Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Helen including walls, railings and gates, Brentwood, Essex

Summary

Roman Catholic Cathedral, consisting of the surviving portion of a Gothic church built in 1860-1861 to the designs of Gilbert Blount, and the dominant classical addition built in 1989-1991 to the designs of Quinlan Terry.

Description

MATERIALS: the principal external walls of both parts of the building are of Kentish Ragstone, with yellow Smeed Dean stock brick for the less conspicuous west elevation and the clerestory of the addition. Blount's church has dressings of natural stone while the classical detail of Terry's exterior is in a mixture of cast stone and Portland stone. The roof coverings are of natural Welsh slate throughout.

PLAN: Blount's church consists of a nave, south aisle, chancel (now the Blessed Sacrament chapel) with a south chapel, former sacristy, south porch and south-west tower and spire. Terry's addition to the north is rectangular, with aisles on three sides, and incorporates the nave of Blount’s church to form a centralised Greek cross plan.

EXTERIOR: the principal façade of the cathedral is the north elevation of Terry's classical addition which takes inspiration from the early Italian Renaissance fused with the English Baroque of Wren. The classical elements are in smooth Portland stone to contrast with the rugged ragstone. The elevations are divided into bays by Doric pilasters which support a continuous Doric triglyph frieze with balls on the parapet marking the bay divisions. The principal north elevation consists of nine bays with a central semi-circular portico in a giant Doric Order, reminiscent of the south portico of Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral and the west entrance of Gibbs’s St Mary-le-Strand. The double-leaf panelled door is set within a pedimented doorcase with a frieze inscribed ‘SURREXIT DOMINUS’ (the Lord is Risen) in gold leaf lettering. The portico is flanked by pedimented bays. The secondary entrance (the day-to-day entrance) in the eastern bay has a hooped lantern and a simple classical doorcase with the date MCMLXXXIX inscribed in the frieze, also in gold leaf lettering. The fenestration consists of semicircular headed windows with leaded lights, set within moulded stone surrounds. All the glass in the windows of the new part of the cathedral is hand-made.

Set back behind the parapet is a raised clerestory of yellow brick with a modillion cornice, lit by semicircular headed windows. The shallow hipped roof rises to a domed octagonal cupola surmounted by a gilded ball and tall cross in steel with gilded rays. It is inspired by Bernini’s Church in Ariccia whilst also echoing the cupola on Brentwood School on the other side of Ingrave Road, and perhaps too the turrets on the original 1830s church which the cathedral faces. The five-bay east elevation and the less visible west elevation, in brick, both contain a Serlian window in the Ionic Order.

The south side of the cathedral consists of Blount’s Gothic church of 1861. It
has a gabled west end with a five-light traceried window in the Decorated style. Alongside is the south-west tower of two main stages with diagonal buttresses, two-light windows in the lower stage and lancets in the taller upper stage with an image niche on the south side. The tower is capped by an octagonal lantern on a shouldered base and a stone spirelet. The belfry houses a bell cast by Whitechapel Bell Foundry for the opening of the rebuilt cathedral as well as the old bell of 1861 (also cast by Whitechapel). On the south elevation is a gabled south porch with a shafted entrance-arch, two light windows in the lean-to aisle, three cusped spherical triangle openings in the clerestory and a steeply pitched nave roof. The lower chancel with its side chapel and transeptal vestry forms an attractive composition. The chancel has a five-light east window with a hexafoil and two trefoils in the tracery.

INTERIOR OF THE CLASSICAL CATHEDRAL: the internal disposition of the cathedral is organised around a novel axis that runs north-south (instead of east-west) from the entrance portico, past the ambo to a centrally placed altar, with the bishop’s throne beyond. Recurring throughout the design of the internal fittings is the number eight which signifies the seven days of material creation and the ‘eighth day’ of the new creation, the order of grace created through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As with the external elevations, Terry designed every detail of the cathedral’s interior, even down to the boards for hymn numbers, the central heating grilles and fire exit signs.

The day-to-day entrance in the eastern bay of the north elevation leads into a narthex area in one of the re-entrants of the Greek cross, housing a repository in the form of a large cupboard with scrolled open pediment, made by Taylor’s of Bildeston, Suffolk, to Terry’s designs. The main space of the church resembles an Italian Renaissance court, framed by an arcade of five bays on the longer north and south sides and three bays on the east and west sides. The Tuscan columns have a pronounced entasis. The design of the arcade, with its roundels in the spandrels, appears to be derived from Brunelleschi’s Ospedale degli Innocenti in Florence. On the south side this arcade creates a degree of separation from the Blount church, while retaining intervisibility. Above the arcade is a Doric entablature with triglphs, echoing that on the external elevations.

