Grove Gardens Chapel

Add links
Coordinates: 51°27′18″N 0°17′23″W / 51.45508°N 0.28968°W / 51.45508; -0.28968
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grove Gardens Chapel from the northwest

Grove Gardens Chapel is a Grade II listed building in Richmond Old Cemetery, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.[1] It was built in 1877 by Sir Arthur Blomfield in the Gothic Revival style as the Anglican chapel for the cemetery.[2] It is currently in the care of Habitats & Heritage.

History[edit]

The land on which Richmond cemetery now sits was first used as a burial plot in 1786, after George III donated the land to Richmond Vestry.[3] However, it was not until 1856 that the cemetery was converted to municipal use by the parish.[4] As was common in the Victorian period, two chapels were built to meet the demand of the separate Anglican and non-conformist congregations.[5] It is likely that these were temporary, corrugated tin structures, or tabernacles, from the 1850s until Richmond's growing population made more permanent structures necessary.[6]

The Vestry of Richmond commissioned two chapels in the 1870s.[7] Sir Arthur Blomfield is known to have built the Anglican Chapel, now known as Grove Gardens Chapel. However, it is not documented who designed the Non-Conformist Chapel, now a private residence on the outer boundary of the cemetery. Canon Charles Tickell Proctor, the Vicar of Richmond in the 1870s, controversially built a wall to separate the consecrated ground and non-conformist area.[8] It was not until the Bishop of Winchester, in whose Diocese the parish then sat, intervened that the wall was taken down.[9] Shortly after the chapels were built, the parish was transferred to the Diocese of Rochester in 1877, and has been in the Diocese of Southwark since 1905.[10]

The land on which the burial ground sits was originally part of a common, used in the 17th century for Richmond's Pest House, a place to house those sick with the Great Plague.[11] In 1785 a large area of the land was granted to the Vestry for the building of a workhouse and burial ground.[12] A small portion of the common, now known as Pesthouse Common, is extant along Queen's Road.

The Richmond Union Workhouse was built to the southwest of Grove Gardens Chapel in 1786-7. It was possibly designed by Kenton Couse, who has one of the architects for Richmond Bridge.[13] It was converted into residential use in 1987 as part of the London & Quadrant Housing Association and Richmond Parish Lands Charity Queen's Road Estate scheme; the southern part, Kingsmead, became public housing, and a gated estate, King George's Square, was built on the northern area.[14] The Grade II listed central block of the Workhouse still exists as part of the estate.[15]

Grove Gardens Chapel sits opposite John Darbourne and Geoffrey Darke’s Phase 2 of the Queens Road Estate.[16] Phase 2, between Greville Road and Park Hill, was built from 1978 to provide mixed social housing, and was separated from the Grade II listed Phase 1 scheme by the later Phase 3, which includes the Cambrian Community Centre.[17]

Architecture[edit]

Grove Gardens Chapel is built in a cruciform plan of Kentish ragstone with Bath stone detailing.[18] There is evidence to the west end of the tiled roof of a fleche. The entrance arch is inscribed with a truncated quote from John 19:41 from the King James Bible, ‘In the Garden there was a new sepulchre, there laid they Jesus’.[19] There was originally a statue of Joseph of Arimathea by Farmer & Brindley in the niche above the entrance arch, which has since been lost.[20] The altar has been removed, however, there is a three-panelled mosaic reredos portraying scenes from the annunciation. This is recorded as having been made by Daniel Bell, brother of Alfred Bell of Clayton & Bell.[21] Above the reredos are three lancet windows with one surviving panel of stained glass, also by Daniel Bell, showing the Ascension of Christ.[22] The brass fireplace in the south transept is likely to be a Thomas Jeckyll design, produced by the Barnard, Bishop & Barnards foundry.[23][24]

Grove Gardens Chapel was built in the Gothic Revival style, which had first been used by Horace Walpole at Strawberry Hill and grew to increasing prominence throughout the 19th century.[25] The chapel was built as the style was starting to lose steam, but was still popular for churches and university buildings.[26] From the mid-19th century to circa 1885, the Gothic Revival style moved away from the picturesque of the early revival to what is classed as the ‘High Victorian Gothic’.[27] This placed more emphasis on polychromatic decoration for public buildings, as encouraged by the Ecclesiological Society, with banded masonry and brickwork.[28] This style is evident in the contrasting stone trim around the windows and doors of the chapel.

