Church Army Chapel, Blackheath
Encyclopedia
The Church Army Chapel at Vanbrugh Park, Blackheath
, Greater London
, designed by Ernest Trevor Spashett (1923-1994), opened in 1965 by Princess Alexandra
and consecrated by Michael Ramsey
, is a locally listed building of outstanding architectural significance, and is notable for originally having had the tallest sectional aluminium
spire
of its time, and for being one of the earliest 20th century chapels of modern design to have been conceived with a central altar. It is now part of Blackheath High School
.
Council building conservation
department it is locally listed as a building of outstanding architectural significance, under the name of the Wilson Carlile Training College Chapel at 27 Vanbrugh Park, Blackheath, London, by architect E.T. Spashett. It is described as: "An interesting modern building of unusual design featuring a striking gull wing upper roof swept to ground level on one side; grey brick with tall, narrow window lights". Local listings have no reference number. By the time Greenwich Council planning department assessed it in the 1980s, the spire was down and lying alongside the building. The building could not be upgraded to national status by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
, representing English Heritage
in April 1999, as the spire was gone so the massiveness of the roof structure could no longer be understood by the assessors who were puzzled to find it "overscaled". When opened complete with spire in 1965, the South East London Mercury described the chapel as "a showpiece of modern architecture and building technique".
does not normally have a chapel as it does outreach work, but in the 1960s an exception was made for its headquarters at Blackheath, possibly as the chapel could be considered part of the training college.
cone at least twice the height of the building again, chosen for its lightness and strength as proved in the aeroplane construction industry - the architect being ex-Royal Air Force
- and built in Bristol
by British Aerospace
.Information from architect's archives. It was made up of a series of overlapping hollow sections decreasing in size up to the final cone-section at the top, like a Victorian
hand-held brass telescope, but with the overlaps of the expanding sections reversed. A small cross-piece through the top cone section doubled as the hilt of a sword, representing the Church Army in the context of such Biblical
expressions as "good soldier of Christ". The cross-shaped top was also reminiscent of the capping-crosses of medieval
spires like the one on Salisbury Cathedral
(see image, below). A slightly similar type of aluminium spire had been added to the top of the Chrysler Building
in 1929, allegedly as a surprise in that it created, temporarily, New York
's tallest building. St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow
has a controversial "crown of thorns
" aluminium spire of sectional construction, erected in 1964. However, if one compares the spires alone, this spire was taller than those. It is said to have towered above adjacent buildings discreetly due to its thinness, and could be seen from the Heath
.
for safekeeping, and never retrieved them. The present whereabouts of the plans is unknown, and the spire was gone and forgotten by the time Blackheath High School
bought the building in 1994.
The spire had a flanged base, mounted on a round plate, then a rectangular plate. The shape of this plate, which was enlarged during development, was still visible on Google Earth
in its 2006 photographs of the chapel roof, and can be seen in the 1960s and 2009 photographs of the roof below.
The columns between the windows do not appear to meet the roof when viewed from below: this gives a floating-roof effect. Although the tops of the white brick walls on the east and west elevations are fixed to the roof to stabilise it, the floating-roof effect is continued with a top row of dark blue engineering bricks with dark pointing. Viewed from below, this row can look like a gap between wall and roof. This row is clearly shown in a photograph in the Blackheath Reporter.
One inspiration for the building was Le Corbusier
and his Modular Man
proportions and saddle roof
s. By 1963 when the building was at the design stage it was known that the prefabricated shell-roof version, constructed of thin, cast, reinforced concrete, was subject to being lifted bodily from buildings by high winds and that some shapes such as this one could create a drainage problem. Drainage could compromise the smooth appearance with guttering and pipes, or it could encourage chronic leakage over time if holes had to be made in the structure. But by this time wood was a viable alternative for a hyperbolic paraboloid, and with this roof the drainage is part of the aesthetics where it runs down the front and back, so that the roof forms its own flying buttress
es, supports its own weight, drains itself, anchors itself to the ground and allows the roof to form part of the building frame
. The metal-covered
timber roof suffered damage from thieves in 2008, and it was re-covered using a new system.
The roof is a saddle roof
, meaning that it is in the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid, and thus the curved shape can be constructed with straight beams; a previous example was a 1956 Kansas
house.
The cross
-shaped blue glass window on the east side was intended to double as a symbolic sword-shape, like the original spire. This is because the first inspiration for the building was The Vigil by John Pettie
, 1884. In the painting, a squire
holds his vigil
by praying overnight before his knighting ceremony
, hoping that he and his equipment might be purified beforehand. As the design of the spire was inspired by the vertical position of the squire's sword, which symbolises the cross, so the natural lighting inside the chapel is inspired by this painting. In The Vigil, the dawn light falls from the east window above the altar onto the squire and his sword, and the purification is symbolised by the glow of the white surplice. A shadow below the squire's arm crosses a crease in the surplice, giving the effect of a shadowy cross on his torso. In the Blackheath chapel, a blue celestial light is designed to fall in the shape of a cross or sword across the central altar of the basilica
-shaped interior from the east side, symbolically purifying the Church Army congregation before their day's work.
