St John the Divine, Kennington, is an

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

church in London. The parish of

Kennington Kennington is a district in south London, England. It is mainly within the London Borough of Lambeth, running along the boundary with the London Borough of Southwark, a boundary which can be discerned from the early medieval period between the ...

is within the

Anglican Diocese of Southwark The Diocese of Southwark is one of the 42 dioceses of the Church of England, part of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The diocese forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England. It was created on 1 May 1905 from part of the ancient Dio ...

. The church was designed by the architect

George Edmund Street George Edmund Street (20 June 1824 – 18 December 1881), also known as G. E. Street, was an English architect, born at Woodford in Essex. Stylistically, Street was a leading practitioner of the Victorian Gothic Revival. Though mainly an eccle ...

(who also built the Royal Courts of Justice on

Strand, London Strand (or the Strand) is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster, Central London. It runs just over from Trafalgar Square eastwards to Temple Bar, where the road becomes Fleet Street in the City of London, and is part of the A4 ...

) in the Decorated Gothic style, and was built between 1871 and 1874. Today it is a grade I listed building. The church stands on Vassall Road, Kennington, in

Vassall Ward Vassall ward is an administrative division of the London Borough of Lambeth, United Kingdom. It is also known as 'Myatt's Field' when informally describing the area. It is located in the North of borough bordering Southwark, in the SW9 and SE5 p ...

in the

London Borough of Lambeth Lambeth () is a London boroughs, London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as ''Lambehitha'' ("landing place for lambs") and in 1255 as ''Lambeth''. The geographical centre of London ...

. It is near Oval tube station and the Oval Cricket Ground. The spire can be seen clearly for miles around.

Architecture

The church is regarded as a fine example of Victorian Gothic. The general construction is of red brick, but all parapets, window openings, doorways, etc. are dressed with stone. The upper part of the spire is entirely of stone. At over 260 feet, it is the tallest spire in south London and can be seen for miles around. The poet

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

remarked that St John the Divine was "the most magnificent church in South London." The original church interior was designed by George Frederick Bodley (Founder of Watts & Co.), and was fitted out in a highly ornate style typical of the Victorian era and of Anglo-Catholic churches, including stone carvings by

Thomas Earp Thomas Earp may refer to: * Thomas Earp (politician) * Thomas Earp (sculptor) Thomas Earp (1828–1893) was a British sculptor and architectural carver who was active in the late 19th century. His best known work is his 1863 reproduction of t ...

, wrought iron

altar rails The altar rail (also known as a communion rail or chancel rail) is a low barrier, sometimes ornate and usually made of stone, wood or metal in some combination, delimiting the chancel or the sanctuary and altar in a church, from the nave and oth ...

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

windows, and a carved

reredos A reredos ( , , ) is a large altarpiece, a screen, or decoration placed behind the altar in a church. It often includes religious images. The term ''reredos'' may also be used for similar structures, if elaborate, in secular architecture, for ex ...

painted by Clayton and Bell. A new organ by J. W. Walker & Sons Ltd was installed in 1875. The church suffered severe bomb damage in 1941 during the Blitz, and most of the original interior fittings were lost. After years of restoration work under the direction of

H. S. Goodhart-Rendel Harry Stuart Goodhart-Rendel (1887 in Cambridge – 21 June 1959 in Westminster, London) was a British architect, writer and musician. Life Harry Stuart Goodhart was born on 29 May 1887 in Cambridge, England. He added the additional name Re ...

, St John the Divine re-opened in September 1958.

The tower and gargoyles

The spire and tower were extensively restored in 1994, and a new set of carved grotesques and gargoyles was added. Many of the carvings are in the form of

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

representations of members of the church congregation, the British Royal Family or the clergy. The Queen,

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, Prince William and Archbishop Michael Ramsey are among the better-known figures depicted.

Stained glass

Much of the original stained glass was destroyed in the 1941 bombing, and it has been replaced with plain glass windows in the north and south aisles. Some original stained glass designed by Charles Eamer Kempe has survived, including the west window and two windows in the south aisle. The windows at the east end are also original. During restoration, new windows designed and crafted by W. T. Carter Shapland were installed in the All Souls Chapel.

Murals

Behind the altar is a set of murals painted by Brian Thomas in 1966. The left-hand panel depicts the Virgin Mary and Jesus in a floral garden. A central panel is decorated with lilies and roses – traditional Marian symbols. The right-hand panel is a pietà, with Mary holding the body of the crucified Christ, and instead of a floral border it is framed with thorns, representing the Crown of Thorns.

The Korean Icon

Above the North door hangs the 'Korean Icon'. Designed in the style of a Greek Orthodox

iconostasis In Eastern Christianity, an iconostasis ( gr, εἰκονοστάσιον) is a wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a Church (building), church. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand t ...

, it depicts various figures from the Christian Gospels. It was dedicated as a memorial to Bishop

Charles John Corfe Charles John Corfe (1843 – 20 June 1921) was the inaugural Anglican Bishop in Korea from 1889 to 1904. Biography Corfe was one of the four "Bible Clerks" educated as an undergraduate at All Souls College, Oxford. After graduating he had ...

