Church of St Mary and St Joseph, Poplar
Church in London, England
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Church of St Mary and St Joseph is a 20th-century Roman Catholic parish church in Poplar located in Tower Hamlets, London, England.
| St Mary and St Joseph | |
|---|---|
| Church of St Mary and St Joseph | |
Church of St Mary and St Joseph | |
  St Mary and St Joseph Location of church within Tower Hamlets, London | |
| 51°30′43.3″N 0°1′14.26″W | |
| Location | Tower Hamlets, London |
| Country | England |
| Denomination | Roman Catholic |
| Website | parish |
| History | |
| Status | Active |
| Consecrated | October 1960 |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | Parish church |
| Heritage designation | Grade II |
| Designated | 5 March 1998[1] |
| Architect | Adrian Gilbert Scott |
| Style | Art Deco / Jazz modern Byzantine Revival |
| Completed | July 1954 |
| Administration | |
| Province | Westminster |
| Archdiocese | Westminster |
| Clergy | |
| Archbishop | Vincent Nichols |
| Priest | Fr Andrew Bowden |
History
The modern church was built in 1951-1954, as part of the Festival of Britain's Lansbury Estate Live Architecture Exhibition, and was consecrated by Cardinal Godfrey in October 1960.[2] It replaced an earlier church of the 1850s by William Wardell that was destroyed in the Second World War.[3][4]
Architecture
The building is listed Grade II.[5] Its architect was Adrian Gilbert Scott, who specialised in ecclesiastical buildings.
On a Greek Cross plan, it is built of steel girders and brick, with a reinforced concrete spire.[6] On the outside, the plan becomes a series of rectangular blocks.[7]
It is notable for its elongated and tapered round parabolic arches (described as 'camel vaulted' at the time of its listing).[1] Its mixed or transitional style combines Art Deco or Jazz Modern with elements suggesting Hispanic Moorish, ancient Persian or Egyptian.[8] Gavin Stamp's descriptive phrase 'Jazz Modern Byzantine' was used in the church's listing.[9]
The design has similarities to work by Giles Gilbert Scott[2] and to Adrian Gilbert Scott's own earlier St. James Anglican Church (Vancouver), and its parabolic arches informed his later work on St Leonard's Church, St Leonards-on-Sea.[10]
The interior contains stone reliefs of the Stations of the Cross by Peter Watts. The stained glass is by William Wilson of Edinburgh.[11]