The walls are of plain painted plaster, with some detailing, notably the guilloche pattern around the cornice of the clerestory, picked out in gold leaf. The ceiling is divided into fifteen compartments, the raised ribs embellished with a Greek key pattern, also picked out in gold leaf. The cupola, which rises from the central compartment, has timber balustrading framing the octagonal opening. The floor is laid in Portland stone slabs with diamond slates set into the corners, forming the pattern carreaux d’octagones. The space is well-lit by the large clear-glazed leaded windows.

In the north-east and north-west corners are simple timber staircases with stick balusters leading up to plainly decorated Reconciliation rooms.

PRINCIPAL FITTINGS: the Bishop’s chair, altar, font and ambo were all designed for the cathedral by Quinlan Terry’s practice, in Nabrasina stone from Pisa. All but the latter are raised on Portland stone plinths.

The Bishop’s chair or cathedra is placed in the central bay of the south arcade, raised on a dais of two steps. It has two scrolled arm rests and a segmental pediment to its back, incorporating the Diocesan coat of arms; its design was inspired by a throne at San Miniato al Monte, Florence. The panelled base is inlaid with slate, to match the floor. The chair faces towards the altar which is placed centrally under the light of the cupola. It is rectangular in form, following the proportions and axis of the main space, with eight Tuscan columns supporting the mensa. On the same north-south axis as the chair and altar is the ambo, from which the Liturgy of the Word is celebrated. It is the same height as the altar, showing that the Word of God is of equal importance to the doctrine of transubstantiation, a change of liturgical emphasis dating from Vatican II. It is octagonal in form, with panelled faces, and is surmounted by a gilded eagle lectern. The octagonal font, located in the north aisle between the two entrances, is raised on a stone plinth and has three steps into the basin to allow those being baptised to stand in the water. Carved in Pisa, its design was informed by Romans 6:3 – ‘when we were baptised in Christ Jesus, we were baptised in his death’. The cruciform shape of the basin encapsulates this concept, whilst the three steps represent dying and rising to new life.

Other fittings include two holy water stoups with stone bowls on baluster stems and clawed feet; and the congregational seating disposed on three sides of the altar, consisting of individual wooden Essex chairs incorporating kneelers, all designed by Terry. The brass aumbry set into the wall behind the font was formerly in the chapel built by William Wardell for the Petre family at Thorndon Hall. The Stations of the Cross, set into the spandrels of the arcades, are glazed terracotta roundels by Raphael Maklouf, the sculptor responsible for the Queen’s head on coinage. The cathedral is lit by modern brass chandeliers of traditional form, the largest of which hangs over the central altar.

INTERIOR OF THE GOTHIC CHURCH: the south arcade of the classical cathedral adjoins the north side of the nave of Blount’s Victorian church, forming its north arcade. The four-bay south arcade was rebuilt by Terry who replicated the Gothic arches but used a plaster finish to ensure the harmonious transition of the two parts of the cathedral. The pitched roof of the nave has braced principal rafters with tie beams, resting on carved stone corbels. At the east end, the ceiling of the Blessed Sacrament chapel (the former sanctuary) consists of square compartments, divided by ribs, with painted barbed quatrefoils in pale red, green and gold, created in 1911.

The interior of the Blount church has an intimate atmosphere dimly lit by stained glass windows. In the Blessed Sacrament chapel, the east window by Mayer and Co, depicts the Risen Christ with saints Peter, Paul, John and Andrew; and on its south side is a small window of the Sacred Heart, the original dedication of the cathedral. In the south aisle, the stained glass windows depict the Good Shepherd, and Mary Magdalene anointing the feet of Jesus.

The remaining furnishings consist almost entirely of pieces designed by Terry or chosen by Bishop Mahon. Most notable is the painted wooden tabernacle in the Blessed Sacrament chapel, a mini-classical church of centralised design, acquired by the bishop in Rome. It stands on a pedestal of Pisan Nabrasina stone. The brass sanctuary lamp dating from the late C19 comes from St Mary’s, Hornchurch, whilst the stone and slate tablets in the Blessed Sacrament chapel and in the north aisle are by Terry. In a recess on the south wall of the east aisle is a wooden crucifix, from the church of Our Lady and St Joseph in Stock; and the Gothic stone chimneypiece in the sacristy is from Thorndon Hall chapel.

Situated behind the Bishop’s chair in the western half of the nave are the box choir stalls arranged in an arc facing the main interior of the classical cathedral. Designed by Terry in ash, they have panelled sides and fronts with open lattice panels across the top, and incorporate brass lights based on C18 candlestick designs.