, who founded the Anglican Church of Korea in 1890.

The Kelham Rood

On the south side of the nave stands the Kelham Rood, a life-size bronze sculpture of Christ on the Cross together with free-standing figures of

St John Saint John or St. John usually refers to John the Baptist, but also, sometimes, to John the Apostle. Saint John or St. John may also refer to: People * John the Baptist (0s BC–30s AD), preacher, ascetic, and baptizer of Jesus Christ * John t ...

and the Virgin Mary. It is the work of sculptor Charles Sargeant Jagger (1885–1934), who also designed the Royal Artillery Memorial in London's Hyde Park Corner, and was completed in 1929. – see als
preview pages
(PDF) The sculpture was originally commissioned by the Society of the Sacred Mission (SSM) for the Great Chapel at

Kelham Hall Kelham is a small village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire about northwest of Newark on a bend in the A617 road near its crossing of the River Trent. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 207. Historical Kelham i ...

in Nottinghamshire. The sculpture then stood in the SSM Priory in

Willen Willen is a district of Milton Keynes, England and is also one of the ancient villages of Buckinghamshire to have been included in the designated area of the New City in 1967. At the 2011 Census the population of the district was included in t ...

(Milton Keynes), before being moved to St John the Divine. The original plan to suspend the sculpture above the high altar was not put into effect. It has, instead, been placed at floor level in full and close view of the congregation (see pictures below). Image:st-john-divine-lectern.jpg, The lectern Image:st-john-divine-entrance.jpg, The main door Image:St john divine kennington tower.jpg, The spire, seen on Vassall Road Image:st-john-divine-high-altar.jpg, The High Altar in Ordinary Time Image:st-john-divine-kelham-rood2.jpg, The Kelham Rood and the sanctuary Image:st-john-divine-kelham-rood.jpg, Jagger's Kelham Rood Image:st-john-divine-gargoyle1.jpg, A carving of Queen Elizabeth II, depicted holding a corgi Image:st-john-divine-gargoyle2.jpg, A carving of

Image:st-john-divine-gargoyles.jpg, The gargoyles on the spire, seen from below Image:St-john-divine-nave-roof.jpg, The nave roof, decorated by GF Bodley in 1890

Worship

Since its foundation in 1871, St John the Divine has been affiliated with the Anglican high church. The second vicar, the Rev. Charles Edward Brooke, was associated with the

Oxford Movement The Oxford Movement was a movement of high church members of the Church of England which began in the 1830s and eventually developed into Anglo-Catholicism. The movement, whose original devotees were mostly associated with the University of O ...

and its work in impoverished city parishes. At this time, ritualistic practices in the Church of England were limited by the Public Worship Regulation Act 1874. The High Anglican style of worship is reflected in the design and decoration of the church, with the presence of devotional statues, icons,

sanctuary lamp file:Malta - Mosta - Rotunda in 57 ies.jpg, Malta - Mosta - Rotunda in 57 ies. A sanctuary lamp, chancel lamp, altar lamp, everlasting light, or eternal flame is a light that shines before the altar of sanctuaries in many Jewish and Christianity, C ...

s and the Reserved sacrament.The high church traditions continue today, and services in this church are generally in the Anglo-Catholic style, with an emphasis on sacraments,

liturgy Liturgy is the customary public ritual of worship performed by a religious group. ''Liturgy'' can also be used to refer specifically to public worship by Christians. As a religious phenomenon, liturgy represents a communal response to and partic ...

and ceremony. On Sundays and holy days, clergy wear decorated robes, a choir sings the Mass, and incense is used. Through the week, Mass is said daily. The liturgy is usually based on the

Common Worship ''Common Worship'' is the name given to the series of services authorised by the General Synod of the Church of England and launched on the first Sunday of Advent in 2000. It represents the most recent stage of development of the Liturgical Movemen ...

prayer book (2000). The Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, an Anglican religious order, is indirectly named after this church, for its foundress,

Hannah Grier Coome Hannah Grier Coome (October 28, 1837 – February 9, 1921) founded the Anglican Sisterhood of St. John the Divine, and was its first mother superior. Early and family life Sarah Hannah Roberta Grier was born in the Carrying Place, Upper Canad ...

found spiritual comfort in the parish during her residence in Britain.

Notable clergy

Cyril Easthaugh Cyril Easthaugh (22 December 189716 December 1988) was a British Anglican bishop in the 20th Century. He was Bishop of Kensington from 1949 to 1961 and Bishop of Peterborough from 1961 to 1972. Early life and education Easthaugh was born on 22 ...

, curate and vicar; later Bishop of Kensington and of Peterborough *

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

, curate; later Dean of Westminster

References

External links

St John the Divine, KenningtonFlickr group "sjdk"Details of the organ
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint John The Divine, Kennington Churches completed in 1874 19th-century Church of England church buildings

Gothic Revival church buildings in London

G. E. Street buildings