Woolwich: St Michael & All Angels
Overview
Grid reference: TQ 426 788
A large Victorian Gothic town church situated on Bogard Road, a winding and sloping side road just off Frances Street, a main road in a residential part of Woolwich with the Royal Artillery buildings at its southern end. Built in stages, and never completed as originally planned. The present church building replaced an iron Mission Church erected on the site in 1867. The chancel of the present church was built by J W Walters in 1875, attached to the old iron church (functioning as a nave).
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
4-bay nave, 3-bay south aisle, south-west vestry, 2-bay chancel, choir vestry, clergy vestry, Lady Chapel, and north organ chamber.
Dimensions:
Nave approx 30m (100ft) x 9m (30ft).
Footprint of Church buildings: 676 m²
Description of Archaeology and History
Built in stages, and never completed as originally planned. The present church building replaced an iron Mission Church erected on the site in 1867. The chancel of the present church was built by J W Walters in 1875, attached to the old iron church (functioning as a nave). Work to complete the nave around the old iron church was basically finished by 1889 to designs by W Butterfield. W D Caroe supervised works after Butterfield’s death, although it is unclear what might be attributed to him. The planned aisles and tower were not added because of cost. The church was hit by a V1 bomb in 1944, the windows blown out and some structural and roof damage caused. The south aisle and south-west transept/tower were added following a refurbishment by T F Ford in 1955-6.
Exterior Description
The church stands on a brick plinth, and is quite tall in relation to its footprint. It is designed in the Early English and Decorated style, followed by all three architects, though the join between their work is very obvious; the bright red tiles of the chancel and flanking roofs contrasts with the dark roofs of the nave and aisle, accentuating this. Ford’s work is self-effacing to the point of anonymity.
The west wall has a 5-light window with Geometrical tracery in the nave, and a small bell under a wooden gablet mounted high on the wall. The north side of the nave is blind at ground level as an aisle was intended, and brick toothings were left in the aisle walls, still visible. The nave arcades are covered externally with tiles. The south aisle has paired lancets in each bay with plain buttresses of one weathering between. The western bay is taken up by a two-storey gabled transept/tower, the apex of which reaches to just below the nave eaves. The south wall of this is pierced by three small pointed lights at ground floor level and two tall lancets above. The nave clearstorey has cusped round windows to each bay. The church has a shallow porches with a plain pointed entrance at the west end of the north wall, and entrances under gables to the clergy vestry and to the transept/tower.
The chancel has a clearstorey above the Lady Chapel and vestries with lancet windows, between flying buttresses with gablets on the south side. The Lady Chapel has 2-lights in the south wall and a 3-light plate tracery window in the east, all with quatrefoils in the head. There is one east lancet in the north wall, the rest is taken up by the vestry, sacristy and organ chamber with three separate mono-pitched roofs, an awkward composition. The east wall of the chancel has three stepped lancets under a round window with a quatrefoil within, the façade framed by angle buttresses with stepped stone weatherings. The foundation stone of 1875 is set beneath.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
The stained glass in the east window and Lady Chapel is all replacements for the glass blown out in the War. Those in the Lady Chapel are single figures in the pallid, figurative style typical of the 1950s, Christ in glory flanked by St John and Virgin Mary in the east window in memory of a former vicar and parishioners, saints in the south windows. The chancel east window has St Michael and Angels, brighter and bolder figures.
Building Materials
Brick
Yellow stock bricks with red brick bands
Bath Stone
Dressings
Interior
Interior Description
The interior retains its Victorian layout in the nave and chancel, mostly whitewashed but with a full scheme of painted and stencilled decoration in the chancel, these perhaps replacements for the originals. Although the aisles were not built in 1889 the arcades were finished in anticipation, with pointed arches carried on short columns with plain moulded caps and bases. The north aisle arcade has a blind and featureless wall just behind. The nave is fully pewed, the font is central at the west end. The south-west corner is taken up by an altar with a large carved Crucifixion in an architectural case with wooden rails by Comper, a War Memorial. Adjacent to this is a doorway leading to the lower room of the transept/tower, a vestry. There are also various other statues and High church paraphernalia. Looking up, there is a band of coloured tiles under the clearstorey, and an attractive painted vaulted ceiling, the ribs taken down the walls as engaged colonettes with annulets.