The tall, rectangular windows of the building were inspired by the gallery of shadowy pillars in the background of the painting. There is a theory that medieval pillars and fan vaulting had some connection with the appearance of an avenue of trees. In the Church Army chapel, the series of attenuated openings gives a gallery of daylight colours and views of the greenery of the Blackheath environment - so that the nave and aisles are now visually returning to the outdoors.
for church music were seriously considered with regard to the chapel. There was some contemporary discussion of the study of acoustics that went into the building of the Queen Elizabeth Hall
and Purcell Room
in London with their alleged Helmholtz resonators
and of Liverpool Cathedral
- however some experimentation was done with sound-absorbent surfaces such as the white leather-cloth mentioned in the May 1965 programme above. There are warm air ducts
under the building, originally served by an oil
fired central heating
boiler in the north-west undercroft
, and warm-air grilles in the skirting inside the chapel, seen in the interior photograph below. The heavy roof, made of three layers of beams, a copper roof-covering and a wood-panelled lining, is a heat-insulator more powerful than some of the pre-cast hyperbolic paraboloid roofs being manufactured in the 1960s.
The building stands on a hollow box, just over 6 ft high, known as the undercroft, and this is divided horizontally into several odd-shaped and unequal sections by brick walls which lend some rigidity to the structure, and give some support to the cast concrete horizontal joists which underlie the chapel floor and surrounding walkway. On the cast concrete joists is screed, and on that is the grey-green terrazzo interior flooring, and the exterior sandstone walkway. The main stresses from the weight of the building's frame, i.e. the roof, are carried by the two roof buttresses, but the piles below these cannot be seen from inside the undercroft. The east and west brick walls of the chapel were designed to prevent the two high corners of the roof from rocking due to stresses from the spire in a gale. The bases of these can be seen in the undercroft. There is no evidence that these end walls involve piles driven deep into the ground, but they were reinforced at the base during stabilisation of the spire at the development stage in summer 1965. The original air duct and fan are still there. When a box has a weight on top, its side walls want to splay outwards, so the outer walls of this box were originally supported by earth on all four sides. The north side is now exposed due to a new build. Apart from that, the chapel stands on a box of air.
at 2.45pm on 6 May 1965, the opening being commemorated on a marble stone in a cloakroom off the entrance lobby to the chapel. The late R.G.D. (Russell) Vernon MBE, head of Austin Vernon & Partners under whose banner the chapel was designed, was invited to the opening at which the Archbishop of Canterbury
Michael Ramsey
was to consecrate
the chapel. However Vernon knew nothing of the building, as its design had been delegated to E.T. Spashett RIBA. Spashett arrived in his best suit with his wife, his invitation and a camera, as this was his masterpiece and he had spent two years on the project. However he had not been invited to join the VIPs at the consecration inside the building, and was turned away when he tried to get in, although he remained on the fringes of the event, photographing the consecration procession as it circled the building. As in medieval times, architecture is still produced within the studio
system, in which the owner of the architectural firm is officially credited with all designs. A paragraph in the programme may have instigated the architect's action at the opening. It says:
which was completed two years later. It was a response to the Liturgical Movement
. Therefore it is possible that this was the first 20th century chapel of modern design to have been conceived with a central altar. However the Church Army unexpectedly installed pews and a west-end altar, as seen in the above photo. The interior white leather-cloth for fine acoustic adjustment is now missing; removed by decorators. The terrazzo floor is covered with a sprung wooden floor (see photos above) which may also possibly serve to protect the original floor; however the terrazzo is still visible in the chapel lobby. According to photographs taken of the interior of the chapel in December 2009: since summer 2009 the corner windows by the buttresses have been replaced with mirror-glass; also the dance-barre has been removed on each side, making dancing pupils vulnerable to falling against the window glass, as evidenced by a boarded-up pane which was once original yellow glass.
, who needed the buildings for their Wilson Carlile Training College in 1965. The training college moved to Sheffield in 1991-92. The premises were sold by the Church Army in 1994 to Blackheath High School
, which between 1999 and 2009 was using the chapel as a music room and dance studio.
