St Saviour: Hanley Road
Overview
Grid reference: TQ 305 873
By J E K and J P Cutts, 1887-1900. The foundation stone was laid on 30 July 1887 and the four bays of the nave were built (builder John Tyerman). The chancel and vestries followed in1890, and the west narthex and porches in 1900, all apparently according to the original plan. A south-west tower and spire was never built. The church abuts adjacent houses to the east. (The church can also be found referred to as Crouch Hill, Holloway, Stroud Green and Tollington.)
Visiting and facilities
Building is open for worship
Building
Ground Plan Description and Dimensions
Ground plan:
Clerestoried 4-bay nave with lean-to aisles; west baptistery with north (blocked) and south porches; chancel with north organ chamber and south vestry. Basement beneath west end of south aisle.
Dimensions:
Approximately: Nave 66ft x 30ft (20m x 9m) ; aisles 12ft (3.5m) wide; chancel 27ft (8m) x 26ft (8m)
Description of Archaeology and History
When it was constructed the area around the church would largely have been fields. Terraced houses would have been constructed at much the same time.
Crouch Hill Station, opened in 1868, on the Tottenham and Hampstead Junction Railway. This is to the north-east and would have acted as a catalyst to further development. To the north-east is the site of Stapleton Hall, first mentioned in 1577, which gives the road its name.
The crossroads of Hanley Road, Stapleton Hall Road, Crouch Hill and Stroud Green Road are designated on the local authority website as a site of archaeological importance. A HER record refers to a road considered to have been of Roman origin, but this seems to have been discounted.
The local HER should be checked ahead of development, but it is likely there will be no issue with archaeological implications and no human remains issues.
The brothers John Edward Knight Cutts (1847-1938) and John Priston Cutts (1854-1935) were articled to Ewan Christian, after which they were in practice together at Southampton Street, Strand, London, from 1876 until just before the First World War. J.E.K. Cutts emigrated to South Africa in 1912 and J.P. Cutts resigned from the RIBA in 1911. The firm specialised in large, red brick churches for the expanding suburbs of north London, although scattered examples are to be found in other parts of England. At least 12 of their 50 or so churches have been demolished (from 1987 report).
The first structure on the site was an iron room erected in 1879 which remained at the west end of the church until it the west narthex and porches were built.
The nave and aisles were constructed in 1887-8 with grant assistance from the Bishop of London’s Fund, Ecclesiastical Commissioners and public subscription. A foundation stone can be seen in the east wall of the nave, to the south of the chancel arch, dated 1887. The chancel and north and south vestries were added in 1890, west narthex in 1900, and a proposed tower was never built.
There is one TPO (Sorbus species) to the south of the church, on the pavement beyond the boundary. Plane trees along the north boundary may become subject to TPOs.
Exterior Description
St. Saviour's is a characteristic example of the sound, well proportioned but unremarkable churches which the Cutts Brothers produced. The style is a form of Decorated which shows, especially in the clerestory windows a more elegant form than the architects usually achieved. An unusual feature is the windowless east wall, which is detailed internally with stone panelling forming a dignified background for the high altar.
This church is not as large as some of the works by this partnership, having a nave of only four bays. Continuous plinth. Each bay of the clerestory has a two-light window with ogee-headed main lights and a pointed tracery quatrefoil with ogee curved sides. The windows are linked by a moulded stringcourse from one hood to the next. The aisles have low-pitched roofs and bays divided by buttresses with two weatherings. Each bay has a three-light window with ogee headed lights of equal height under a straight head with a label. The western one in the north wall has been truncated by the fairly crude insertion of a doorway (2 steps – 1 formed by a pile of breeze blocks). Another door is provided in the east end of the south wall within a projecting gablet.
