Description

CITY OF WETMINSTER DEAN'S YARD
TQ 2979 SE, TQ 3079 SW
100/101 Church House
GV II
Assembly Hall, chapel and offices. Built 1936-40 by Sir Herbert
Baker and A.T. Scott for Church of England; restored after bomb
damage in .1949/50. Steel-framed with reinforced concrete; clad
in brick set on flint base with stone ashlar dressings; gabled plain
tile roofs; copper-roofed dome to central Assembly Hall. Plan has
central Assembly Hall surrounded by ambulatory and offices; Hoare
Memorial Hall faces Great Smith Street to west, House of Convocation
faces Tufton Street to east, and chapel projects from north east
corner. Free Georgian style. Main north front, facing Dean's Yard,
of 4 storeys and attics; pedimented 3-bay entrance block flanked
by taller 6-bay ranges and fronted by raised terrace with balustraded
parapet. Entrance block: boldly-projecting porch with 3 semi-circular
arched entrances; cross windows, with flintwork crosses set above
moulded stone window architraves to first floor; high relief figure
in central niche by Charles Wheeler, representing the Prophet of
Assembly of the Church of England; minimal Corinthian pilasters
to pediment which has foliate-carved brickwork surrounding lunette
in tympanum. Cornice'is continued as string courses to taller flanking
ranges, which have shields of Anglican sees alternating with semi-
circular arched windows to ground floor, flat brick arches over
sashes and hipped roof dormers. Lower 4-bay range to right (west),
in sirnilar style. 4-bay chapel range to left (east) has red brick
semi-circular window architraves to first-floor chapel above stone
mullioned windows and double-chamfered semi-circular arched pedestrian
and carriage arches; 3-bay projection to front has stone mullioned
and transomed ground floor windows and red brick flat arches over
sashes. Similar elevations, with semi-circular arched ground-floor
windows, to Little Smith Street (south), Tufton Street (east), Great
Smith Street (west) and Great College Street (south elevation of
projecting'chapel range to north east): tall oriel window to Hoare
Memorial Hall, facing Great Smith Street; oriel window and semi-
circular arched windows to House of Convocation facing Tufton Street;
similar chapel elevation and 6-bay range further to east with stone
mullioned windows and doorcase with bracketed segmental hood facing
Great College Street. Interior: entrance hall, finished in polished
Ancaster stone and oak, has vaulted ceiling and fine iron balustrade
to staircase. Ambulatory, which has lunettes with coloured reliefs
and is surmounted by gallery and clerestory with semi-circular arched
windows, surrounds Assemby Hall: this has toplit saucer-domed ceiling
with figures to springing by Charles Wheeler, heraldic devices and
plaster reliefs to panelled coves under gallery.
Hoare Memorial Hall has tall panelled dado and ornamental plaster
ceiling. House of Convocation has southern apse with Anglo-Indian
style arcaded seats. Chapel, on double apse plan, has panelled walls
and plaster vault; altar and reredos to east end, with eight gilt
figures supporting black marble altar; sanctuary paved with variety
of British marbles; horseshoe of arched stalls at west end, divided
by finely-carved corbel heads.
(Sir Herbert Baker, Church House, Its Art and Symbolism, 1940)

Listing NGR: TQ2996779312

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Church House at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q2967665

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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