History in Structure

Church of St Michael and All Angels

A Grade II Listed Building in Lansbury, London

More Photos »
Approximate Location Map
Large Map »

Coordinates

Latitude: 51.5163 / 51°30'58"N

Longitude: -0.0116 / 0°0'41"W

OS Eastings: 538066

OS Northings: 181583

OS Grid: TQ380815

Mapcode National: GBR KZ.1S0

Mapcode Global: VHGR1.R47Y

Plus Code: 9C3XGX8Q+G9

Entry Name: Church of St Michael and All Angels

Listing Date: 27 September 1973

Grade: II

Source: Historic England

Source ID: 1065049

English Heritage Legacy ID: 206228

ID on this website: 101065049

Location: Poplar, Tower Hamlets, London, E14

County: London

District: Tower Hamlets

Electoral Ward/Division: Lansbury

Parish: Non Civil Parish

Built-Up Area: Tower Hamlets

Traditional County: Middlesex

Lieutenancy Area (Ceremonial County): Greater London

Church of England Parish: All Saints Poplar

Church of England Diocese: London

Tagged with: Former church

Find accommodation in
Stepney

Description



788/19/701 ST LEONARD'S ROAD
27-SEP-73 Former Church of St Michael and All Angels

GV II
1864-5 by J W Morris, restored 1901 and 1955, converted into flats c2000.

MATERIALS: Stock brick with a little red and black brick polychrome banding and also polychrome to the heads of the arches. Limestone dressings. Slate roofs.

PLAN: Nave, lower, short chancel, N and S aisles, N and S double transepts, SE tower.

EXTERIOR: This large polychrome brick church draws Early English architecture of the C13 for its details. The most prominent features are the W end, fronting directly on to St Leonard's Road, and the SE tower. The former has a triple-arched entrance with moulded arches and shafts in the reveals, all under polychrome heads. Above these are three straight-sided gables. The W end fenestration has two two-light openings with modern detailing above which is an oculus filled with plate tracery comprising trefoils and quatrefoils. At the corners are angle buttresses. The aisles have lean-to roofs and two-light windows in their W faces. The tower is unbuttressed and has three stages. The largest of these is the belfry stage which has tall, plain paired openings. Above is a short, slate-covered pyramid spire with a gable on each side over a clock face. The E end of the chancel has an E window of three graded lancets. There are paired windows in the lean-to aisles and there is a clerestory with three single light windows per bay. In the angle between the nave and S aisle there is a quarter-round stair turret. Conversion into flats has led to the roofs being interspersed with numerous square skylights.

INTERIOR: The interior has been divided up and filled with multiple flats.

PRINCIPAL FIXTURES: None

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: Immediately S of the church is a large, former vicarage, built of stock brick with minor details of polychromy in a matching style to the church. To the S of this is a Portland limestone First World War memorial by A R Adams, 1920, depicting Christ blessing a medieval soldier. To the N of the church is a two-storey institute built of stock brick with its gable facing the church. Together these form a group.

HISTORY: The present building was erected in 1864-5 to replace a mission church of 1861. It was restored in 1901 and again in 1955. Now it has been converted into flats. Morris, the architect, is not a well-known name, but was clearly capable of ambitious and impressive designs, as here.

SOURCES: Bridget Cherry, Charles O'Brien and Nikolaus Pevsner, The Buildings of England: London 5: East, 2005, p 657.
Basil F L Clarke, Parish Churches of London, 1966, p 166.

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION:
The former church of St Michael and All Angels is designated at Grade II for the following principal reasons:
* It is a High Victorian brick former church (now converted into residential accommodation) in the C13 style with polychrome detailing and a prominent tower which forms a local landmark, in this much-altered area.
* The external interest is high enough to offset the major changes to the interior, which is now deprived of special interest.
* The church, vicarage, institute and war memorial form a coherent group.


External Links

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.

Recommended Books

Other nearby listed buildings

BritishListedBuildings.co.uk is an independent online resource and is not associated with any government department. All government data published here is used under licence. Please do not contact BritishListedBuildings.co.uk for any queries related to any individual listed building, planning permission related to listed buildings or the listing process itself.

British Listed Buildings is a Good Stuff website.