Description

SOUTHWARK

TQ3179 LAMBETH ROAD
636-1/4/465 (North side)
02/03/50 Roman Catholic Cathedral of St
George

II

Catholic cathedral. 1841-48. By Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin;
restored and redecorated 1888-1905 by FA Walters; largely rebuilt
and extended following war damage, 1953 by Higgs and Hill to
designs of Romilly B Craze based on Pugin's plans.
MATERIALS: yellow stock brick with Portland stone dressings.
Slated roofs.
STYLE: C20 Gothic Revival style, mixed with fragments of
Pugin's Decorated Gothic; only the east end, the lowest part
of the west tower, the aisle walls and a few internal details
remain of Pugin's work.
PLAN: western tower, tall nave of 8 bays with clerestory (an
addition to Pugin's design), aisles and pseudo-transepts.
Large tower and spire intended for west end never built.
EXTERIOR: parapeted west front has full-height buttresses with
statues in stone niches at bases flanking central ashlar
doorcase with moulded pointed arch; large C20 6-light
traceried window. Baptistry north of entrance, completed 1966,
has 3-light window and pyramidal roof. Southern return with
single-storey, buttressed aisles with traceried windows and
parapet. Gabled transepts formed by heightening the east bays
of the aisles. East end flanked by small stone turrets with
conical roofs.
INTERIOR: has massive stone piers (replacing Pugin's original
ones) designed to support elaborate stone vault over nave,
simplified when built to transverse arches with a boarded
ceiling in between. Aisles with chapels at east ends have
flying ribs, creating illusion of vault. Series of small
chapels as extensions to south aisle, with larger Lady Chapel
extension (1961-3) at south east. Crossing in 7th bay and
sanctuary now extended into last bay of nave. Gallery with
gabled pseudo-transepts created by heightening of aisles.
Sanctuary now extended into last bay of nave. Gallery at west
end. Large Decorated chancel windows and north aisle windows,
the remains of Pugin's work.
FITTINGS include: Petre Chantry of 1848-9 in Perpendicular
style by Pugin with vaulted roof and angel finials, has
original furnishings including table tomb and carved
altarpiece with Virgin and Child and angels. The Blessed
Sacrament Chapel, 1856-7 by Edward Welby Pugin in refined
Gothic with vault supported by thin internal piers linked to the
outer walls by transoms; well carved capitals with birds and frieze;
with original fittings including altar, reredos and encaustic
tiles; gates by Hardman.
Knill Chantry, St Patrick's Chapel begun 1845 as a chantry for
George Talbot, completed as relics chapel in 1905 and largely
reconstructed after the war.
St Joseph's Chapel, converted from the Weld Chantry of 1890,
with stone vault. The Lady Chapel, 1961-3, contains a small
C18 Flemish Virgin and Child.
STAINED GLASS: in east and west windows by Henry Clarke
Studios of Dublin.
HISTORICAL NOTE: the Cathedral, although not designed as such,
was always intended to be an important church but Pugin's
original grand scheme was rejected as too expensive. A
competition was held in 1839 which Pugin won and the current,
more modest, plan was accepted, being dictated by the
restricted site (there was formerly a built-up road
immediately to the north).

Listing NGR: TQ3143779357

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• St George's Cathedral, Southwark at Wikipedia
• St George's Cathedral, Southwark official website
• Wikidata Q1451262

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

• 
  Suffolk: West: The Buildings of England (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Period Property Manual (New Ed)
• 
  Lancashire: Manchester and the South-East (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Sussex: East with Brighton and Hove (Buildings of England) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and Monuments
• 
  London 6: Westminster (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England): Westminster v. 6