Description

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ST LAWRENCE
UNDERCLIFFE DRIVE
Church of St Lawrence

(Formerly listed as: UNDERCLIFFE DRIVE,ST LAWRENCE, ST LAWRENCE'S CHURCH)

15-JUL-76

II*
1878 by Sir George Gilbert Scott. It contains stained glass of 1866-71 by Ford Madox Brown, Sir Edward Burne Jones and William Morris and of 1892 by Sir William Reynolds-Stephens, brought here in 1975 after Thomas Hellyer's Royal National Hospital was demolished in 1969 in addition to stained glass of 1897 and c.1919 designed for this church.

MATERIALS: coursed sandstone rubble with sandstone dressings. Tiled roof with terracotta ridge tiles.

PLAN: nave of four bays with west bell turret, north aisle with north porch and two bay chancel. North vestry.

EXTERIOR: C13 Gothic style with intersecting and geometric tracery. The west wall of the nave has a gabled double bellcote with eight bells integrated into angle buttresses flanking the arched, three-light west window and further angle buttresses flanking the side walls. The west wall of the north aisle has a two-light arched window with drip-moulding and corbel heads. The nave south wall has three-light windows with alternate intersecting and geometric tracery. The south porch has a projecting gabled porch with cross-shaped saddlestone and arched entrance with engaged colonnettes. The north aisle has two-light arched windows with drip-moulding and corbel heads flanked by angle buttresses. The east end has a triple arched window with intersecting arches and a smaller two light window below. The chancel south wall has a three-light arched window between buttresses. The chancel north wall is obscured by a vestry with penticed roof and four-light mullioned window with leaded lights. The east end of the chancel has a large five-light window with geometric tracery and corner diagonal buttresses.

INTERIOR: The nave has a kingpost roof with arched braces supported on stone corbels. The north arcade has pointed arches and circular columns. Large ribbed chancel arch and arch-braced roof to chancel.

PRINCIPAL FEATURES: Chamfered square font on two steps and octagonal stone pulpit. Nave and aisle pews have poppyhead or fleur-de-lys bench ends. Chancel reredos and panelling of circa 1919. Fine stained glass re-located from the Royal National Hospital includes the west window of the nave depicting Angels of Healing by W Reynolds Stephens of 1892. In the south wall of the nave is re-located early stained glass by members of William Morris' circle. From west to east are St John the Evangelist of 1869 by Sir Edward Burne Jones (originally intended for he Savoy Chapel), St Luke the Physician by Ford Madox Brown of 1869 and St Peter the Apostle by Sir Edward Burne Jones of 1871 (originally designed for Peterhouse, Cambridge). Further early stained glass is located in the panels attached to outer wall of the north aisle: the Raising of Jairus's daughter by William Morris of 1866 (which used Jane Morris and Ford Madox Brown as models), Jesus Healing a Woman by Ford Madox Brown of 1869 and Raising Lazarus by William Morris of 1866. The Parable of the Sower in the south eastern window of the nave is of 1897 by Walter Tower. The east and south windows are of c.1919 by Kempe's firm.

HISTORY: this church succeeded Old St Lawrence, a very small church, probably of C13 origin. The architect (Sir) George Gilbert Scott (1811-78) began practice in the mid-1830s and became the most successful church architect of his day. His new churches generally have a harmonious quality which so often derived their character from the architecture of the late C13 or early C14. He was awarded the RIBA Gold Medal in 1859 and was knighted in 1872. He is buried in Westminster Abbey.

SOURCES
Lloyd, D and Pevsner, N., The Buildings of England: Isle of Wight (2006), 248-50

REASONS FOR DESIGNATION
The Church of St Lawrence, Ventnor, is designated at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:
* Architectural Quality: it is an intact small late country church of 1878 by Sir George Gilbert Scott.
* Internal Survival: the interior is substantially intact.
* Glass of Special Note: it contains fine stained glass including some early works by members of William Morris' circle, re-located from the demolished Royal National Hospital besides others designed for the church.

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St Lawrence's Church, St Lawrence at Wikipedia
• Wikidata Q7593949

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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