(see image of architectural model
). The east side consisted of older buildings, and the west side was open, so the only other major new build was the large dormitory block on the north side. This was an international style
building of white brick with metal-framed windows and black slate
panels between the windows and covering the sills. Only two staircases and the upper part of the west end of this block remain in original condition, as there has been much development on the site since 1965. The description of the site in the May 1965 opening day programme is as follows:
and served in the Royal Air Force
1942-1947, flying Halifaxes
. He was apprenticed in Penzance
, Cornwall
before World War II
, designing under supervision the Guildhall at St Ives in 1939 at the age of 16. After the war he trained as an architect with the Ministry of Works repairing London
after the war, working on Alexandra Palace
, Clarence House
and Osterley House among others. For example, Osterley House was then an RAF
convalescence home
full of airmen in wheelchair
s and on crutch
es. The zig-zag, half-fenced ramp he designed for the front steps instantly became a racetrack, and had to be heavily-fenced after too many skid turns on the corners created flying wheelchairs. He designed the replacement rose window for Alexandra Palace, the original being lost due to bomb damage.
After qualifying as an architect he worked for Cambridge
, Gillingham
and Birmingham
Councils designing council housing
, schools and hospitals. He worked with Yates, Cook and Derbyshire in London
from around 1954 to around 1960, then from around 1960 with Austin Vernon & Partners (who had refurbished Dulwich Picture Gallery
) in Dulwich
from 1959, leaving after the chapel opening debacle in 1965. He specialised in church design and restoration, so in the 1960s and 1970s he was consultant architect for the Benedictine
s, taking instructions from Basil Hume. In the 1970s he designed accommodation at two monasteries, including a large, reflective, gold, cross-shaped window (now lost) at Gorton Monastery
, Manchester
, which at certain seasons caused a gold cross-shaped reflection on the public roadway. From 1965 he was architect for estate agents Geering and Colyer in Tunbridge Wells
, then left to work freelance in Tunbridge Wells 1982-1989. He continued freelance work in Herne Bay, Kent
until retirement due to ill health in 1992. He died in 1994.
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
, Greater London
Greater London
Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...
, designed by Ernest Trevor Spashett (1923-1994), opened in 1965 by Princess Alexandra
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
and consecrated by Michael Ramsey
Michael Ramsey
Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury PC was the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and was in office from June 1961 to 1974.-Career:...
, is a locally listed building of outstanding architectural significance, and is notable for originally having had the tallest sectional aluminium
Aluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
spire
Spire
A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building, particularly a church tower. Etymologically, the word is derived from the Old English word spir, meaning a sprout, shoot, or stalk of grass....
of its time, and for being one of the earliest 20th century chapels of modern design to have been conceived with a central altar. It is now part of Blackheath High School
Blackheath High School
Blackheath High School is situated near Blackheath Village in southeast London, England. It was founded in 1880 as part of the Girls' Day School Trust. The Senior Department is located in Vanbrugh Park after moving from Blackheath in 1993/4. The school in Blackheath village then became the Junior...
.
Local listing description
At GreenwichGreenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
Council building conservation
Architectural conservation
Architectural conservation describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of mankind's built heritage are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The individual engaged in this pursuit is known as an architectural conservator...
department it is locally listed as a building of outstanding architectural significance, under the name of the Wilson Carlile Training College Chapel at 27 Vanbrugh Park, Blackheath, London, by architect E.T. Spashett. It is described as: "An interesting modern building of unusual design featuring a striking gull wing upper roof swept to ground level on one side; grey brick with tall, narrow window lights". Local listings have no reference number. By the time Greenwich Council planning department assessed it in the 1980s, the spire was down and lying alongside the building. The building could not be upgraded to national status by The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is a department of the United Kingdom government, with responsibility for culture and sport in England, and some aspects of the media throughout the whole UK, such as broadcasting and internet....
, representing English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
in April 1999, as the spire was gone so the massiveness of the roof structure could no longer be understood by the assessors who were puzzled to find it "overscaled". When opened complete with spire in 1965, the South East London Mercury described the chapel as "a showpiece of modern architecture and building technique".
Design
See images here and here and here. The Church ArmyChurch Army
Church Army is an evangelistic Church of England organisation operating in many parts of the Anglican Communion.-History:Church Army was founded in England in 1882 by the Revd Wilson Carlile , who banded together in an orderly army of soldiers, officers, and a few working men and women, whom he and...
does not normally have a chapel as it does outreach work, but in the 1960s an exception was made for its headquarters at Blackheath, possibly as the chapel could be considered part of the training college.
Spire
The concept for the building is embodied in the spire, which was a very tall, slim, hollow aluminiumAluminium
Aluminium or aluminum is a silvery white member of the boron group of chemical elements. It has the symbol Al, and its atomic number is 13. It is not soluble in water under normal circumstances....
cone at least twice the height of the building again, chosen for its lightness and strength as proved in the aeroplane construction industry - the architect being ex-Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
- and built in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
by British Aerospace
British Aerospace
British Aerospace plc was a UK aircraft, munitions and defence-systems manufacturer. Its head office was in the Warwick House in the Farnborough Aerospace Centre in Farnborough, Hampshire...
