Church of St Thomas the Apostle

Details

The following building shall be added: BOSTON ROAD, W7 TQ 17 NE (west side) 962-/5/10029 Church of St Thomas the Apostle

II*

Anglican church. 1933-34 by Edward Maufe. Silver-grey Tondi brick with red bands and Weldon stone dressings, internal vault of reinforced concrete. Seven-bay nave with passage aisles, one-bay chancel and one-bay sanctuary with south vestries, and north chapel and children's corner, the latter under square tower. Exterior with pointed lancet windows to main church, and square-headed casements to lady chapel and vestries. Lancet openings to tower with spear-head glazing, symbolic of St Thomas. East end, facing road, dominated by Eric Gill's Calvary, whose cross forms the glazing pattern of the circular east window. Foundation stone laid 8 July 1933 by the Earl of Jersey. Two entrance doors on north side, severely pointed, with panelled doors in stone surrounds, one with carving of a dove, the other a pair of birds, both by Vernon Hill. Rippled copper plates to doors; plaque with Maufe's 'seal' to left. The interior is cool and refined, yet full of interest. Concrete groin vault over rendered buttresses cut through with lancets to form passage aisles. The eastern and western bays of nave narrower than the rest. West window with finely detailed glass by Moira Forsythe, behind octagonal font of Weldon stone carved with fish, anchor and symbols by Vernon Hill, with cover of oak and ivory. Pendant electoliers, with symbols of the twelve apostles, part of Maufe's design. The flooring of blue and yellow linoleum, an original feature, in nave and chapels except where noted. Arches either side of chancel denote narrow cross-axes leading south to vestries and north to side door and chapels. Chancel and sanctuary raised, with floors of travertine. Reading desk and pulpit to either side under arch. Chancel with choir stalls set in front of screens of angels by James Woodford. Organ by Hedgeland brought from St Thomas's, Portman Square. Sanctuary with low oak railings, and sedilia with acutely-pointed arches characteristic of Maufe's work. Altar designed in 1911 by Cecil Hare brought from St Thomas's, Portman Square. Lancet openings to either side lead to small east chapel. The side chapels are particularly low, richly detailed spaces, in contrast to the coolness and height of the body of the church. Children's corner under tower separated by timber screen from passage; carvings by James Woodford depict flesh, fruit, fish, a flower and fowl. Painted reredos incorporating local scenes by E Starling. Statue of St Christopher by Vernon Hill. Stained glass by Moira Forsythe. Lady chapel, formerly Morning Chapel, with flat roof divided by low beams and decorated by Katherine Roberts. Painted altar rails to 'English' altar. Stoop in narrow south-east window. Statue of Our Lady by Vernon Hill. All Hill's statues carved of Weldon stone. St Thomas's was paid for from the demolition of St Thomas's, Portman Square, of 1858 by P C Hardwick. This may explain the exceptional lavishness of its design and decoration. Maufe produced this church whilst he was working on designs for Guildford Cathedral, and it demonstrates a working out in miniature of many of his ideas for that building. Because of its smaller scale and more rapid completion it has been considered the more successful work. Sources: Architects' Journal, 15 March 1934, pp.383-7; RIBA Journal, 24 March 1934, pp.524-9.

Listing NGR: TQ1599379352

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

448803

Legacy System:

LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Architects Journal in 15 March, (1934), 383-387
Royal Institute of British Architects Journal in 24 March, (1934), 524-529

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.