A lean-to narthex abuts the west end of the church, broken by a gable over a three-light traceried window – formerly the baptistery. The west wall has stone banding. Porches to north and south. The north-west porch has a hipped roof in the angle of the nave and the narthex, angle buttresses at the north-west corner, two lancets in the west wall and a blocked north doorway with a depressed fourcentred head outlined by two filletted rolls. The south porch forms the main entrance to the church and is gabled at right-angles to the nave and has three lancets with cinquefoil heads in the west wall. At the east end of the south wall is a moulded outer archway with three pairs of shafts with foliate capitals. Angle buttresses at the corners.
Above the narthex is a large west window of five lights with cinquefoiled heads to the main lights and much leaf-like tracery around a central sixpetalled rose in a circle. At the apex of the gable is a small brick and stone turret (no bell). Both roof slopes are interrupted by triangular vents. Another, larger, bell-cote sits above the eastern end of the nave and holds one small bell. The lines down the building from this point to either side are pronounced by raised copings, and projecting pinnacles at the eaves level of both the clerestory (octagonal stone turret) and the aisle (gabled brick pinnacle).
The chancel is slightly lower and slightly narrower than the nave but its two-bay clerestory has windows of similar design to those in the nave. The vestries to the south side are also of similar design to the nave. Both it and the chancel abut the end house of the terrace to the east. To the north, a tall vestry and organ loft has a separate roof to the north aisle. The vestry has a plain two-light rectangular window and a north doorway (3 steps up) but again a blind east wall, and the organ chamber has a three-light traceried north window. In the west gable of the organ chamber is a two-light window with ogee-headed lights under a rectangular head.
Building Fabric and Features
Clerestory
19th century
Nave
19th century 4 bay
Porch
20th century south
Chancel
19th century
Organ (component)
19th century chamber
Vestry
19th century
Basement
19th century
Building Materials
Brick
19th century red laid in English bond
Stone
19th century dressings and bandings
Slate
19th century roof tiles
Timber
19th century interior roof
Tile
19th century floors
Interior
Interior Description
The south porch leads into the west narthex (gradual ramp) which formed the baptistery and opens towards the church by three arches carried on quatrefoil pillars, the middle arch being taller and wider than the outer pair. Sofas and coffee tables provide informal seating areas. The nave arcades have similar pillars of the same height and brick arches of three orders with roll-moulded edges. The pillars have been painted white. Above the springing of the arches are small carved corbels with shafts which rise to octagonal capitals from which spring the principals. These have brackets carrying arch braces reaching to the collars. At the intermediate points the collars are strengthened by straight braces and at the level of the collars the roof is boarded. The sills of the clerestory and west windows are marked by horizontal stringcourses and the window heads are also linked by stringcourses.
The nave floor is covered in carpet tiles. Presumably original tiles and boarded pew platforms survive beneath. Pews have been removed and replaced with wood chairs. A couple of pews remain in the aisles. The font is situated at the east end of the south aisle. In the east wall beyond it 3 steps rise to a door accessing the former choir vestry. A door beneath a pointed arch in the south wall provides a second entry to the church.
At the west end of the south aisle is an insertion containing WCs which part blocks the first bay of the arcade, and abutting its east side is an open kitchen area. A sound booth is situated in the north-west corner of the nave. At the west end of the north aisle, within the former north porch, is a boiler room. The north aisle contains temporary screens concealing storage (mostly belonging to an artist who is temporarily renting the former choir vestry). At the east end is an altar table in front of the organ pipes.
The nave is lit by some high-spec modern spotlight systems on rigs fitted beneath the clerestory level. Natural light fills the building through clear glazed diamond leaded panes in the majority of windows (stained glass outlined below).
