Hampstead: St Cuthbert
Overview
Grid reference: TQ 247 849
The church is in the lancet style and in spite of its late date, shows no awareness of the new freer forms of Gothic which were being used by the Arts and Crafts architects. The west front faces the road, a large gable with three big shafted lancets set above blind arcading which appears more Norman than Early English.
Visiting and facilities
Building is closed for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Aisled nave of five bays with clerestory; a south-west tower was intended but never built; the chancel has a three-sided apse with a north organ chamber and south vestry.
Description of Archaeology and History
The church was designed by W.C. Street and was built in two parts. The foundation stone of the nave was laid on 17 July 1886 and the nave and aisles were consecrated on 11 November 1887; the foundation stone of the chancel was laid on 18 June 1903 and the chancel was consecrated on 23 January 1904. There had originally been an iron church and this was superseded by a brick mission church also designed by W.C. Street which remains as the present church hall. There is no evidence that Street (who had his office at 4 Westminster Chambers) was related to G.E. Street and his family. A plan in the vestry is dated October 1904 and signed by Edward W. Coldwell, Architect, 9 Southampton Street, Bloomsbury, and it is possible that he added the chancel according Street's design.
Exterior Description
The church is in the lancet style and in spite of its late date, shows no awareness of the new freer forms of Gothic which were being used by the Arts and Crafts architects. The west front faces the road, a large gable with three big shafted lancets set above blind arcading which appears more Norman than Early English. Below this again are two doorways with moulded arches and two orders of nookshafts and three small arches of blind arcading between. To the left is the end of the north aisle with two lancet lights and to the right the painful gap bounded by rendered walls where the tower ought to be. The bell is hung instead in a small timber cote brackettedout from the wall. The flanking walls have three equal lancets under a running moulded hood to each bay of the aisles and similarly three lancets to each bay of the clerestory. The former bays are divided by buttresses from each other, the latter of course are not. The chancel has a three-sided apse with two-light cusped windows with quatrefoils for tracery. The vestry on the south side and organ chamber on the north side are both under pent roofs which continue the line of the aisle roofs. The organ chamber has a blind east wall and three lancets in the north wall like a bay of the aisle, and the vestry is linked to the hall by a passage.
Building Fabric and Features
Stained Glass
1904
The east window has two lights representing Our Lord with Martha and Mary (The Master is Come and Calleth for Thee) : 1904 by Henry Holiday, two lights.
Stained Glass
c.1920
South aisle I: Love and Courage, personified.
Stained Glass
1922
South aisle II: Lydia, St. Paul and Eunice, all apparently portraits of those commemorated, signed by Arthur L. Ward of 117, Ladbrooke Grove.
Interior
Interior Description
The interior is approached through a small narthex within the west doors contrived under the west gallery with which the church is anachronistically provided. The walls are faced with exposed brickwork, mostly yellow with some criss-cross patterns in red. The window reveals are of three chamfered orders, also in brick, and the arcades are carried on round pillars of Mansfield stone with moulded capitals and bases which a High Victorian architect would have thought far too tall and thin. The arches are broad and double chamfered, executed in stone. At the west end of the south arcade is a narrow arch because of the wall which would have supported the tower. The nave has an arch-braced roof and is well lit by the three large lancets in the west gable and by the triplets in the clerestory. The floor is of wood blocks. An arch at the east end of the north aisle communicates with the organ chamber and a doorway at the east end of the south aisle with the vestry.
The chancel is three steps above the level of the nave floor and at this point there is a tall wide chancel arch which is hardly noticeable and a dwarf stone wall. Beyond, the floor is of small white tesserae and shows signs of serious settlement. The walls are again faced with exposed brickwork with shafts in the angels of the apse rising to carry the timbers of the panelled roof. The lower parts of the walls below sill level are faced with stone, and a stone screen with ungainly mouldings fills the twin arches on the south side which divide the chancel from the vestry. These arches are set within one big blind arch with a blind recessed roundels above. An open arch of the same dimensions on the north side opens to the organ chamber.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
c.1904
The altar is an oak table with tracery in a Perpendicular style along the front and sides.
Reredos
The reredos is of stone with three cusped arches carried on colonettes framing a ceramic representation of The Last Supper in a vaguely Italianate vein.
Pulpit
1902
The pulpit is large, of stone with open arcaded sides and carried on a short quatrefoil shaft.
Lectern
c.1904
The lectern is a brass pedestal with a twisted stem and fleur-de-lys finials, probably provided by Jones and Willis.
Font (object)
1907
With an octagonal stem surrounded by clustered polished shafts and symbols carved in recessed quatrefoils round the bowl. The oak cover with an ironwork finial dates from c.1920 and the brass ewer from 1925.
Organ (object)
1890
The organ is a three-manual instrument by Martin of Oxford, 1890; the action seems to be a mixture of tracker and penumatic.
Churchyard
Grid reference: TQ 247 849
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 | N/A |
| Solar Thermal Panels | N/A |
| Biomass | N/A |
| Wind Turbine | N/A |
| Air Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ground Source Heat Pump | N/A |
| Ev Charging | N/A |
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
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