Description

TQ 2785 SW,
798-1/39/1394

CAMDEN,
ROSSLYN HILL (North East side),
Church of St Stephen

14/05/74

GV

I

Church, redundant at time of survey in 1995 [has now reopened]. c1869-1871. By S. S. Teulon. Purple Luton brick with stone dressings, bands and
sculptures. Slated roofs.
STYLE: modified Early French Gothic style with plate tracery.
PLAN/EXTERIOR: 6-bay aisled nave with clerestory, transepts
and apsidal polygonal sanctuary, beneath which a mezzanine
floor of meeting rooms. Tall crossing tower with pyramidal
roof and attached stair turret, with conical roof, on
south-east angle. Gabled west front with portico of three arcaded
arches on clustered columns flanked by large stepped
buttresses attached to church by flying buttresses, both with
sculptured figures. Below modillion parapet, nine grouped arcaded
windows lighting an internal gallery. Above, a plate tracery
wheel window. Aisles with lean-to roofs have square-headed
4-light trefoil tracery windows; slightly pointed arch
clerestory windows of four lights and quatrefoil tracery flanked
by sculptured demi-angels probably by Thomas Earp. Buttressed
gabled transepts with 5-light windows, each having two rose and
a wheel window; north transept with gable sculpture of King
David by Earp. Buttressed sanctuary with 1 and 2-light windows
having trefoil and rose window tracery. Tower has paired
louvred belfry openings, clocks to each face and an arcaded
gallery which extends around the stair turret.

INTERIOR: not inspected but noted to have been magnificent
when complete, and retaining much of interest in its derelict
state. Pale yellow, white and grey banded brick; fine brick
vault to crossing, double chancel arch and vaulted sanctuary.
Nave roofed in timber by massive trusses of arch-braces, Queen
posts and collar purlins. Nave arcading on sandstone columns
supporting brick arches enlivened in outline by dogtooth
decoration and projecting headers and stretchers; capitals
carved by Earp. Above, sgraffito roundels. Narthex with brick
gallery opening onto nave through three segmental arches supported
on coupled columns with curious unhistorical circular
dosserets. Stained glass, much vandalised and some stolen, by
Clayton and Bell and Heaton, Butler & Bayne. Vandalised
mosaics by Salviati. Font given by and probably designed by
Ewan Christian. Formerly with fine woodwork by Temple Moore,
Henry Willis organ and good pulpit; all now removed.

HISTORICAL NOTE: from an original estimate for the building
cost of £7,500 the final cost rose to £27,000; St Stephen's
was the climax of Teulon's career and life. John Ruskin was
said to have described it as "the finest specimen of brick
building in all the land". The church was declared redundant
in 1977 but has since reopened.

Listing NGR: TQ2708785399

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St. Stephen's Church, Rosslyn Hill at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q7591743

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

• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings: The Law and Practice of History Buildings, Ancient Monuments and Conservation Areas
• 
  Department for Communities Listed Historic Buildings of Northern Ireland: Information Guide for the 2nd Survey of Historic Buildings
• 
  Development and Design of Heritage Sensitive Sites: Strategies for Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas
• 
  Oxfordshire: North and West (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments