St Peter's, Vauxhall, is a
Church of England
The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...
church on
Kennington Lane
The London Inner Ring Road, or Ring Road as signposted, is a route with an average diameter of , formed from a number of major roads that encircle Central London. The ring road forms the boundary of the London congestion charge zone, although ...
,
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...
, London SE11.
The church was planned in 1860 by
John Loughborough Pearson
John Loughborough Pearson (5 July 1817 – 11 December 1897) was a British Gothic Revival architect renowned for his work on churches and cathedrals. Pearson revived and practised largely the art of vaulting, and acquired in it a proficie ...
, and built in 1863–64 together with schools, orphanage and vicarage, and is one only a few
Grade II* listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...
buildings in the area. This was Pearson's first major town church. The interior is more attractive than the exterior would suggest. That is partly because the idea was that the spirituality of the interior would reveal itself on entry, but also because the planned-for statement tower never got built. The church cost only £8,000 to build, but is richly decorated inside. It has an amazingly complete set of fittings. Also, a rather splendid small organ by Lewis which packs a serious punch. There are concerts from time to time in the church, which has a very good acoustic. The St Peter's Singers sing evensong on the last Sunday of the month but not in summer and with adjustments on account of Easter and Advent/Christmas.
The altar apparently stands on the site of the Neptune fountain in the earlier
Vauxhall Gardens
Vauxhall Gardens is a public park in Kennington in the London Borough of Lambeth, England, on the south bank of the River Thames.
Originally known as New Spring Gardens, it is believed to have opened before the Restoration of 1660, being me ...
. The alabaster reredos was designed by Pearson and made by Poole of Westminster; the mosaic is by
Salviati of Venice. The frescos in the sanctuary are by
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 (1832â ...
, installed between 1866 and 1868. The scenes are:
The Killing of Abel (1877),
Melchisedech the High Priest (1877),
The Last Supper
Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, '' The Last Supper'' (1495-1498). Mural, tempera on gesso, pitch and mastic, 700 x 880 cm (22.9 x 28.8 ...
, The Agony in the Garden, Christ Carrying the Cross,
The Crucifixion, The Descent from the Cross,
The Resurrection, Christ's appearance to the Apostles after the Resurrection. The stained glass in the upper lancets is by
Lavers, Barraud and Westlake
Lavers, Barraud and Westlake were an English firm that produced stained glass windows from 1855 until 1921. They were part of the 19th-century Gothic Revival movement that had a significant influence on English civic, ecclesiastical and domestic a ...
(1864-5).
The font was also made by Poole of Westminster. The bowl is decorated with incised scenes of the Baptism of Christ by Nicholl, who was paid £18 for ‘incising the font’ in 1874. The font cover has stencilled geometric decoration, designed by Pearson (1891).
With
St Anselm's Church, Kennington, it forms the North Lambeth parish.
References
External links
St Peter's Vauxhall church websiteNorth Lambeth parish website*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Peter's Church, Vauxhall
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...
19th-century Church of England church buildings
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...
History of the London Borough of Lambeth
Vauxhall
Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.
From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...
John Loughborough Pearson buildings
Grade II* listed buildings in the London Borough of Lambeth