"The Cmmissioners for Building New Churches... asked Charles Fowler to draw up ... plans which he did expeditiously by 1829. His plan for St John’s -- a 13th Century style Gothic church -- It took three years to build and on the 26th January 1832 the Lord Bishop of London, the Right Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Charles James Blomfield, consecrated St John’s Chapel, also known as the Connaught Chapel.uary 1832 It was designed to seat 1500, with 700 free seats and the rest rented – the pews in all churches used to be rented for annual charges. The total pew rentals in St John’s, which were paid to the wardens to cover expenses, were valued at £681 a year.
"The church as we know it today is not the one we would have seen in 1832 or even at the turn of the 20th Century. The interior was darker; it was lit with candles, then gas lamps, and finally electric lighting in the late 1800s. There was a triforium, or balcony over each of the side aisles as well as over the entrance. Between the wooden pews, there was a row of paired chairs going down the nave leading up to the chancel. St John’s had a capacity of 2,200 people with 1,500 subscription seats and 700 free seats in the triforium. The pulpit, with its spiral staircase, was in front of the left row of pews attached to the rood screen, now at the entrance of the church. The baptismal font was located at the northwest corner. The high altar, from St Michael’s Star Street was originally in the north transept in front of the organ, which was The Lady Chapel until the reordering in 2011.
"After the Second World War the parish and the church fell on hard times when the area became less desirable and people moved to the suburbs. The church was even occasionally closed between 1962 and 1965...
"In 2011 the old Victorian heating system was replaced and the pine pews (which came from America) were sold or auctioned off to raise funds for the beautiful new floor. The rood screen was relocated to the area behind the seating to create a narthex. Additional changes include the installation of toilets on the south side of the porch, while a much-needed kitchen was re-fitted on the north side.
"St John’s has long had a strong association with music in London. It employs eight choral scholars and an organ scholar per year, drawn from the best London conservatories." (Link.)
*******
Photos: Taken by Lina in 2020 while she was living and working in London, England.
Linc: https://www.stjohns-hydepark.com/moreaboutus/2016/7/21/history-of-st-johns-hyde-park
No comments:
Post a Comment