All Saints' Church, Brockhampton

Add links
Coordinates: 51°59′11″N 2°35′33″W / 51.9863°N 2.5924°W / 51.9863; -2.5924
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

All Saints' Church, Brockhampton
Church of All Saints', Brockhampton
Brockhampton
Clergy
Vicar(s)Revd Dr Chris Moore

The Church of All Saints is a

Brockhampton in the English county of Herefordshire. The church was commissioned by Alice Foster as a memorial to her parents, Eben and Julia Jordan. The architect was William Lethaby and construction took place between 1901 and 1902. It is a Grade I listed building and is considered among the best examples of the works of the Arts and Crafts movement
.

History

Alice Foster was the daughter of

Brockhampton Court estate as a wedding present.[2] Following her father's death in 1895, and that of her mother in 1897, Foster commissioned William Lethaby to build the memorial church, with Randall Wells as clerk of works.[3] The stained glass was by Christopher Whall.[2]

William Lethaby was born in

Norman Shaw, he established his own architectural practice in 1889.[4] He also became involved in a range of societies and organisations, such as the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings and the Art Workers' Guild, which became the nuclei for many of the artists, architects and thinkers who developed the Arts and Crafts movement.[5]

Lethaby chose to be closely involved with the construction of the church, directly engaging craftsmen, contracting with suppliers and taking overall responsibility for all aspects of the design. However, Wells proved an unreliable apprentice. He failed to keep Lethaby informed of difficulties which arose during construction, particularly related to his increasing the height of the crossing tower beyond that agreed, and beyond the limit which the foundations could properly support.[6] This caused ongoing problems during the building period and a deterioration in Lethaby's relationship with the Fosters, leading ultimately to Lethaby waiving his fee. All Saints was to be his last architectural work; thereafter he focussed on his role as Surveyor of the Fabric of Westminster Abbey,[4] and on his writing and lecturing.[a][8]

The church remains an active parish church in the Diocese of Hereford.[9] Peter Davey, in his work Arts and Crafts Architecture, describes All Saints as "one of the greatest monuments of the Arts and Crafts movement".[1]

Architecture and description

The body of the church is built of

Norman Shaw at Adcote but also to genuine medieval French and Catalan abbeys, such as the monastery at Poblet.[b][3]

Davey notes the innovative, practical advantages of Lethaby's roofing arrangement, as well as its pleasing aesthetic. The combination of thatch and concrete ensured excellent insulation; Davey considers the roof "one of the most sophisticated constructions of its day - and more so than many of our own".[1]

The church is a Grade I listed building.[10] The lychgate has a separate Grade II listing.[13]

Replica

A three-quarter size replica of All Saints was constructed on the upper floors of a skyscraper in Osaka, Japan. The replica acts as a wedding venue.[14][15][16] The interior was laser scanned.[17]

Gallery

  • The west front
    The west front
  • The north front
    The north front
  • The nave
    The nave
  • Stained glass
    Stained glass
  • Memorial window to Eben Dyer Jordan
    Memorial window to Eben Dyer Jordan
  • The lychgate which has a separate Grade II listing
    The lychgate which has a separate Grade II listing

Notes

  1. ^ In the course of his career, Lethaby designed only six buildings.[7]
  2. ^ Nikolaus Pevsner, who much admired the church, saw precursors of later Expressionist architecture, "in the sense in which Central Europe designed churches in about 1920".[12]

External links

References

  1. ^ a b c d Davey 1995, pp. 69–70.
  2. ^ a b c Jenkins 1999, pp. 266–267.
  3. ^ a b Brooks & Pevsner 2012, pp. 138–141.
  4. ^ a b "William Richard Lethaby". Westminster Abbey. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  5. ^ Banerjee, Jaqueline. "William Richard Lethaby (1857-1931)". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  6. ^ Banerjee, Jaqueline. "All Saints' Church, Brockhampton, by William Richard Lethaby (1857-1931)". The Victorian Web. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  7. ^ "All Saints, Brockhampton". National Churches Trust. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  8. ^ "All Saints - History". All Saints’ Church. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  9. ^ "Brockhampton: All Saints'". The Church of England-A church near you. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  10. ^ a b Historic England. "Church of All Saints (Grade I) (1349021)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
  11. ^ Cumming & Kaplan 1991, p. 38.
  12. ^ Pevsner 2001, pp. 90–91.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Lychgate to SE of churchyard of All Saints (Grade II) (1099261)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  14. ^ Ashworth, Pat (28 October 2009). "Japanese tie the knot at replica church in the sky". Church Times.
  15. ^ "Replica of English church built on 21st floor of Japanese tower block". The Telegraph. 24 October 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  16. ^ Bruxelles, Simon de (28 September 2023). "Welcome to All Saints Church... on the 21st floor an Osaka hotel". The Times. Retrieved 28 September 2023.
  17. ^ "The sky's the limit for historic Brockhampton church". Hereford Times. 2 November 2009. Retrieved 28 September 2023.

Sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to All Saint's Church, Brockhampton.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=All_Saints%27_Church,_Brockhampton&oldid=1217876402"