St Vedast Foster Lane
Encyclopedia
Saint Vedast-alias-Foster, a church in Foster Lane
, in the City of London
, is dedicated to Vedast
(Foster is an Anglicisation
of his name), a French saint whose cult came to England through contacts with Augustinian
clergy.
Although the church was not completely destroyed in the Great Fire
of 1666, it was restored by 1672 on parochial initiative. However, the church required substantial reconstruction by the office of Sir Christopher Wren between 1695 and 1701, with only small parts of the older building surviving to be incorporated, most noticeably parts of the medieval fabric in the south wall which were revealed by cleaning in 1992-3. The spire, considered one of the most baroque of all the City spires, was added in 1709-12 at a cost of £2958, possibly to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor
whose correspondance with the churchwardens survives. The organ
was built by Renatus Harris
in 1731, originally for St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange
.
Wren's church was gutted a second time by firebombs during the London blitz of 1940 and 1941.. A proposal by Sir Hugh Casson
to leave this and several other ruins as a war memorial was not implemented. The post-war restoration within the old walls was undertaken by Stephen Dykes Bower
. He reorientated the interior in a collegiate chapel style with seating down each side with a side chapel in the former South aisle, and squared the old walls which were not rectangular in plan so that the altar now faces the nave squarely. He made an almost imperceptible taper in the pews to give a false perpective towards the altar, making the church look longer, and designed the richly decorated 17th century style plaster ceiling. He reused fittings from other destroyed City churches, including the richly carved pulpit from All Hallows Bread Street
and the font and cover from St Anne and St Agnes
. Dykes Bower commissioned the Whitefriars glass
windows in the East End, showing scenes from the life of St Vedast
(known in continental europe as St Vaast). These windows are largely opaque to hide tall buildings behind and to disguise the fact that the East wall is a wedge in plan. The work was completed in 1962. An aumbry
by the south chapel altar is by Bernard Merry and the organ is 1955 by Noel Mander
, in the re-used 1731 Harris case.
Dykes Bower also built a small Parish Room to the North East of the church in 17th century style and a Georgian-style rectory, adjacent to the church, on Foster Lane in 1959, in the first floor room of which is an important mural by Hans Feibusch
on the subject of Jacob and the Angel. A niche in the internal courtyard of the building contains a carved-stone head by sculptor Jacob Epstein
..
The church is noted for its small but lively baroque steeple, its small secluded courtyard, stained glass, and a richly-decorated ceiling. It also has a set of six bells
, cast in 1960, that are widely regarded as being the finest sounding six in London.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on January 4, 1950. The rectory was listed as a Grade II building on July 15, 1998.
Foster Lane
Foster Lane is a short street within Cheap Ward, in the City of London. It is situated north-east of St Paul’s Cathedral and runs northwards from Cheapside to a junction with Gresham Street....
, in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, is dedicated to Vedast
Vedast
Saint Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint Vaast or Saint Waast and Saint Gaston in French, Saint Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint Vaast (in Flemish, Norman, and Picard) or Saint Waast (also in Picard and Walloon) and Saint Gaston in French, Saint Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint...
(Foster is an Anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of his name), a French saint whose cult came to England through contacts with Augustinian
Augustine of Canterbury
Augustine of Canterbury was a Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 597...
clergy.
History
The original church of St Vedast was founded before 1308 and was extensively repaired in the seventeenth century.Although the church was not completely destroyed in the Great Fire
Great Fire of London
The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through the central parts of the English city of London, from Sunday, 2 September to Wednesday, 5 September 1666. The fire gutted the medieval City of London inside the old Roman City Wall...
of 1666, it was restored by 1672 on parochial initiative. However, the church required substantial reconstruction by the office of Sir Christopher Wren between 1695 and 1701, with only small parts of the older building surviving to be incorporated, most noticeably parts of the medieval fabric in the south wall which were revealed by cleaning in 1992-3. The spire, considered one of the most baroque of all the City spires, was added in 1709-12 at a cost of £2958, possibly to the designs of Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor
Nicholas Hawksmoor was a British architect born in Nottinghamshire, probably in East Drayton.-Life:Hawksmoor was born in Nottinghamshire in 1661, into a yeoman farming family, almost certainly in East Drayton, Nottinghamshire. On his death he was to leave property at nearby Ragnall, Dunham and a...
whose correspondance with the churchwardens survives. The organ
Pipe organ
The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air through pipes selected via a keyboard. Because each organ pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks, each of which has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass...
was built by Renatus Harris
Renatus Harris
Renatus Harris was a master organ maker in England in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.During the period of the Commonwealth, in the mid seventeenth century, Puritans controlled the country and organ music was banned in churches. Many organ makers left England for the continent,...
in 1731, originally for St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange
St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange
St. Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange was a church in the City of London located on Bartholomew Lane, off Threadneedle Street. Recorded since the 13th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1666, then rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher Wren. The rebuilt church was demolished in...
