Saint Augustine's, Kilburn, is a

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Brit ...

church in the area of Kilburn, in North London, United Kingdom. Because of its large size and ornate architecture, it is sometimes affectionately referred to as "the Cathedral of North London", although the church is not a cathedral in any official sense.

History

St Augustine's was founded by Richard Carr Kirkpatrick in the

Anglo-Catholic Anglo-Catholicism comprises beliefs and practices that emphasise the Catholic heritage and identity of the various Anglican churches. The term was coined in the early 19th century, although movements emphasising the Catholic nature of Anglica ...

tradition in 1870. By 1871, a foundation stone had been laid and the original "iron church" was subsequently replaced by a much more ambitious building, a

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

church designed by John Loughborough Pearson. It is listed as a Grade I building by

Historic England Historic England (officially the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England) is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It is tasked w ...

Architecture

Pearson's plans called for a red brick structure, vaulted ceilings, and extensive interior stone sculpture in a style reminiscent of 13th-century

Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...

. The church was consecrated in 1880, but the

tower A tower is a tall structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting structures. Towers are specific ...

and

spire A spire is a tall, slender, pointed structure on top of a roof of a building or tower, especially at the summit of church steeples. A spire may have a square, circular, or polygonal plan, with a roughly conical or pyramidal shape. Spires a ...

, remarkable for such structures in the Victorian era, were not constructed until 1897–1898. Sir

Giles Gilbert Scott Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and ...

designed the

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 e ...

(altar screens) for the

high altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in pagan ...

in 1930. He also designed the reredos of the

Lady Chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British term for a chapel dedicated to "Our Lady", Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chapel or a Marian chapel, ...

and the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

. In 1878, two years prior to the dedication of the church, contemporary historian Edward Walford had already referred to St Augustine's, Kilburn, as "one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical structures in London". The spire measures more than high. Completed in 1878, the

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

measures nine metres (28 feet) wide with nine bays and a crossing that is bounded by

transepts A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform ("cross-shaped") building withi ...

on the north and south sides. The

religious art Religious art is artistic imagery using religious inspiration and motifs and is often intended to uplift the mind to the spiritual. Sacred art involves the ritual and cultic practices and practical and operative aspects of the path of the spiritu ...

in various forms depicts most of the major biblical stories.

Clayton and Bell Clayton and Bell was one of the most prolific and proficient British workshops of stained-glass windows during the latter half of the 19th century and early 20th century. The partners were John Richard Clayton (1827–1913) and Alfred Bell (1832 ...

created the stained glass windows, which include a large

rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window' ...

depicting the Creation, nine

clerestory In architecture, a clerestory ( ; , also clearstory, clearstorey, or overstorey) is a high section of wall that contains windows above eye level. Its purpose is to admit light, fresh air, or both. Historically, ''clerestory'' denoted an upper l ...

windows (five depicting types of angels), nave windows depicting saints connected with England, a window depicting

Saint Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North Afr ...

and several other tall lancet windows. Paintings around the nave depict the healing ministry of Christ. The

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

and

sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred place, such as a shrine. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This secondary use can be categorized into human sanctuary, a sa ...

are surrounded by densely-carved sculptural forms representing the Passion,

Crucifixion Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the victim is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross or beam and left to hang until eventual death from exhaustion and asphyxiation. It was used as a punishment by the Persians, Carthagi ...

Entombment Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

, and

Resurrection Resurrection or anastasis is the concept of coming back to life after death. In a number of religions, a dying-and-rising god is a deity which dies and is resurrected. Reincarnation is a similar process hypothesized by other religions, whic ...

of Christ, as well as the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

s and other religious

iconography Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct fro ...

. The south transept leads to

St Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

's Chapel with depictions of the

Eucharist The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was institu ...

, sacrifice,

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...

s and the

worship Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity. It may involve one or more of activities such as veneration, adoration, praise, and praying. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recogni ...

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

. The Lady Chapel presents frescoes of the Christ child and a later carving of Christ's

Presentation in the Temple A presentation conveys information from a speaker to an audience. Presentations are typically demonstrations, introduction, lecture, or speech meant to inform, persuade, inspire, motivate, build goodwill, or present a new idea/product. Present ...