The chancel arch is tall and wide and the brick arch itself (of a similar design to those of the nave arcades) is carried on triple conjoined shafts with moulded basses and foliate capitals and two tiers of shaft-rings. A modern dias curves out beneath the arch with four steps to either side. The chancel has two-bay arcades to north and south (those to south are bricked in, there is a door to the former vestry beyond), designed similarly to the nave, but screened by long curtains. To the north of the chancel is the organ chamber (which is also open towards the north aisle where the painted pipes are clearly visible) – the instrument and surrounding panelling is obscured by curtains. The chancel roof is of similar design to that of the nave. There is one step up at the rails and the altar stands on two further steps. The floor is paved with red, buff and green tiles. The space is cluttered with band equipment and used for some storage.
The east wall, which has no windows (it abuts adjacent properties), is adorned with stone tracery. In the lower part are three blind arches echoing the form of the three arches opening to the baptistery at the west end of the nave but more richly decorated, having small shafts with foliate capitals, buttresses against the uprights and cusped heads. These are set within crocketted gablets, the outer pair with triangles in circles in the spandrels and the middle one with a larger roundel containing a cross. These gablets break into arcading above, of three bays over the middle arch and two bays over the outer arches. The bays each contain two arches and there are thus fourteen panels. At the head is a frieze of quatrefoils. Figurative paintings have adorned these niches since 1910 and a passage from Exodus and the Ten Commandments are painted in gold within the two lower, outer panels. There is a credence shelf under an arch on the north side of the sanctuary.
Fixtures and fittings
Altar
19th century Large oak altar with five panels of paired traceried arches on the front.
Pulpit
19th century Semi-octagonal alabaster pulpit with in built steps. Built into north-east corner of nave. Each face with tracery designs, pierced in top half and blind in bottom half. Cutts, c. 1891. Brass plaque on the wall behinds records its gift in memory of John Houghton d.1890.
Lectern
20th century Brass eagle c 1900.
Font (component)
19th century Octagonal stone font painted white set on a central alabaster drum with eight colonettes around it. Each facet of the bowl is carved with shields with crosses and sacred monograms. Raised on a stone platform. c. 1890.
Reredos
20th century Formed by stone arches on the east wall (described above) filled with painted decoration. The main panel depicts The Ascension done in 1910 and the flanking panels feature the Ten Commandments renewed in 1961 (and perhaps again more recently). Fourteen small panels above are painted with The Twelve Apostles and two Angels. A plaque records this having been done in 1902.
Pew (component)
19th century Pine pews, mostly in storage.
Rail
19th century Decorative brass embellished with passion flowers in the spandrels with moulded oak rail.
Organ (component)
19th century Three-manual organ with electric blower. Grade II Historic Organ Certificate from BIOS. Built by Holdich 1862 (originally 2 manual?) for St Alban, Holborn, and moved here and rebuilt in 1895 by Kirkland. Rebuilt by Slater in 1934 (electric blower installed in memory of William Gilby) and 1952.
Stained Glass (window)
20th century • South aisle (L): The Nativity, in memory of William Thomas Blimco, c. 1922; • South aisle (R): The Angel at the Sepulchre flanked by St. Peter and St. John. In memory of George Thomas Mills, c. 1935; • North aisle (R): Simeon and the Child. Christ flanked by St. Michael and St. Gabriel, signed by A.D. and Sons, 1926 (recorded in original report – signature not seen). In memory of Jackson Dodds. An additional brass plaque fixed to the sill beneath is in memory of Maria Dodds; • North aisle (C): Christ and the Children, c. 1898 in memory of Winifred Rose who died in her first year, d.1898. Perhaps by Burlison and Grylls; • North aisle (L): A Soldier presented with a sword and a crown by an Angel flanked by Faith and Hope, in memory of Liet Henry Jackson Mills killed in action 1918; • West window (former Baptistery): The Baptism of Christ flanked by St. Peter and St. Philip, quite good, clear bright colours, c. 1920.
Plaque (component)
20th century Various plaque and tablet memorials.
Churchyard
Grid reference: TQ 305 873
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
Sources
Showing 9 entries of 9 View All
Quinquennial Inspections
Submit a change
If you notice something incorrect or missing, please explain it in the form below and submit it to our team for review.