former All Saints' Church, Petersham
51°26′37″N 0°18′00″W / 51.4436°N 0.3001°W / 51.4436; -0.3001
OS grid referenceTQ 183 730
LocationBute Avenue, Petersham, Richmond TW10 7AX (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
CountryEngland
DenominationChurch of England
History
Statusceased to be used as a church in 1986
Founded1899
Founder(s)Rachael Laetitia Ward[1]
Dedicated1909
Consecratednever consecrated
Architecture
Functional statusnow a private residence
Architect(s)John Kelly[2]
Architectural typeRomanesque Revival[1]
Completed1909
Administration
DioceseSouthwark
Listed Building – Grade II
Official nameChurch of All Saints, Bute Avenue
Designated25 June 1983
Reference no.1065334

All Saints' Church, Petersham, in Bute Avenue, Petersham, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, is a Grade II listed[3] former church which is now used as a private residence.

History

The church hall, used until the early 21st century as Petersham's village hall

Designed by Leeds architect John Kelly, the church was commissioned in 1899 by Rachel Laetitia Warde (née Walker) (1841–1906) to accommodate the expected suburban expansion of Petersham[4] and, using funds from his estate, as a memorial to her father, Samuel Walker (1812–1898) who had died the previous year. She also commissioned an accompanying church hall and institute as a memorial to her aunt Ellen.[5] The frieze above the hall's front entrance has the inscription "AD 1900. Ellen Walker Thy Kingdom Come. Memorial Church Room".[5][6]

However, Mrs Warde died three years before the project was finished and it was completed by her son Lionel[1] (1876–1963). The church's foundation stone was laid in November 1901[7] and the church was dedicated by the Bishop of Kingston, Cecil Hook, in April 1909.[8]

The church, and the church hall and institute[2] (which is also Grade II listed),[6] were erected in the grounds of Bute House (previously the residence of British Prime Minister John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute,[9] and which was demolished in 1908).

The church was never consecrated as the anticipated growth in Petersham's population did not take place.[4] However, it was used occasionally by the parish and also by the Greek Orthodox Church.[4] It continued to be used for weddings until 1981 but ceased to be used as a church in 1986.[10]

During the Second World War it was requisitioned and used as a radar and anti-aircraft command post.[11][12][13] It was also used as a recording studio[14] and as a location for filming.[1] In January 1976 Luciano Pavarotti recorded his best-selling O Holy Night album (reissued as a CD in 1990) in the church.[15] Other recordings made at the church include an album of songs by Alexander Borodin and Alexander Dargomizhsky, performed by Sergei Leiferkus, Semion Skigin and Leonid Gorokhov,[16] and recordings by John McCabe[17] and by Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music.[18] Other artists who have recorded there include Vladimir Ashkenazy, Dimitri Ashkenazy, and Vovka Ashkenazy.

The Anglican Diocese of Southwark sold the church building in about 1996.[10] It is now a private residence, known as All Saints House, and has been converted to include an indoor swimming pool, jacuzzi and steam room.[1]

The church hall was used as Petersham's village hall until the early 21st century.[19]

Architecture

The church was built in red brick and terracotta[2] in the style of a basilica.[1] The campanile (bell tower) is 118 feet high,[1] with a pyramidal roof crowned by a figure of Christ overlooking Richmond Park. Bridget Cherry and Nikolaus Pevsner described the architectural style as "[e]mphatically Italian Early Christian or Romanesque", the interior as "lavish" and the baptistery as "quite exceptional".[2] The nave had a grey and white marble central aisle taken from Tournai Cathedral in Belgium.[1] To the north was an octagonal baptistery including a tank for total immersion. The altar, which was raised to a considerable height above the floor of the nave, had a tall reredos and rood.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Local Studies Volunteer Support Group (2013). The Building of a Borough. London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. pp. 18–20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cherry, Bridget & Pevsner, Nikolaus (1983). The Buildings of England – London 2: South. London: Penguin Books. p. 514. ISBN 0-14-0710-47-7.
  3. ↑ Historic England (25 June 1983). "Church of All Saints, Bute Avenue (1080834)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Gascoigne, Bamber & Blomfield, David. "Ham and Petersham – All Saints' Church". HistoryWorld. Retrieved 14 September 2016.
  5. 1 2 Lee, J M (2007). "Petersham at War". Richmond History: Journal of the Richmond Local History Society. 28: 8–14. ISSN 0263-0958.
  6. 1 2 Historic England (25 June 1983). "Petersham Church Room (1080835)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
  7. ↑ "Memorial Church at Petersham". The Morning Post. 9 November 1901. p. 3.
  8. ↑ "Ecclesiastical Intelligence". Evening Mail. 14 April 1909. p. 4.
  9. 1 2 Malden, H E, ed. (1911). "Parishes: Petersham', in A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3". British History Online. pp. 525–532. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  10. 1 2 "Petersham, All Saints" (PDF). Former places of worship in the Diocese of Southwark. Anglican Diocese of Southwark. July 2007. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  11. ↑ Lee, J M (2024). Petersham: radar and operational research 1940–1946 (2nd ed.). Richmond Local History Society. ISBN 978-1-912314-04-1.
  12. ↑ "Second World War". Petersham Village. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
  13. ↑ "What role did Petersham's All Saints church play in World War Two?". Richmond History: Journal of the Richmond Local History Society. 28. 2007. ISSN 0263-0958. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
  14. ↑ "Obituary: Keith Grant". The Daily Telegraph. 12 September 2012. Retrieved 19 April 2013.
  15. ↑ "O Holy Night / Luciano Pavarotti". ArkivMusic. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  16. ↑ "Songs Of Borodin & Dargomizhsky". ArkivMusic. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
  17. ↑ "Haydn* – John McCabe (2) – The Haydn Piano Sonatas Volume 1". Discogs. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "Christopher Hogwood: Recordings". Christopher Hogwood. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  19. ↑ "About the Village Hall". Petersham Village. Retrieved 16 February 2015.

Further reading

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