. File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Interior 1, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The nave (looking east) File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Interior 2, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The rood screen File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Interior 3, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The nave (looking west) File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Interior 4, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, The sanctuary

Today

The church stands prominently to the south of Kilburn and the north of

Maida Vale Maida Vale ( ) is an affluent residential district consisting of the northern part of Paddington in West London, west of St John's Wood and south of Kilburn. It is also the name of its main road, on the continuous Edgware Road. Maida Vale ...

. It has two schools, St Augustine's Primary School and St Augustine's High School.

Congregational history

Richard Carr Kirkpatrick served as parish priest at Saint Augustine, Kilburn, from 1870 to 1907. He formed the church after his parish at St Mary's, Kilburn, where he served as

curate A curate () is a person who is invested with the ''care'' or ''cure'' (''cura'') ''of souls'' of a parish. In this sense, "curate" means a parish priest; but in English-speaking countries the term ''curate'' is commonly used to describe clergy ...

, received an evangelical vicar unsympathetic to the Anglo-Catholic movement (also referred to as 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 ...

, "Tractarians" or disparagingly as "Puseyites" after one of the founders of the movement,

Edward Bouverie Pusey Edward Bouverie Pusey (; 22 August 180016 September 1882) was an English Anglican cleric, for more than fifty years Regius Professor of Hebrew at the University of Oxford. He was one of the leading figures in the Oxford Movement. Early years ...

). Kirkpatick clothed

Emily Ayckbowm Emily Ayckbowm (1836–1900) was the founder and first mother superior of the Community of the Sisters of the Church. This Anglican order was founded in 1870. Life She was the daughter of Mary Ann(e) born Hutchinson and the Rev. Frederick Ayckbow ...

as the founding sister of the

Community of the Sisters of the Church The Community of the Sisters of the Church is a religious order of women in various Anglican provinces who live the vowed life of poverty, chastity and obedience. In 2012 the order had 105 sisters living in community, together with an extensive ne ...

here in 1870. Kirkpatrick was followed in the vicarage by: *Philip Leary, 1907–1930 *William Percy Theodore Atkinson, 1930–1954 *Harold Riley, 1955–1975 *Claude Eric Hampson, 1975–1977 *Raymond John Avent, 1977–1987 *Paul Tudor Rivers, 1987–1994 *Anthony H. Yates, 1995–2011 *Colin J. Amos, 2012–present

In popular culture

The interior of St Augustine's Church was used in the filming of '' Young Sherlock Holmes'' (1985), for the church of the Reverend Duncan Nesbitt (played by Donald Eccles). In the scene, Nesbitt is hit by a poison dart, and begins hallucinating about one of the stained glass figures (a knight) coming alive and trying to kill him. This knight is noted for being the first fully photorealistic CGI-animated character in any feature film.

Gallery

File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - Window - geograph.org.uk - 996210.jpg, West rose window File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - geograph.org.uk - 996187.jpg, Western arcade File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - Font - geograph.org.uk - 995923.jpg, The font File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - Pulpit - geograph.org.uk - 995938.jpg, Pulpit File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - geograph.org.uk - 995965.jpg, Statues on the Rood Screen File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - Rood - geograph.org.uk - 995953.jpg, The Rood flanked by Saints Mary and John File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - geograph.org.uk - 995986.jpg, Painting north-west, '' Christ among the Doctors'' File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - Sanctuary floor - geograph.org.uk - 995871.jpg, The sanctuary pavement File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - geograph.org.uk - 995916.jpg, Throne in the sanctuary File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Interior 5, London, UK - Diliff.jpg, Chapel of St Michael File:St Augustine's Church, Kilburn Park Road, London NW6 - geograph.org.uk - 995931.jpg, Altar in the Lady Chapel

References

External links

*
Official parish website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Augustine's, Kilburn Churches completed in 1880 19th-century Church of England church buildings Grade I listed churches in the City of Westminster Kilburn Gothic Revival church buildings in London Kilburn Diocese of London History of the Church of England Kilburn, St Augustine's Kilburn, London Kilburn