.Information from architect's archives. It was made up of a series of overlapping hollow sections decreasing in size up to the final cone-section at the top, like a Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
hand-held brass telescope, but with the overlaps of the expanding sections reversed. A small cross-piece through the top cone section doubled as the hilt of a sword, representing the Church Army in the context of such Biblical
Religious text
Religious texts, also known as scripture, scriptures, holy writ, or holy books, are the texts which various religious traditions consider to be sacred, or of central importance to their religious tradition...
expressions as "good soldier of Christ". The cross-shaped top was also reminiscent of the capping-crosses of medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
spires like the one on Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral
Salisbury Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an Anglican cathedral in Salisbury, England, considered one of the leading examples of Early English architecture....
(see image, below). A slightly similar type of aluminium spire had been added to the top of the Chrysler Building
Chrysler Building
The Chrysler Building is an Art Deco style skyscraper in New York City, located on the east side of Manhattan in the Turtle Bay area at the intersection of 42nd Street and Lexington Avenue. Standing at , it was the world's tallest building for 11 months before it was surpassed by the Empire State...
in 1929, allegedly as a surprise in that it created, temporarily, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's tallest building. St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow
St. Michael's Parish Church, Linlithgow
St. Michael's Parish Church is one of the largest burgh churches in the Church of Scotland. It is one of two parishes serving the West Lothian county town of Linlithgow, the other being St. Ninian's Craigmailen...
has a controversial "crown of thorns
Crown of Thorns
In Christianity, the Crown of Thorns, one of the instruments of the Passion, was woven of thorn branches and placed on Jesus Christ before his crucifixion...
" aluminium spire of sectional construction, erected in 1964. However, if one compares the spires alone, this spire was taller than those. It is said to have towered above adjacent buildings discreetly due to its thinness, and could be seen from the Heath
Blackheath, London
Blackheath is a district of South London, England. It is named from the large open public grassland which separates it from Greenwich to the north and Lewisham to the west...
.
Loss of the spire
Like all ground-breaking designs it required development. Being sectional, it was designed to move to absorb stresses, and being aluminium, it was light. When it was first taken down after stresses were revealed in piles (not the roof) in summer 1965, unusually thick cushioning had to be added to the bases of the piles in the undercroft. A larger aluminium base and fixing point was manufactured for the spire. The second installation of the spire was its final test, the result of which would provide the information needed to design the final and permanent fixing. However when the spire was taken down for the second time, there was no architect or plans available, and the spire lay for some years in pieces on the ground alongside the building. It was never replaced, because only the architect knew how to replace it permanently.He did not refuse to do so, but having left the company after being locked out of the consecration service, Spashett had taken the plans with him, and made himself available to the Church Army to oversee the reinstatement of the spire. However the Church Army's contract with Austin Vernon provided for free backup architectural service, so they declined Spashett's offer, and the spire was never reinstated because remaining staff at the company had not been involved in the design, and did not have the plans. In 1989 Spashett left the plans in Tunbridge WellsRoyal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
for safekeeping, and never retrieved them. The present whereabouts of the plans is unknown, and the spire was gone and forgotten by the time Blackheath High School
Blackheath High School
Blackheath High School is situated near Blackheath Village in southeast London, England. It was founded in 1880 as part of the Girls' Day School Trust. The Senior Department is located in Vanbrugh Park after moving from Blackheath in 1993/4. The school in Blackheath village then became the Junior...
bought the building in 1994.
The spire had a flanged base, mounted on a round plate, then a rectangular plate. The shape of this plate, which was enlarged during development, was still visible on Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
in its 2006 photographs of the chapel roof, and can be seen in the 1960s and 2009 photographs of the roof below.
Building
In the official programme for the 1965 opening the building is described as follows:
"The chapel is of special interest: it has been planned to suit modern conceptions of worship, with the faithful gathered round the communion table and the celebrant normally facing the people. Its shell roof is in the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid, and is constructed of three thin skins of timber laid in different directions, glued and spiked, being supported entirely by its two buttresses. The slit windows which run from floor to roof are separated by concrete pillars faced outside with a white mosaic tile finish and inside with white leather-cloth. The furnishings and doors are of American black walnut and the floor is a grey-green terrazzo."
The columns between the windows do not appear to meet the roof when viewed from below: this gives a floating-roof effect. Although the tops of the white brick walls on the east and west elevations are fixed to the roof to stabilise it, the floating-roof effect is continued with a top row of dark blue engineering bricks with dark pointing. Viewed from below, this row can look like a gap between wall and roof. This row is clearly shown in a photograph in the Blackheath Reporter.
Roof
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret, better known as Le Corbusier , was a Swiss-born French architect, designer, urbanist, writer and painter, famous for being one of the pioneers of what now is called modern architecture. He was born in Switzerland and became a French citizen in 1930...
and his Modular Man
Poem of the Right Angle
The Poem of the Right Angle is a series of 19 paintings and corresponding writings composed by the influential Swiss architect Le Corbusier. Aside from his seminal manifesto Toward an Architecture, The Poem of the Right Angle is considered to be his most lucid synthesis of personal maxims...
proportions and saddle roof
Saddle roof
A saddle roof is one which follows a convex curve about one axis and a concave curve about the other. The hyperbolic paraboloid form has been used for roofs at various times since it is easily constructed from straight sections of lumber, steel, or other conventional materials...
s. By 1963 when the building was at the design stage it was known that the prefabricated shell-roof version, constructed of thin, cast, reinforced concrete, was subject to being lifted bodily from buildings by high winds and that some shapes such as this one could create a drainage problem. Drainage could compromise the smooth appearance with guttering and pipes, or it could encourage chronic leakage over time if holes had to be made in the structure. But by this time wood was a viable alternative for a hyperbolic paraboloid, and with this roof the drainage is part of the aesthetics where it runs down the front and back, so that the roof forms its own flying buttress
Flying buttress
A flying buttress is a specific form of buttressing most strongly associated with Gothic church architecture. The purpose of any buttress is to resist the lateral forces pushing a wall outwards by redirecting them to the ground...
es, supports its own weight, drains itself, anchors itself to the ground and allows the roof to form part of the building frame
Framing (construction)
Framing, in construction known as light-frame construction, is a building technique based around structural members, usually called studs, which provide a stable frame to which interior and exterior wall coverings are attached, and covered by a roof comprising horizontal ceiling joists and sloping...
. The metal-covered
Metal roof
A metal roof, often referred to as a tin roof, is a roofing system made from metal pieces or tiles. It is a component of the building envelope.-History:...
timber roof suffered damage from thieves in 2008, and it was re-covered using a new system.
The roof is a saddle roof
Saddle roof
A saddle roof is one which follows a convex curve about one axis and a concave curve about the other. The hyperbolic paraboloid form has been used for roofs at various times since it is easily constructed from straight sections of lumber, steel, or other conventional materials...
, meaning that it is in the shape of a hyperbolic paraboloid, and thus the curved shape can be constructed with straight beams; a previous example was a 1956 Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
house.
Inspiration from Pettie's Vigil
Cross
A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two lines or bars perpendicular to each other, dividing one or two of the lines in half. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally; if they run obliquely, the design is technically termed a saltire, although the arms of a saltire need not meet...
-shaped blue glass window on the east side was intended to double as a symbolic sword-shape, like the original spire. This is because the first inspiration for the building was The Vigil by John Pettie
John Pettie
John Pettie RA was a Scottish painter. He was born in Edinburgh, the son of Alexander and Alison Pettie. In 1852 the family moved to East Linton, Haddingtonshire...
, 1884. In the painting, a squire
Squire
The English word squire is a shortened version of the word Esquire, from the Old French , itself derived from the Late Latin , in medieval or Old English a scutifer. The Classical Latin equivalent was , "arms bearer"...
holds his vigil
Vigil
A vigil is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance...
by praying overnight before his knighting ceremony
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
, hoping that he and his equipment might be purified beforehand. As the design of the spire was inspired by the vertical position of the squire's sword, which symbolises the cross, so the natural lighting inside the chapel is inspired by this painting. In The Vigil, the dawn light falls from the east window above the altar onto the squire and his sword, and the purification is symbolised by the glow of the white surplice. A shadow below the squire's arm crosses a crease in the surplice, giving the effect of a shadowy cross on his torso. In the Blackheath chapel, a blue celestial light is designed to fall in the shape of a cross or sword across the central altar of the basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
-shaped interior from the east side, symbolically purifying the Church Army congregation before their day's work.
The tall, rectangular windows of the building were inspired by the gallery of shadowy pillars in the background of the painting. There is a theory that medieval pillars and fan vaulting had some connection with the appearance of an avenue of trees. In the Church Army chapel, the series of attenuated openings gives a gallery of daylight colours and views of the greenery of the Blackheath environment - so that the nave and aisles are now visually returning to the outdoors.
