Description

735/30/297 KINGSLAND ROAD E2
03-JAN-50 (West side)
CHURCH OF ST COLUMBA

GV I

Parish church. 1868-9 by James Brooks, mortuary chapel added 1904-5 by E.Geldart. Red brick with stone dressings; slate roofs. Early English style.
PLAN: cruciform, with nave, aisles, transepts, chancel and central tower.
EXTERIOR: cliff west end. 4 lower lancets linked by continuous pointed hoodmould. Brick string courses to elevation, and 2 stone courses to lower part of triple stepped upper lancets. One encircled sexfoil oculus in gable head, and 3 smaller cusped roundels. Corners of upper part of elevation developed into square turrets with pinnacles.
Reduced lean-to aisles without windows, and dentilled string courses. South aisle with a 4 centred doorway. 5 2-light clerestory windows consisting of twin lancets supporting an octofoiled circle.
North aisle with full-height west porch with triple arched openings to ground floor under continuous pointed hoodmould. Twin lancets above, under continuous rounded hoodmould. 3 lancets in gable head, which has square honeycomb pattern of raised brickwork.
Tall shallow gabled transepts both with similar corner pinnacles to west front. North transept with twin lancets supporting six roundels. South transept with circular stair tower and marks of demolished building which once abutted it.
Square crossing tower with flat buttresses towards transepts, 2 lancets to ech face (with 2 stone stringcourses), and a short pyramid spire.
Chancel projects one bay. East end with 3 flat buttresses to lower half, flanking 2 cusped niches below twin lancets. Lancets with continuous hoodmoulds. Gable oculus, roundels and corner pinnacles as west front.
INTERIOR: 5-bay arcade of circular piers with 4 radiating detached colonnettes with annuli.
Roughly finished block capitals. Triple stepped pointed arcade arches and continuous hoodmoulds. Similar hoodmoulds to clerestory windows. Colonnettes rise from pier to support wall post of the arch-braced roof. The arched braces meet the lower collars; second register of arched collars above.
North porch open to the quadripartite rib vault. Walls treated with panels of bull-nosed brick chequerwork. North upper windows with wall passage and columns, the centre niche blind. Aisles with transverse brick arches acting as internal flying buttresses and supporting conventional timber roof. At west end of north aisle is an elaborate staircase to the mortuary chapel: openwork twin cusped arch on a central colonnette under a quatrefoil vesica. Balustrade of steps with 4 open encircled quatrefoils, repeated to the south and east sides of the landing above twin lancets. Statuary niche with canopy at south-east corner, and 2 open arches below. South aisle with elaborate doorway at east end, with pedestals for statues right and left, dying mouldings in the arch and upper corbelled statue pedestals. 2 shouldered arched recesses to west. Triple chamfered crossing arches, with colonnettes. Quadripartite rib vault and central roundel. North transept vault consists of 3 brick transverse arches, south transept with plastered plain arches.
Chancel vault with 5 ribs, all on colonnettes with capitals. Stone reredos of 5 gablets, each over a panel depicting Adoration scenes.
Font: circular drum and 8 orbiting porphyry columns on Early English bases. Octagonal marble bowl with 2-light tracery designs to the facets. Timber traceried font cover.
Pulpit: polygonal with panelled black marble base supporting elaborate honey-coloured marble parapet with irontwist balusters and rectangular corner pieces, the latter with columns and cusped statuary niches. Rear walls of the recesses with gold tesserae. Timber back panel and canopy, with panelling and thin rib vaulting to canopy, which has a floral scroll in the cornice, and top cusping. Carved angels at the corners.

Listing NGR: TQ3344083459

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17527619

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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