At the west end of the nave is the organ, built by the London firm of Alfred Hunter in 1881, which came from the now-redundant Anglican church of St Mary-at-the-Walls in Colchester. It has been rebuilt and enlarged by Daniels of Clevedon, with a new classical case by Terry. The console forms a high pedestal which supports a giant Corinthian Order with a central pediment. The impost to this Order is a minor Corinthian Order complete with entablature and half pediments; a characteristic Basilica front used frequently by Palladio in numerous churches in Venice.

SUBSIDIARY FEATURES: the site of the cathedral and its associated buildings is enclosed on the north, east and south sides by a wall of yellow brick laid in Flemish bond, high on the south side but falling to a low plinth on the other two sides. It supports iron railings of simple uprights which are surmounted at regular intervals by gold leaf finials.

On the east side, two pairs of substantial gate piers mark the entrances. Those to the north are octagonal and have alternating bands of yellow brick and stone, surmounted by stone ball finials. Those to the south are very similar in design except that they are square and have a pair of iron gates with an inverted segmental arched upper rail.

This list entry was subject to a Minor Amendment on 1 July 2022 to correct spelling of a name

History

The Act of Emancipation of 1829 freed Catholics from most of the remaining civil restrictions that had impeded their lives since the accession of Elizabeth I. Shortly after this, a mission with a resident priest was duly established at Brentwood in 1836. Lord Petre, the most prominent Roman Catholic in Essex, gave land for a Gothic church and a presbytery to be built, designed by Henry Flower. The church opened on 26 October 1837. It was capable of seating over 200 people and had its own burial ground. A south aisle was added to the church in about 1845 but this soon proved insufficient to accommodate the growing congregation. In 1861 a second church dedicated to St Helen was built to the south to the designs of Gilbert R Blount (1819-76), a well-established Catholic architect. The old church was then used as a school run by the Ursuline Order, later becoming the parish hall in 1969 and more recently the Cathedral Hall, being listed at Grade II in 1999.

Blount had begun his career as a civil engineer working for Brunel, becoming superintendent of the Thames Tunnel before training as an architect in the office of Sydney Smirke. His considerable ecclesiastical output was in the service of the Roman Catholic Church (including two Dominican priories). He worked in a Puginian Gothic style, and a number of his churches are listed at Grade II*, including the Church of St Peter, Gloucester (1860-1868, National Heritage List for England (NHLE) entry 1245721), the chapel of Our Lady of the Assumption, Swynnerton (1868-1869, NHLE entry 1190309) and the chapel of St Mary, Husbands Bosworth (1873, incorrectly attributed in the list entry to A J (sic) Purdie, NHLE entry 1187989). He designed the new church in Brentwood in a full-blooded Victorian Gothic style, with a longish chancel, nave and two aisles and a south-east tower. In 1873 a convent for the Sisters of Mercy was built to the west of the church. This was a Kentish ragstone building by F W Tasker with a small chapel to the south.

In 1917 the church was made the cathedral of the newly created diocese of Brentwood. It was appropriately refurnished to reflect its new status but its capacity was not increased until 1974 when the rebuilding of the adjacent St Helen’s Junior School enabled the site to the north of the Victorian church to be developed, under Bishop Casey. The new addition, built to the designs of John Newton of Burles and Newton, was capable of seating a thousand people. This was made possible by demolishing the north aisle of the church and opening up the north arcade of the nave to join with the new worship space. The sanctuary was placed in the nave of the old church, while the old sanctuary became the Blessed Sacrament Chapel. The rebuilt cathedral was embellished with furnishings by John Poole (altar and ambo), Michael Clarke (tabernacle and stone base), David John (Crucifix) and others. The cathedral was re-dedicated and three altars consecrated on 3 May 1974, and the re-opening Mass was held on 5 June 1974. The final cost was approximately £104,000, excluding furnishings and sculpture.

In 1982-1983 new diocesan offices, known as Cathedral House, designed by Laurence King, were built to the west of the cathedral as an extension to the former convent building. Two years before this, the Rt Rev Thomas Mahon had been consecrated as the sixth Bishop of Brentwood. Bishop Mahon was previously based at Colchester, where he had become familiar with the work of the modern classical architect Raymond Erith at Wivenhoe New Park, home of the (Catholic) Gooch family. He was aware that the functional design of the new cathedral lacked a numinous quality; and although it was only a few years old, the building was also presenting maintenance problems.

