Description

NEWTON ABBOT

SX8770 LABURNUM ROAD, Milber
1012-1/11/172 (South side)
CHURCH OF ST LUKE

II

Church. Begun 1936 and completed 1963, to the 1931 designs of
Arthur Martin.
MATERIALS: rendered walls with slate roofs; copper-clad tower
roof.
PLAN: planned in the form of a St Andrew's Cross, with 3
angled naves converging on the altar with an apsidal chancel.
STYLE: Byzantine-Romanesque.
EXTERIOR: round-arched 3-light windows to north and south
sides of chancel. Squat crossing tower with pyramidal roof,
shallow clasping buttresses and plat band meeting imposts of
2-light round-arched belfry windows; the tower has triangular
projections with tall cavetto-moulded lights which connect to
radiating chapels with similar 4-light windows.
Chapels have, to west, similar 2-light windows and then angled
links, each with segmental-arched surround to doorway,
connected to outer faces of projecting west front; the west
front has slightly projecting outer bays clasping recessed and
gabled centre, with small round-arched light above continuous
plat band and then large west window (round-arched and
shouldered) above limestone ashlar surround framing central
doorway and flanking 2-light square-headed windows; the outer
projecting blocks have round-arched one-light windows.
INTERIOR: of exceptional spatial quality, with the 3 naves
radiating from the centre being linked together by arcades
with granite columns, which are surmounted above by
round-arched clerestorey windows; chapels are barrel-vaulted,
and have granite columns with moulded capitals to deep
rere-arches. The narthex is partitioned from the naves by a
leaded glass screen, and has two staircases leading to the
gallery above. Plain and severe design to high altar; pulpit
is a later design, objected to by Arthur Martin who designed
moveable lectern.
Remarkable for its interior spatial quality and extraordinary
centralised plan, which anticipates one of the principal
characteristics of post-war planning. The design for the
church was revealed to the vicar, J Keble Martin (brother of
the architect and celebrated author of British Flora), in a
dream.
(Buildings of England: Pevsner N: Devon: London: 1989-).

Listing NGR: SX8734470137

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q26548347

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

• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6
• 
  Farrow & Ball How to Decorate: Transform your home with paint & paper
• 
  Devon (Pevsner Buildings of England)
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)
• 
  Yorkshire: York and the East Riding (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Yorkshire West Riding: Sheffield and the South (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)