Acoustics, air ducts and undercroft
Architectural acousticsArchitectural acoustics
Architectural acoustics is the science of noise control within buildings. The first application of architectural acoustics was in the design of opera houses and then concert halls. More widely, noise suppression is critical in the design of multi-unit dwellings and business premises that generate...
for church music were seriously considered with regard to the chapel. There was some contemporary discussion of the study of acoustics that went into the building of the Queen Elizabeth Hall
Queen Elizabeth Hall
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is a music venue on the South Bank in London, United Kingdom that hosts daily classical, jazz, and avant-garde music and dance performances. The QEH forms part of Southbank Centre arts complex and stands alongside the Royal Festival Hall, which was built for the Festival...
and Purcell Room
Purcell Room
The Purcell Room is a concert and performance venue which forms part of the Southbank Centre, one of central London's leading cultural complexes. It is named after the 17th century English composer Henry Purcell and has 370 seats....
in London with their alleged Helmholtz resonators
Helmholtz resonance
Helmholtz resonance is the phenomenon of air resonance in a cavity, such as when one blows across the top of an empty bottle. The name comes from a device created in the 1850s by Hermann von Helmholtz, the "Helmholtz resonator", which he, the author of the classic study of acoustic science, used to...
and of Liverpool Cathedral
Liverpool Cathedral
Liverpool Cathedral is the Church of England cathedral of the Diocese of Liverpool, built on St James's Mount in Liverpool and is the seat of the Bishop of Liverpool. Its official name is the Cathedral Church of Christ in Liverpool but it is dedicated to Christ and the Blessed Virgin...
- however some experimentation was done with sound-absorbent surfaces such as the white leather-cloth mentioned in the May 1965 programme above. There are warm air ducts
Duct (HVAC)
Ducts are used in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning to deliver and remove air. These needed airflows include, for example, supply air, return air, and exhaust air. Ducts also deliver, most commonly as part of the supply air, ventilation air...
under the building, originally served by an oil
Heating oil
Heating oil, or oil heat, is a low viscosity, flammable liquid petroleum product used as a fuel for furnaces or boilers in buildings. Home heating oil is often abbreviated as HHO...
fired central heating
Central heating
A central heating system provides warmth to the whole interior of a building from one point to multiple rooms. When combined with other systems in order to control the building climate, the whole system may be a HVAC system.Central heating differs from local heating in that the heat generation...
boiler in the north-west undercroft
Undercroft
An undercroft is traditionally a cellar or storage room, often brick-lined and vaulted, and used for storage in buildings since medieval times. In modern usage, an undercroft is generally a ground area which is relatively open to the sides, but covered by the building above.- History :While some...
, and warm-air grilles in the skirting inside the chapel, seen in the interior photograph below. The heavy roof, made of three layers of beams, a copper roof-covering and a wood-panelled lining, is a heat-insulator more powerful than some of the pre-cast hyperbolic paraboloid roofs being manufactured in the 1960s.
The building stands on a hollow box, just over 6 ft high, known as the undercroft, and this is divided horizontally into several odd-shaped and unequal sections by brick walls which lend some rigidity to the structure, and give some support to the cast concrete horizontal joists which underlie the chapel floor and surrounding walkway. On the cast concrete joists is screed, and on that is the grey-green terrazzo interior flooring, and the exterior sandstone walkway. The main stresses from the weight of the building's frame, i.e. the roof, are carried by the two roof buttresses, but the piles below these cannot be seen from inside the undercroft. The east and west brick walls of the chapel were designed to prevent the two high corners of the roof from rocking due to stresses from the spire in a gale. The bases of these can be seen in the undercroft. There is no evidence that these end walls involve piles driven deep into the ground, but they were reinforced at the base during stabilisation of the spire at the development stage in summer 1965. The original air duct and fan are still there. When a box has a weight on top, its side walls want to splay outwards, so the outer walls of this box were originally supported by earth on all four sides. The north side is now exposed due to a new build. Apart from that, the chapel stands on a box of air.
Opening
The foundation stone was laid in March 1964. The chapel was part of the Church Army Wilson Carlile Training College designed by the same architect, and was opened by Princess AlexandraPrincess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy
Princess Alexandra, The Honourable Lady Ogilvy is the youngest granddaughter of King George V of the United Kingdom and Mary of Teck. She is the widow of Sir Angus Ogilvy...
at 2.45pm on 6 May 1965, the opening being commemorated on a marble stone in a cloakroom off the entrance lobby to the chapel. The late R.G.D. (Russell) Vernon MBE, head of Austin Vernon & Partners under whose banner the chapel was designed, was invited to the opening at which the Archbishop of Canterbury
Archbishop of Canterbury
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and principal leader of the Church of England, the symbolic head of the worldwide Anglican Communion, and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. In his role as head of the Anglican Communion, the archbishop leads the third largest group...
