tower. The chancel arch was rebuilt around 1200, along with the western part of the chancel. The aisles were widened and the chancel extended in the 14th century. The clerestory, upper parts of the tower and the porch were added in the 15th century, giving the church its present form.

The interior is charming, but the real interest comes from fixtures and fitting of unusual quality. Pride of place goes to a Saxon cross-head, richly carved with zoomorphic and foliage designs. Dating from around 800AD, it is one of the finest surviving examples of its type in Britain. The north aisle has a fine 14th century tomb recess with a possibly older memorial slab. This is carved with an incised cross, chalice and a hand raised in blessing, suggesting it was for a priest.

Nearby are two fine 17th century tombs, of two generations of the Dingley family. The older tomb, to Francis (d. 1624) and Elizabeth, has fine coloured effigies, Francis in full Jacobean-style armour. The base is charmingly decorated with their 19 children in mourning: three cots indicate children who died in infancy, and two of the daughters were evidently twins. Adjacent is the grand, canopied tomb of Francis's grandson Edward (d. 1646) and his wife Joyce. They face each other kneeling, in mourning dress.

Some of the pews date from the 15th century and have tracery decoration. Finally, a much damaged wall painting above the nave arcade, said to depict St Christopher the Hermit, dated to the 1300s.

The church is the centre of a busy parish of five villages, with regular services (see website for details).

St Michael's Church, Main Street, Cropthorne, Pershore, Worcestershire WR10 3LU

St John the Baptist, Wimbledon

St John's lies between Wimbledon and Raynes Park, just below the Ridgeway, and is a good example of a late Victorian neo-Gothic church.

The church was built to service the growing commuter population brought to Wimbledon by the London and South-Western Railway. A plot of land was bought in 1867, but a lack of funds meant that the first building was a temporary prefabricated ‘iron church’. Made of corrugated iron, it came, according to the church’s website, “complete with altar and font, illuminated texts all over the windows and two seraphs to each entrance”.

The present church was begun in 1873 to designs by Thomas Jackson (1835-1924) and consecrated in 1875. Jackson delivered a classic red-brick neo-Gothic church, with a nave, chancel and a large north aisle. From the outside, it is not particularly distinguished, save for the large east window and an impressive north porch, which has Decorated Gothic detailing.

The interior space is dominated by the tall single arcade between the nave and north aisle, but the main  interest is provided by the fittings and furnishings: there is some lovely stained glass, including a window from the William Morris factory (the figure of Martha is by Edward Burne-Jones, that of Christ by Henry Dearle); a delicate chancel screen; and a reredos in the Lady Chapel (north aisle) by Martin Travers. The organ, installed in 1904 by Hill, Morgan and Beard, is a particularly fine example.

The church has an vibrant worship life and is a very popular venue for music, thanks to an excellent acoustic.

St John the Baptist,  Spencer Hill, Wimbledon, London SW19 4NZ

St Chad's Cathedral (RC), Birmingham

St Chad’s is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Birmingham. Located prominently (and slightly unfortunately) on the city’s inner ring road, the striking Germanic twin towers of its façade are matched by an impressive interior.

The building was designed by Augustus Pugin (1812-1852), most famous for his decorative work on the Houses of Parliament. The church was built to replace a chapel erected in 1808, and provide more accommodation to service Birmingham’s burgeoning Roman Catholic population. Construction began in 1839 and it was substantially complete by 1841. It became a Cathedral in 1850, making it the first Catholic Cathedral erected since the Reformation in England.

The church is designed in a north German 13th century style, executed in red brick with Bath stone dressings. The most prominent features are the two slender towers which frame the main façade, topped with tall broach spires. The interior is a revelation: although the plan is conventional, with transepts and an apsed sanctuary, Pugin created a ‘Hall church’, with very tall arcades and aisles of similar height to the nave. This delivers scale and spaciousness on an otherwise restricted site. The ceilings are beautifully decorated throughout, illuminated by wide expanses of plain glass.

The principal interest of its furnishings is the reliquary behind the High Altar, which houses some of the bones of St Chad, rescued from the cathedral in Lichfield after the Reformation. Recent archaeological investigation has confirmed their likely authenticity (several date from the 7th century). In the ‘north’ aisle is the impressive tomb chest to the first Bishop and instigator of the Cathedral, Bishop Thomas Walsh, executed in the Decorated Gothic style.

The Cathedral has a reputation for excellent music in its worship. It is open every day for services, visitors, and private prayer.

St Chad's Cathedral, St Chad's Queensway, Birmingham B4 6HY