Looking west, a plain arch (by Ford) leads through a solid wall between the aisle and Lady Chapel. By contrast, the chancel arch is tall and pointed, of two orders with stiff-leaf capitals to the tall slender engaged columns carrying the arch; above the arch are painted angels. A filigree carved oak 7-bay rood screen with a central gable and wrought iron gates within the central bay provide a fitting introduction to the highly decorated chancel, which has a vaulted roof, the ribs picked out in white against a blue background. The floor is of encaustic tiles, and there are very good choir stalls.
The side walls of the chapel are of two bays of tall pointed arches with 3-light cusped openings at clearstorey level, the outer two lights of which are blind; below these is a painted balcony to a miniature triforium, all under tall pointed arches framed by detached rere-shafts with annulets. The north wall of the chancel contains the organ in the west bay, with tall case and exposed pipes, the eastern bay has two pointed doorways leading to the vestry and sacristy. All around the doors and around the east wall is a two-tier scheme with stencilled and painted decoration and texts below a turquoise background with flying angels. A large carved stone reredos takes up the space under the east window, brightly painted and gilded. The east window has rere-shafts as with the arches described above. A fine High Gothic Revival ensemble.
There is a stone piscina in the sanctuary north wall and a wooden triple sedilia on the south side, with a glazed timber screen (1950s) behind delineating the Lady chapel. This is brightly decorated with a text along the cornice and etched glass with the names of deceased parishioners. The chapel itself also has an encaustic tiled floor and a smaller oak reredos.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
1880
Oak tables to chancel, chapel, children's altar to St Michael, War Memorial altar.
Reredos
1880
The elaborate carved chancel reredos was apparently designed by Ernest Geldart, a clergy friend of the first vicar. It is in the form of a triptych with architectural canopy, with painted panels depicting Christ in Glory flanked by angels.
The Lady chapel reredos is a smaller version of this in oak, with the Crucifixion flanked by St John and Mary.
Pulpit
1880
Octagonal stone pulpit with blind tracery panels.
Lectern
1880
3 wooden reading stands, elaborately carved.
Font (object)
1880
White marble bowl font with attached brown marble colonettes, octagonal base. Heavy wooden cover, gaudily painted in bright colours.
Organ (object)
1885
Two manual pipe organ by G Adams of Stockwell in 1885, enlarged by J W Adinton in 1900. Also piano by Ernst Munck of Gotha.
Rail
1880
Of oak, tracery
Plaque (object)
20th Century
Several 20th century brass plaques in memory of parishioners.
Churchyard
Grid reference: TQ 426 788
Burial and War Grave Information
It is unknown whether the building is consecrated.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has been used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard is used for burial.
It is unknown whether the churchyard has war graves.
National Heritage record for England designations
There are no records of National Heritage assets within the curtilage of this site.
Environment
Ancient, Veteran & Notable Trees
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
There are no records of Ancient, Veteran or Notable Trees within the curtilage of this site.
Renewables
| Renewable | Installed |
|---|---|
| Solar PV Panels | No |
| Solar Thermal Panels | No |
| Biomass | No |
| Wind Turbine | No |
| Air Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | No |
| Ev Charging | No |
Species summary
There are no records of species within the curtilage of this site.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
'Seek advice' Species
More information on species and action to be taken upon discovery.
Caring for God's Acre is a conservation charity working to support groups and individuals to investigate, care for, and enjoy the wildlife and heritage treasures found within churchyards and other burial grounds. Look on their website for information and advice and please contact their staff directly. They can help you manage this churchyard for people and wildlife.
To learn more about all the species recorded against this church, go to the Burial Ground Portal within the NBN Atlas. You can check the spread of records through the years, discovering what has been recorded and when, plus what discoveries might remain to be uncovered.
Further information
Quinquennial Inspections
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