| ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS, CROYDON THE HISTORY OF THE CHURCH continued |
| The foundation stone was laid by Horatio, Lord Nelson on 20th April, 1880. According to the Croydon Chronicle of 24th April there was great rejoicing on that day with three celebrations of Mass, Mattins, a public luncheon and tea for 60 or 70 workmen. Cemented into the stone were some coins, a short history of the church, a beautifully illustrated list of the names of Lord Nelson, clergy, church wardens, architect and builders. An excited throng scrambled on to the scaffolding and the officials' platform for a better view as "the stone was lowered into its proper place". But where is it? The old and new sites overlapped so, as building progressed, the wooden church was gradually demolished - first the south transept, then the aisle, the chapel and part of the choir, squeezing the congregation into an ever narrowing space. When completed Pearson's church was lacking tower and vestries. It was not until 1895 that the commodious new vestries were opened - thus ending the discomfort endured by clergy, choir and servers in the temporary wooden vestries which ran along the north side of the church. The tower has never been completed, though in 1903 the foundations of the porch were already in place and on 19th October, 1913 the porch and part of the tower were dedicated by Archbishop Davidson. JOHN LOUGHBOROUGH PEARSON The architect chosen to design St. Michael's new building was the youngest child of a large Durham family. His father was a topographical artist. His working life spanned almost the whole of Victoria's reign and, by the time of his death, evidence of his genius could be seen in both domestic and ecclesiastical buildings throughout England, Scotland and Wales. There are also examples in the Isle of Man and Malta. Even further afield he had made the first plans for Brisbane Cathedral, although it was not built in his lifetime. Pearson's career coincided with the tremendous burst of ecclesiastical building which followed the Church Building Act of 1818. After the upheavals of the Industrial and French Revolutions it was felt that the building of churches would save working men's souls to the benefit of themselves and the nation. He started work in an architect's office at the age of fourteen. Although very shy and uneducated he was an apt pupil, receiving a good grounding in neo-classical and gothic revival styles. He moved to London at the age of 25 and worked for a while for Anthony Salvin. This architect worked mainly on large country houses but his churches were admired by the Cambridge Camden Society which later became the Ecclesiastical Society and took an important part in the Oxford Movement. The ritual of the reformed liturgy, which developed through the Movement's endeavours to restore High Church principles to the Church of England, demanded appropriate settings and led to the building of the great Anglo-Catholic churches. Pearson's earliest churches were much influenced by Pugin. He built up his own practice in Yorkshire during the 1840s and later travelled extensively in Europe. His study of German, French and Belgian Gothic inspired the soaring vaulting which is so characteristic of his later work. Some of his most impressive interiors are constructed of ordinary bricks with stone ribbing. St. Michael's is a particularly fine example of this style. He was amazingly versatile and prolific, especially in the latter years of his life. He designed such diverse buildings as Truro Cathedral, the north transept of Westminster Abbey, vicarages, convent and cemetery chapels, country houses and even classrooms and coalsheds for a village school. Also he completed or restored the cathedrals of Bristol, Lincoln, Peterborough, Canterbury and Chichester. Altogether he was involved in over four hundred building projects. His churches ranged from small country churches like St. James's, Titsey, to his masterpieces which include St. Peter's, Vauxhall; The Catholic and Apostolic, Paddington; St. Stephen's, Bournemouth; All Saints, Hove; St.Agnes', Sefton Park, Liverpool; St. Alban's, Bordesley, Birmingham; St. John's, Upper Norwood and, perhaps the greatest three, St. Augustine's, Kilburn; St. Johns, Red Lion Square, Holborn, (bombed in 1941 and later demolished) and St. Michael and All Angels, Croydon. Pearson, himself a devout High Churchman, said that the question to ask oneself on entering a church was not "Is it admirable, is it beautiful?" but "Does it send you on your knees?" Of St. Michael's he said, "This is a place for real worship". He was still working at the time of his death when he was 80. He was buried in Westminster Abbey, mourned by many eminent people, not least by Queen Victoria, who sent a message of sympathy. His son Frank finished many of his father's projects. THE ARCHITECTURE described by Canon Heazell in 1934 Saint Michael's Church Croydon, is one of Mr. Pearson's happiest efforts. It is by no means this famous architect's largest church, but its proportions are so carefully planned that it appears to be much larger than its actual size. The interior possesses great dignity and there is a restful balance of parts to which is added the beauty of simple and quiet detail. The church is a fine example of Mr. Pearson's traditional style, after the manner of the thirteenth century; its chief characteristic being brick fillings to the panels. Internally, the church is faced with yellow London stock bricks and Bath stone dressings. It is cruciform in plan and consists of nave and choir, both with aisles; there is an ambulatory encircling the apsidal sanctuary .There are north and south transepts with chapels opening out from their eastern sides. The church has a total internal length of one hundred and fifty feet, the width between the piers is twenty-four feet, and the height of the nave vault is fifty-three feet. There is a western internal porch, or narthex, entered by a door on the north side; this is vaulted at a height of fourteen feet, with a gallery over, and separated from the nave by an arcade of three graceful arches. |
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