St Pancras New Church
Encyclopedia
St Pancras Parish Church, sometimes referred to as St Pancras New Church to distinguish it from St Pancras Old Church
, is a 19th century Greek Revival church in London
, England
.
, in the northern boundary of Bloomsbury
. It was built as a new principal church for the parish of St Pancras
, which once stretched almost from Oxford Street
to Highgate
. The Old Church
became a chapel of ease
(and now has its own separate parish). During the 19th century many further churches were built to serve the burgeoning population of the original parish, and by 1890 it had been divided into 33 ecclesiastical parishes.
. The building of St Pancras church, was agreed in 1816; after a competition involving thirty or so tenders, designs by the local architect William Inwood
in collaboration with his son, Henry William Inwood were accepted . The Duke of York laid the foundation stone on 1 July, 1819 and the church was consecrated by the Bishop of London on 7 May 1822. The total cost of the church, including land and furnishings, was £76,679, making it the most expensive church to be built in London since the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral
. It was designed to seat 2,500 people.
The church is in the Greek revival style, using the Ionic order. It is built from brick, and faced with Portland stone
, except for the portico and the tower above the roof, which are entirely of stone. All the external decoration, including the capitals of the columns is of terracotta .
The Inwoods drew on two ancient Greek monuments, the Erechtheum
and the Tower of the Winds
, both in Athens, for their inspiration. The doorways are closely modelled on those of the Erechtheum, as is the entablature, and much of the other ornamentation. Henry William Inwood was in Athens at the time that the plans for St Pancras were accepted, and brought plaster casts of details of the Erechtheum, and some excavated fragments, back to England.
The west end follows the basic arrangement of portico, vestibule and tower established by James Gibbs
at St Martin-in-the-Fields
. . The octagonal domed ceiling of the vestibule is in imitation of the Tower of the Winds, and the tower above uses details from the same structure. At the east end is an apse, flanked by the church's most original features: two tribunes designed in imitation of the Erechtheum, with entablatures supported by caryatids. Unlike those on the Erechtheum, each caryatid holds a symbolic extinguished torch or an empty jug, appropriate for their positions above the entrances to the burial vault. They are made of terracotta, constructed in sections around cast-iron columns, and were modelled by John Charles Felix Rossi
, R.A..(1762–1839), who provided all the terracotta on the building. The upper levels of the tribunes were designed as vestries.
Access to the church is by three doorways ranged under the portico. Inside, the church has a flat ceiling with an uninterrupted span of 60 feet, and galleries supported on cast-iron columns. The interior of the apse is in the form of one half of a circular temple, with six columns, painted to imitate marble, raised on a plinth.
The church's crypt which extends the whole length of the church, was designed to contain 2,000 coffins,ref name=britton/> but less than five hundred interments ha d taken place by 1854, when the practice was ended in all London churches It served as an air-raid shelter in both world wars, and is now used as an art gallery.
The church was closed for two years from 1951 for structural renovation made necessary by dry rot and war damage. The North Chapel was added in 1970 and the interior was restored in 1981. St Pancras is still in use as a place of worship and also has program of concerts. The steps of the church were one of several sites used for floral tributes after the 7 July 2005 London bombings
.
Christmas orchestra performances, and has from 2006 hosted the University's Christian Union carol services. It appeared briefly at the end of the 2006 BBC TV adaptation of the novel The Ruby in the Smoke
, in a panning shot from its east end into a nearby street being used for street scenes.
St Pancras Old Church
St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church in central London. It is believed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England, and is dedicated to the Roman martyr Saint Pancras, although the building itself is largely Victorian...
, is a 19th century Greek Revival church in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Location
The church is on Euston RoadEuston Road
Euston Road is an important thoroughfare in central London, England, and forms part of the A501. It is part of the New Road from Paddington to Islington, and was opened as part of the New Road in 1756...
, in the northern boundary of Bloomsbury
Bloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
. It was built as a new principal church for the parish of St Pancras
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
, which once stretched almost from Oxford Street
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
to Highgate
Highgate
Highgate is an area of North London on the north-eastern corner of Hampstead Heath.Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has an active conservation body, the Highgate Society, to protect its character....
. The Old Church
St Pancras Old Church
St Pancras Old Church is a Church of England parish church in central London. It is believed to be one of the oldest sites of Christian worship in England, and is dedicated to the Roman martyr Saint Pancras, although the building itself is largely Victorian...
became a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
(and now has its own separate parish). During the 19th century many further churches were built to serve the burgeoning population of the original parish, and by 1890 it had been divided into 33 ecclesiastical parishes.
History
The New Church was built primarily to serve the newly built up areas close to Euston Road, especially parts of the well-to-do district of BloomsburyBloomsbury
-Places:* Bloomsbury is an area in central London.* Bloomsbury , related local government unit* Bloomsbury, New Jersey, New Jersey, USA* Bloomsbury , listed on the NRHP in Maryland...