.
Hugh Casson
Sir Hugh Maxwell Casson, KCVO, RA, RDI, was a British architect, interior designer, artist, and influential writer and broadcaster on 20th century design. He is particularly noted for his role as director of architecture at the 1951 Festival of Britain on London's South Bank.Casson's family...
to leave this and several other ruins as a war memorial was not implemented. The post-war restoration within the old walls was undertaken by Stephen Dykes Bower
Stephen Dykes Bower
Stephen Ernest Dykes Bower was a British church architect and Gothic Revival designer best known for his work at Westminster Abbey.-Early life and education:...
. He reorientated the interior in a collegiate chapel style with seating down each side with a side chapel in the former South aisle, and squared the old walls which were not rectangular in plan so that the altar now faces the nave squarely. He made an almost imperceptible taper in the pews to give a false perpective towards the altar, making the church look longer, and designed the richly decorated 17th century style plaster ceiling. He reused fittings from other destroyed City churches, including the richly carved pulpit from All Hallows Bread Street
All Hallows Bread Street
All Hallows Bread Street was a church in the Bread Street ward of the City of London on the south side of Watling Street. First mentioned in the 13th century, the church was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666...
and the font and cover from St Anne and St Agnes
St Anne and St Agnes
St Anne and St Agnes is a church located at Gresham Street in the City of London, near the Barbican. While St Anne's is an Anglican foundation, it has been let since 1966 to a congregation of the Lutheran Church in Great Britain.-History:...
. Dykes Bower commissioned the Whitefriars glass
James Powell and Sons
The firm of James Powell and Sons, also known as Whitefriars Glass, were English glassmakers, leadlighters and stained glass window manufacturers...
windows in the East End, showing scenes from the life of St Vedast
Vedast
Saint Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint Vaast or Saint Waast and Saint Gaston in French, Saint Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint Vaast (in Flemish, Norman, and Picard) or Saint Waast (also in Picard and Walloon) and Saint Gaston in French, Saint Vedast or Vedastus, also known as Saint...
(known in continental europe as St Vaast). These windows are largely opaque to hide tall buildings behind and to disguise the fact that the East wall is a wedge in plan. The work was completed in 1962. An aumbry
Aumbry
In the Middle Ages an aumbry was a cabinet in the wall of a Christian church or in the sacristy which was used to store chalices and other vessels, as well as for the reserved sacrament, the consecrated elements from the Eucharist. This latter use was infrequent in pre-Reformation churches,...
by the south chapel altar is by Bernard Merry and the organ is 1955 by Noel Mander
Mander Organs
Mander Organs is an English pipe organ maker and refurbisher based in London. Although well known for many years in the world of organ building, they achieved wider notability in 2004 with their refurbishment of the Royal Albert Hall's Father Willis organ....
, in the re-used 1731 Harris case.
Dykes Bower also built a small Parish Room to the North East of the church in 17th century style and a Georgian-style rectory, adjacent to the church, on Foster Lane in 1959, in the first floor room of which is an important mural by Hans Feibusch
Hans Feibusch
Hans Feibusch was a German painter and sculptor who lived and worked in Britain for much of his career, having escaped the Third Reich....
on the subject of Jacob and the Angel. A niche in the internal courtyard of the building contains a carved-stone head by sculptor Jacob Epstein
Jacob Epstein
Sir Jacob Epstein KBE was an American-born British sculptor who helped pioneer modern sculpture. He was born in the United States, and moved to Europe in 1902, becoming a British citizen in 1911. He often produced controversial works which challenged taboos on what was appropriate subject matter...
..
The church is noted for its small but lively baroque steeple, its small secluded courtyard, stained glass, and a richly-decorated ceiling. It also has a set of six bells
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
, cast in 1960, that are widely regarded as being the finest sounding six in London.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on January 4, 1950. The rectory was listed as a Grade II building on July 15, 1998.
See also
- List of churches and cathedrals of London
- List of Christopher Wren churches in London
External links
- St Vedast-alias-Foster from Friends of the City Churches