Sir Arthur Blomfield[edit]

The chapel was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield (1829-1899), born at Fulham Palace, the fourth son of the Bishop of London.[29] Blomfield began his ecclesiastical architecture practice in 1856 and was made the architect to the Diocese of Winchester, which Richmond was part of when Grove Gardens Chapel was built.[30] He was a prominent architect, becoming President of the Architectural Association in 1861, Vice-President of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1886, and knighted in 1889.[31] Whilst Blomfield was known for his works at the Bank of England and as far afield as the Falkland Islands, he also was responsible for a number of ecclesiastical works in the borough of Richmond upon Thames.[32] These included altering the aisles of St Mary Magdalene in 1866 and designed the chancel screen for its daughter church, St Matthias.[33][34]

Notable Burials[edit]

The Richmond old burial ground covers approximately 4 acres, with over 1000 graves.[35] Richmond Local History Society carried out a survey of the burial grounds in the early 2000s, documenting the graves of over 2000 people.[36][1] Among the many notable persons buried in the grounds, Charles Tickell Proctor, the Vicar of Richmond who helped to build the chapel, is buried to the south of the entrance along with many members of his family. William Francis who, with Richard Taylor, formed the publishers Taylor & Francis, is buried to the south east.[37] Walter Hood Fitch, a prominent botanical illustrator who worked with William Jackson Hooker at Kew Gardens, is buried to the east of the chapel.[38]

Present Day[edit]

Richmond cemetery was enlarged and joined with East Sheen Cemetery and Barnes Cemetery in the early 20thcentury.[39] With the burial ground full, Grove Gardens Chapel was deconsecrated and closed in the 1960s. The Richmond Burial Ground Trust manages the old cemetery ground with Richmond Council.[40]

After 30 years of neglect and decay, the chapel was recognised for its architectural merit and Grade II listed on 15 May 1990.[41] The Environment Trust of Richmond led a four-year National Lottery Fund project to restore it in the early 2000s, bringing it into use for the community. It was then used by the Steiner kindergarten, The Children's Garden, until 2020.[42]

The chapel is now suffering from severe cracking caused by subsidence as a result of climate change. Habitats & Heritage, who care for the building, are working to stabilise the structure for the future.[43]

Gallery[edit]

  • Chapel in the 1990s
    Chapel in the 1990s
  • Grove Gardens Chapel from the northwest
    Grove Gardens Chapel from the northwest
  • West end of chapel
    West end of chapel
  • Surviving stained glass panel by Daniel Bell
    Surviving stained glass panel by Daniel Bell
  • Mosaic reredos by Daniel Bell
    Mosaic reredos by Daniel Bell
  • Canon Charles T Proctor's tombstone
    Canon Charles T Proctor's tombstone
  • Cracking caused by subsidence above fireplace in south transept
    Cracking caused by subsidence above fireplace in south transept
  • Detail of possible Thomas Jeckyll fireplace
    Detail of possible Thomas Jeckyll fireplace
  • Sir Arthur Blomfield's screen in St Matthias, Richmond
    Sir Arthur Blomfield's screen in St Matthias, Richmond
  • Cracking above the entrance to the south transept
    Cracking above the entrance to the south transept
  • Tombstone of William Francis
    Tombstone of William Francis
  • Sedilia by the altar, showing signs of cracking
    Sedilia by the altar, showing signs of cracking

References[edit]