. The building of St Pancras church, was agreed in 1816; after a competition involving thirty or so tenders, designs by the local architect William Inwood
William Inwood
William Inwood was an English architect, surveyor and writer on architecture.His father was bailiff to the Kenwood estate. He was the author of the Tables for the Purchasing of Estates, Freehold, Copyhold, or Leasehold, Annuities, &c. first published in 1811 and frequently revised and reprinted...
in collaboration with his son, Henry William Inwood were accepted . The Duke of York laid the foundation stone on 1 July, 1819 and the church was consecrated by the Bishop of London on 7 May 1822. The total cost of the church, including land and furnishings, was £76,679, making it the most expensive church to be built in London since the rebuilding of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
. It was designed to seat 2,500 people.
The church is in the Greek revival style, using the Ionic order. It is built from brick, and faced with Portland stone
Portland stone
Portland stone is a limestone from the Tithonian stage of the Jurassic period quarried on the Isle of Portland, Dorset. The quarries consist of beds of white-grey limestone separated by chert beds. It has been used extensively as a building stone throughout the British Isles, notably in major...
, except for the portico and the tower above the roof, which are entirely of stone. All the external decoration, including the capitals of the columns is of terracotta .
The Inwoods drew on two ancient Greek monuments, the Erechtheum
Erechtheum
The Erechtheion is an ancient Greek temple on the north side of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece.-Architecture:The temple as seen today was built between 421 and 406 BC. Its architect may have been Mnesicles, and it derived its name from a shrine dedicated to the legendary Greek hero Erichthonius...
and the Tower of the Winds
Tower of the Winds
The Tower of the Winds, also called horologion , is an octagonal Pentelic marble clocktower on the Roman agora in Athens. The structure features a combination of sundials, a water clock and a wind vane...
, both in Athens, for their inspiration. The doorways are closely modelled on those of the Erechtheum, as is the entablature, and much of the other ornamentation. Henry William Inwood was in Athens at the time that the plans for St Pancras were accepted, and brought plaster casts of details of the Erechtheum, and some excavated fragments, back to England.
The west end follows the basic arrangement of portico, vestibule and tower established by James Gibbs
James Gibbs
James Gibbs was one of Britain's most influential architects. Born in Scotland, he trained as an architect in Rome, and practised mainly in England...
at St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is an Anglican church at the north-east corner of Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, London. Its patron is Saint Martin of Tours.-Roman era:Excavations at the site in 2006 led to the discovery of a grave dated about 410...
. . The octagonal domed ceiling of the vestibule is in imitation of the Tower of the Winds, and the tower above uses details from the same structure. At the east end is an apse, flanked by the church's most original features: two tribunes designed in imitation of the Erechtheum, with entablatures supported by caryatids. Unlike those on the Erechtheum, each caryatid holds a symbolic extinguished torch or an empty jug, appropriate for their positions above the entrances to the burial vault. They are made of terracotta, constructed in sections around cast-iron columns, and were modelled by John Charles Felix Rossi
John Charles Felix Rossi
-Life:John Charles Felix Rossi was born at Nottingham on 8 March 1762. His father, an Italian from Siena, was a quack doctor at Nottingham, and afterwards at Mountsorrell, Leicestershire. Rossi was sent to the studio of Giovanni Battista Locatelli, an Italian sculptor working in London...
, R.A..(1762–1839), who provided all the terracotta on the building. The upper levels of the tribunes were designed as vestries.
Access to the church is by three doorways ranged under the portico. Inside, the church has a flat ceiling with an uninterrupted span of 60 feet, and galleries supported on cast-iron columns. The interior of the apse is in the form of one half of a circular temple, with six columns, painted to imitate marble, raised on a plinth.
The church's crypt which extends the whole length of the church, was designed to contain 2,000 coffins,ref name=britton/> but less than five hundred interments ha d taken place by 1854, when the practice was ended in all London churches It served as an air-raid shelter in both world wars, and is now used as an art gallery.
The church was closed for two years from 1951 for structural renovation made necessary by dry rot and war damage. The North Chapel was added in 1970 and the interior was restored in 1981. St Pancras is still in use as a place of worship and also has program of concerts. The steps of the church were one of several sites used for floral tributes after the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
.
Today
The church is one of the most important 19th century churches in England and is a Grade I listed building. However because it is situated on Euston Road; one of London’s busiest roads - it has become stained with pollution and recent cleaning attempts have been unable to remove the staining of much of the Portland stone. Father Paul Hawkins is the current Vicar of St Pancras Church. In recent years the Church was used as the location for the nearby University College LondonUniversity College London
University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...
Christmas orchestra performances, and has from 2006 hosted the University's Christian Union carol services. It appeared briefly at the end of the 2006 BBC TV adaptation of the novel The Ruby in the Smoke
Sally Lockhart
Veronica Beatrice "Sally" Lockhart is a fictional character in a series of books by Philip Pullman.- Background :The character of Sally Lockhart first appears in The Ruby in the Smoke, a play Pullman wrote for performance by a secondary school. In the play, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart attempts...
, in a panning shot from its east end into a nearby street being used for street scenes.
External links
- Official site
- Most recent Mystery Worshipper Report at the Ship of Fools websiteShip of Fools (website)Ship of Fools is a UK-based Christian website. It was first launched as a magazine in 1977. The magazine folded in 1983 and was resurrected as a website on April Fool's Day, 1998. Subtitled "the magazine of Christian unrest", Ship of Fools pokes fun and asks critical questions about the Christian...