Michael Ramsey
Michael Ramsey
Arthur Michael Ramsey, Baron Ramsey of Canterbury PC was the 100th Archbishop of Canterbury. He was appointed on 31 May 1961 and was in office from June 1961 to 1974.-Career:...
was to consecrate
Consecration
Consecration is the solemn dedication to a special purpose or service, usually religious. The word "consecration" literally means "to associate with the sacred". Persons, places, or things can be consecrated, and the term is used in various ways by different groups...
the chapel. However Vernon knew nothing of the building, as its design had been delegated to E.T. Spashett RIBA. Spashett arrived in his best suit with his wife, his invitation and a camera, as this was his masterpiece and he had spent two years on the project. However he had not been invited to join the VIPs at the consecration inside the building, and was turned away when he tried to get in, although he remained on the fringes of the event, photographing the consecration procession as it circled the building. As in medieval times, architecture is still produced within the studio
Studio
A studio is an artist's or worker's workroom, or the catchall term for an artist and his or her employees who work within that studio. This can be for the purpose of architecture, painting, pottery , sculpture, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, radio or television...
system, in which the owner of the architectural firm is officially credited with all designs. A paragraph in the programme may have instigated the architect's action at the opening. It says:
"At 3.45 p.m. A procession will be formed to move from the marquee to the Chapel for the dedication of the College. The procession will consist of students and staff... the Architect and all who are seated on the platform."
Adaptations
The explanation of "modern conceptions of worship with the faithful gathered round the communion table" in the opening-day programme refers to the original design of a central altar as in Liverpool Metropolitan CathedralLiverpool Metropolitan Cathedral
The Metropolitan Cathedral Church of Christ the King is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Liverpool and the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Liverpool. The Metropolitan Cathedral is one of two cathedrals in the city...
which was completed two years later. It was a response to the Liturgical Movement
Liturgical Movement
The Liturgical Movement began as a movement of scholarship for the reform of worship within the Roman Catholic Church. It has grown over the last century and a half and has affected many other Christian Churches, including the Church of England and other Churches of the Anglican Communion, and some...
. Therefore it is possible that this was the first 20th century chapel of modern design to have been conceived with a central altar. However the Church Army unexpectedly installed pews and a west-end altar, as seen in the above photo. The interior white leather-cloth for fine acoustic adjustment is now missing; removed by decorators. The terrazzo floor is covered with a sprung wooden floor (see photos above) which may also possibly serve to protect the original floor; however the terrazzo is still visible in the chapel lobby. According to photographs taken of the interior of the chapel in December 2009: since summer 2009 the corner windows by the buttresses have been replaced with mirror-glass; also the dance-barre has been removed on each side, making dancing pupils vulnerable to falling against the window glass, as evidenced by a boarded-up pane which was once original yellow glass.
Owners of the chapel and college
The first owner was the Church ArmyChurch Army
Church Army is an evangelistic Church of England organisation operating in many parts of the Anglican Communion.-History:Church Army was founded in England in 1882 by the Revd Wilson Carlile , who banded together in an orderly army of soldiers, officers, and a few working men and women, whom he and...
, who needed the buildings for their Wilson Carlile Training College in 1965. The training college moved to Sheffield in 1991-92. The premises were sold by the Church Army in 1994 to Blackheath High School
Blackheath High School
Blackheath High School is situated near Blackheath Village in southeast London, England. It was founded in 1880 as part of the Girls' Day School Trust. The Senior Department is located in Vanbrugh Park after moving from Blackheath in 1993/4. The school in Blackheath village then became the Junior...
, which between 1999 and 2009 was using the chapel as a music room and dance studio.
Wilson Carlile Training College site 1965
The chapel was part of a larger build in 1965, and was designed to form part of the south side of an open, central quadrangleQuadrangle (architecture)
In architecture, a quadrangle is a space or courtyard, usually rectangular in plan, the sides of which are entirely or mainly occupied by parts of a large building. The word is probably most closely associated with college or university campus architecture, but quadrangles may be found in other...
(see image of architectural model
Architectural model
An architectural model is a type of a scale model, tangible representation of a structure built to study aspects of an architectural design or to communicate design ideas to clients, committees, and the general public...
). The east side consisted of older buildings, and the west side was open, so the only other major new build was the large dormitory block on the north side. This was an international style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
building of white brick with metal-framed windows and black slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
panels between the windows and covering the sills. Only two staircases and the upper part of the west end of this block remain in original condition, as there has been much development on the site since 1965. The description of the site in the May 1965 opening day programme is as follows:
"The new College has accommodation for seventy-two students and in addition three flats are provided nearby for married students and their families. Staff are accommodated either in the College or in adjoining houses, provision has been made for four lecture rooms, library, common rooms etc., and the grounds which cover two acres include spacious lawns and an asphalt area for tennis and netball."