  1. ^ "CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHAPEL RICHMOND CEMETERY, Non Civil Parish - 1261361 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  2. ^ "Grove Gardens Chapel". Habitats & Heritage. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  3. ^ Gardens (en), Parks and. "Richmond Cemetery - London". Parks & Gardens. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  4. ^ "Richmond Old Burial Ground | Richmond Local History Society". Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  5. ^ "The cemetery chapels survey | Victorian Society". victoriansociety.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  6. ^ Engl, Historic (2022-06-09). "What is a Tin Tabernacle?". The Historic England Blog. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  7. ^ "Grove Gardens Chapel". Habitats & Heritage. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  8. ^ Cloake, John (1992). Royal Bounty: A History of the Richmond Parish Lands Charity, 1786-1991. pp. 41–42. ISBN 095198960X.
  9. ^ "Richmond Holy Trinity: Surrey Churches Index". www.surreygraveyards.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  10. ^ "History". Richmond Team Ministry. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  11. ^ Agent, N&N Richmond-Richmond Estate (2022-03-01). "Roads of Richmond - Queens Road". nnrichmond. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  12. ^ "Parishes: Richmond (anciently Sheen) | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  13. ^ Agent, N&N Richmond-Richmond Estate (2022-03-01). "Roads of Richmond - Queens Road". nnrichmond. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  14. ^ Abbott, Jill. "History of Grove Road and the Cambrian Centre" (PDF). Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  15. ^ "CENTRAL BLOCK OF KINGSMEAD AND GROVE ROAD HOSPITAL, Non Civil Parish - 1192589 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  16. ^ "Queen's Road Estate (Phase I), Richmond-upon-Thames, London". RIBApix. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  17. ^ "Phase 1, Queen's Road Estate, Richmond upon Thames, Non Civil Parish - 1400339 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  18. ^ "CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHAPEL RICHMOND CEMETERY, Non Civil Parish - 1261361 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  19. ^ "John 19:41 - The Burial of Jesus". Bible Hub. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  20. ^ "Richmond (Surrey)". The Building News. 14 December 1877. p. 603. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Richmond (Surrey)". The Building News. 14 December 1877. p. 603. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  22. ^ "Schools of Art". The Building News. 21 December 1877. p. 614. Retrieved 8 April 2024. Last week, on p. 603, under the heading " Richmond, Surrey," we mentioned Mr. Daniel Bell as the executant of the mosaics in the reredos at the new mortuary chapel, but assigned to other artists the stained-glass window above. Mr. Bell requests us to state that he designed and executed both glass and mosaics under the direction of Mr. Blomfield.
  23. ^ "Thomas Jeckyll Fireplace Insert". Drew Pritchard Ltd. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  24. ^ Soros, Susan Weber; Arbuthnott, Catherine (2003). Thomas Jeckyll : architect and designer, 1827-1881. New York: Yale University Press.
  25. ^ "What does Gothic Revival mean?". National Trust. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  26. ^ "Gothic Revival | Definition, Style, Architecture, Examples, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  27. ^ Express, Britain. "Gothic Revival Architecture in England". Britain Express. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  28. ^ "High Victorian Gothic Style 1860 - 1890 | PHMC > Pennsylvania Architectural Field Guide". www.phmc.state.pa.us. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  29. ^ "Sir Arthur Blomfield (1829-1899): A Brief Biography". victorianweb.org. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  30. ^ "Sir Arthur William Blomfield (1829-99) @ Archiseek - Irish Architecture". Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  31. ^ "Sir Arthur Blomfield (1829-1899): A Brief Biography". victorianweb.org. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  32. ^ "Blomfield, Sir Arthur William" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 4 (11th ed.). 1911. p. 76.
  33. ^ "Sir Arthur Blomfield (1829-1899)". victorianweb.org. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  34. ^ "History". Richmond Team Ministry. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  35. ^ "Richmond Old Burial Ground | Richmond Local History Society". Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  36. ^ "Richmond Old Burial Ground | Richmond Local History Society". Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  37. ^ "Our history". Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  38. ^ "Walter Hood Fitch - Botanic Illustrator & neighbour to the Grove Gardens Chapel". Habitats & Heritage. 2021-09-30. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  39. ^ "SOUTH LONDON PARKS", London Parks and Gardens, Cambridge University Press, pp. 155–184, 2014-12-18, retrieved 2023-04-13
  40. ^ "Richmond Old Cemetery". London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  41. ^ "CHURCH OF ENGLAND CHAPEL RICHMOND CEMETERY, Non Civil Parish - 1261361 | Historic England". historicengland.org.uk. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  42. ^ "The Children's Garden". Retrieved 2023-04-13.
  43. ^ "Grove Gardens Chapel". Habitats & Heritage. Retrieved 2023-04-13.

51°27′18″N 0°17′23″W / 51.45508°N 0.28968°W / 51.45508; -0.28968

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grove_Gardens_Chapel&oldid=1221214041"