First two churches by A W Blomfield. One in brick with a small bell turret, obviously cost conscious. It was a new church on the edge of Hungerford, responding to population growth in the early industrial age. Now converted to residential use.
The other a little further south, a rural location and sponsored by the owner of the West Woodhay Estate. Positioned half way between the village and the manor, it replaces an earlier church next to the manor house which is thought to have been designed by Inigo Jones. The footprint is smaller, but the effect much more grand. Rusticated stone with ashlar trimmings and a find bell tower.
The placement of the tower is quite interesting, on the south side of the chancel just where it meets the nave. Adding to the artistic flair of the whole is stained glass by Morris & Co, including the East Window possibly by Burne-Jones. The estate belonged to the Cole family for many years, London merchants with connections to the Bank of England. All-in-all a fascinating pair with sharp contrasts of materials and massing, but both firmly within the Victorian Gothic tradition and well suited to their context.
Gosport, across the harbour from Portsmouth. Church of St John, Forton Road. Architect Alfred Blomfield. It’s another no-frills red brick design suited to a rapidly growing urban area. But this one is much bigger than the Hungerford example. In terms of massing it could almost be a factory shed, but there is just enough Victorian Gothic detailing to establish a spiritual aura.
Church of St John, Forton Road, Gosport
As before, the darker brown areas represent urban fabric in 1900, and the paler brown the current extent. There are medieval churches across the water in Portsmouth, lots of Victorian establishments on both sides, the occasional Georgian edifice in the classical idiom marking the start of a cultural transition lead up to the Industrial Revolution.
History expressed in the Way We Build. For the moment focusing on the work of a single architect and the contexts around his buildings. So far I have discussed three out of ten. Meanwhile modelling proceeds on three more.
Blomfield collection in progress
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