RIBA archives holdings
Five black and white photographs dated 1975 are held in the RIBA Archives as part of their Press Office collection and described as follows:- London: Church Army's Chapel, Blackheath: ext view showing double-curved roof (archts Austin Vernon & Partners, 1965) (BM/ECCL/40/A) (photo G. Hana Ltd 28978)
- London: Church Army's Chapel, Blackheath: ext view (archts Austin Vernon & Partners, 1965) (BM/ECCL/40/B) (photo G. Hana Ltd 28976)
- London: Church Army's Chapel, Blackheath: ext view showing double-curved roof (archts Austin Vernon & Partners, 1965) (BM/ECCL/40/C) (photo G. Hana Ltd 28977)
- London: Church Army's Chapel, Blackheath: int view (archts Austin Vernon & Partners, 1965) (BM/ECCL/40/D) (photo G. Hana Ltd 28975)
- London: Church Army's Chapel, Blackheath: int view (archts Austin Vernon & Partners, 1965) (BM/ECCL/40/E) (photo G. Hana Ltd 28974)
Architect: E. T. Spashett
Ernest Trevor Spashett (1923-1994) was born in PenzancePenzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
and served in the Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
1942-1947, flying Halifaxes
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
. He was apprenticed in Penzance
Penzance
Penzance is a town, civil parish, and port in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is approximately 75 miles west of Plymouth and 300 miles west-southwest of London...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, designing under supervision the Guildhall at St Ives in 1939 at the age of 16. After the war he trained as an architect with the Ministry of Works repairing London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
after the war, working on Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace
Alexandra Palace is a building in North London, England. It stands in Alexandra Park, in an area between Hornsey, Muswell Hill and Wood Green...
, Clarence House
Clarence House
Clarence House is a royal home in London, situated on The Mall, in the City of Westminster. It is attached to St. James's Palace and shares the palace's garden. For nearly 50 years, from 1953 to 2002, it was home to Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, but is since then the official residence of The...
and Osterley House among others. For example, Osterley House was then an RAF
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
convalescence home
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
full of airmen in wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
s and on crutch
Crutch
Crutches are mobility aids used to counter a mobility impairment or an injury that limits walking ability.- Types :There are several different types of crutches:...
es. The zig-zag, half-fenced ramp he designed for the front steps instantly became a racetrack, and had to be heavily-fenced after too many skid turns on the corners created flying wheelchairs. He designed the replacement rose window for Alexandra Palace, the original being lost due to bomb damage.
After qualifying as an architect he worked for Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, Gillingham
Medway
Medway is a conurbation and unitary authority in South East England. The Unitary Authority was formed in 1998 when the City of Rochester-upon-Medway amalgamated with Gillingham Borough Council and part of Kent County Council to form Medway Council, a unitary authority independent of Kent County...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
Councils designing council housing
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
, schools and hospitals. He worked with Yates, Cook and Derbyshire in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
from around 1954 to around 1960, then from around 1960 with Austin Vernon & Partners (who had refurbished Dulwich Picture Gallery
Dulwich Picture Gallery
Dulwich Picture Gallery is an art gallery in Dulwich, South London. England's first purpose-built public art gallery, it was designed by Regency architect Sir John Soane and opened to the public in 1817. Soane arranged the exhibition spaces as a series of interlinked rooms illuminated naturally...
) in Dulwich
Dulwich
Dulwich is an area of South London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth...
from 1959, leaving after the chapel opening debacle in 1965. He specialised in church design and restoration, so in the 1960s and 1970s he was consultant architect for the Benedictine
Benedictine
Benedictine refers to the spirituality and consecrated life in accordance with the Rule of St Benedict, written by Benedict of Nursia in the sixth century for the cenobitic communities he founded in central Italy. The most notable of these is Monte Cassino, the first monastery founded by Benedict...
s, taking instructions from Basil Hume. In the 1970s he designed accommodation at two monasteries, including a large, reflective, gold, cross-shaped window (now lost) at Gorton Monastery
Gorton Monastery
The Church and Friary of St Francis, known locally as Gorton Monastery, is a 19th century former Franciscan friary in Gorton, in east Manchester, England. The Franciscans arrived in Gorton in December 1861 and built their friary between 1863 and 1867. The foundation stone for the church was laid in...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, which at certain seasons caused a gold cross-shaped reflection on the public roadway. From 1965 he was architect for estate agents Geering and Colyer in Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells
Royal Tunbridge Wells is a town in west Kent, England, about south-east of central London by road, by rail. The town is close to the border of the county of East Sussex...
, then left to work freelance in Tunbridge Wells 1982-1989. He continued freelance work in Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, South East England, with a population of 35,188. On the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district...
until retirement due to ill health in 1992. He died in 1994.
External links
- Youtube video panorama of interior of chapel
- Advisory Board for Redundant Churches: Criteria for determining heritage values and the scope for change in closed Anglican churches
- Greenwich Heritage Centre: local archives covering Blackheath area.
- Church Army online
- Blackheath High School: virtual tour and videos
- Greenwich Council: planning and building department
- 20th Century Society: society for preservation of modern buildings
- RIBA archives