A major anonymous donation allowed for the possibility of rebuilding, and the bishop commissioned designs from the architect Quinlan Terry (1937- ), partner of Raymond Erith. Terry had studied at the Architectural Association and worked for a time in the office of James Stirling before joining Erith’s Dedham office in 1962. After Erith’s death in 1973, Terry continued in the same tradition, but with much greater commercial success, thanks partly to the 1980s fashion for Post-Modernism and the revival of traditional styles. Terry became a successful exponent of, and advocate for, Classicism as applied to a wide variety of building types, including offices, country houses, colleges and places of worship. Examples of his work include the Richmond riverside development (1984-1987), three villas in Regent’s Park (1989), Downing College Library (1992) and Theatre (2000) in Cambridge, and Ferne Park in Wiltshire (2003). He was also responsible for the major reordering of the church of St Helen, Bishopsgate, City of London, in the mid-1990s. None of Terry’s other buildings have so far been listed, although in 1983-1984 he was responsible for the refurbishment and enlargement of 48-58 Broadwick Street, Soho, London, a row of early Georgian houses which are listed Grade II*; and he designed a verandah at the Grade II listed Bentley Farm in Little Horsted, Sussex, in 1978. In 2015 Quinlan Terry received a CBE for services to Classical architecture.

Terry prepared plans for the replacement of the 1974 addition, working on the same footprint, but this time to a classical design. Although recommended for approval by local planning officers, the scheme was refused planning permission by Brentwood Council on the grounds that the proposed extension would introduce an ‘incongruous and alien feature’ in the town centre conservation area. However, an appeal was lodged and the development was allowed by the Secretary of State in March 1988.

Quinlan Terry was perhaps an unusual choice for a Catholic bishop in search of the numinous, being an architect with a strong Protestant belief in the asacral nature of church buildings, but the collaboration proved long and fruitful. In line with the liturgical reforms of the Second Vatican Council, Bishop Mahon commissioned a centralised plan with a central altar to allow for maximum congregational participation. A return to Biblical sources and a deepening understanding of the worship of the early Church had promoted a new concept of liturgy, in which laity and clergy joined in active participation, with the Eucharist at the heart of a corporate act of worship. These ideas became widely disseminated in Europe during the inter-war period, and the Liturgical Movement had a profound influence on church planning. At Brentwood, Bishop Mahon and Terry worked together to ensure that through the restrained architectural expression of the cathedral, the congregation were part of the ‘liturgical action’ instead of being removed from it, as was previously the case when priests had their back to the congregation at the altar in the sanctuary, conducting Mass in Latin.

Terry’s involvement extended to every detail of the new cathedral as well as to improvements in its setting. He designed new gate piers and railings; updated and partially remodelled the original church (the Cathedral Hall); added a portico to the clergy house and refenestrated it; remodelled the cathedral offices with a neo-Georgian entrance bay; and converted and extended the old convent chapel for the choir school, the last of these works being completed in 2001. The rebuilt cathedral was opened and consecrated by Cardinal Basil Hume on 31 May 1991.

Reasons for Listing

The Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of St Mary and St Helen, consisting of the surviving portion of a Gothic church built in 1860-1861 to the designs of Gilbert Blount, and the dominant classical addition built in 1989-1991 to the designs of Quinlan Terry, is listed at Grade II* for the following principal reasons:

Architectural interest:

* it is the first classical cathedral in the country since St Paul’s and is a highly impressive architectural feat demonstrating Terry’s deep and intricate knowledge of the classical idiom gained over decades of study and practical application;
* it is regarded as being revolutionary in its radical use of classical architecture to create a centralised worship space in accordance with the requirements of Vatican II, unlike the vast majority of liturgical movement churches which adhered to Modernism;
* the interior is a light, lofty and harmonious space of great purity allowing the congregation to participate fully in the ‘liturgical action’, uninterrupted by any unnecessary ornamentation;
* the hand of the architect is everywhere apparent in the meticulously detailed and well-preserved interior, and the classically inspired furnishings demonstrate craftsmanship of the highest order;
* Terry is arguably the single most distinguished and prolific architect at work in the classical tradition in the country. His achievement at Brentwood is extraordinary, given the almost complete dominance of Modernism over liturgical movement churches, and it thus holds a highly significant place in his canon.

Historic interest:

* it is the focal point of Catholic worship in Brentwood which has continued on the same site for almost two hundred years, since 1836;
* Terry’s judicial handling of the group of associated buildings, consisting of the original church, the presbytery, the former convent, and the diocesan offices, has created a harmonious precinct which forms an important architectural and historic context for the cathedral.

Group value:

* it has strong group value with the original church of 1837, subsequently used as a school and the parish hall, which is Grade II listed.

External Links

Historic England Listing

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