Church of St George with garden walls, steps and three concrete benches

Church of St George with garden walls, steps and three concrete benches

Church of England church built in 1962-3 to the designs of Peter Bosanquet.

The Church of St George is a two-storey building with a triangular-plan concrete spire rising to 40 metres in height, standing on a sloping corner plot at the intersection of Norton Way North and Common View. The building follows an arrow-head plan, incorporating a triangular-plan spire to the north-east corner and a kite-plan roof consisting of two triangular planes that converge at a central ridge running on a south-west to north-east axis.

EXTERIOR

The exterior walls are constructed of red brick laid in stretcher bond, with the spire built of timber-shuttered concrete. The roof is covered with plain tiles and oversailing eaves, with a bronze bell hung to the soffit of the north-east corner.

The south and west elevations have a red brick plinth beneath vertical metal-framed windows, which increase in height towards the south-west corner. The south-west end of both elevations features full-height vertical windows serving the narthex on the lower ground floor and the choir on the upper ground floor. The south-west corner elevation has a double-leaf glazed door to the lower ground floor porch and full-height vertical strip windows to the upper ground floor choir.

The north elevation contains three rectangular stained glass windows, each set in a cast-concrete box frame, positioned either side of a square-headed timber-battened door with plain glass sidelight providing access to the north porch. The north and north-east elevations are separated by the triangular concrete spire, flanked on either side by a rectangular stained glass window. The north-east elevation has six irregularly-placed rectangular stained glass windows, each in a concrete box frame, and a square-headed timber-battened door providing access to the Lady Chapel.

INTERIOR

The church is entered via the porch and narthex on the lower ground floor, from which flights of steps on the south and west walls provide access to the nave at upper ground floor level.

The open-plan nave is aligned on the diagonal north-west to south-west axis with a stepped chancel to the north-east corner, a choir to the south-west, and a porch, toilet, vestry, flower room and office to the north-west. A storage room occupies the north-east corner, and the Lady Chapel is situated to the east corner.

The reinforced concrete structure is exposed, supported by a tapered pillar near the south-west corner around which sits an annular baptismal font in black concrete. Acoustic tiles line the ceiling over the central nave and altar, whilst rectangular timber panels line the ceiling over the south and west ends of the nave. The walls are constructed with untreated breeze blocks, and the interior of the spire has shuttered concrete walls. Natural light enters through metal-framed strip windows on the south and west walls and through a triangular channel within the spire illuminating the altar. Artificial lighting is provided by cylindrical lamps hanging from the ceiling and 21st-century LED spot lighting.

The pews are arranged in four main sections in a fan-like arrangement facing the altar, comprising plain metal frames with utile seats and back boards. A central aisle and two side aisles separate the sections.

The chancel forms a polygonal platform of four concrete steps. The lowest step bears a metal-framed communion rail, whilst the top step supports a cast-concrete forward altar T-shaped in elevation. The rear wall contains three cast-concrete cantilevered clergy seats with back supports cast into the wall structure. A metal Latin cross mounted to the interior of the spire supports a life-size fibreglass sculpture of Christ ascending to heaven, designed by Harry R Phillips of Leeds (1911-1976). To the west of the altar stands a utile pulpit on a breeze block base.

The south-west corner houses an elevated choir containing a two-manual pipe organ designed by Degans and Rippin of Hammersmith, flanked on either side by two rows of angled pews with music rests. The choir shares a polygonal platform with the baptismal font. Beneath the baptismal font is a mosaic base containing the foundation stone, which is inscribed: 'IN THE FAITH OF JESUS CHRIST / THIS FOUNDATION STONE WAS LAID / BY THE BISHOP OF BEDFORD / 27 APRIL 1963'. The base also incorporates a Roman tile from St Albans Abbey, the cathedral church of the diocese.

The north-west corner contains a single-storey porch, toilet, vestry, flower room and office with vertical utile panelling facing the nave. The north-east corner houses a single-storey storage room, also with vertical utile panelling. The south-east corner is occupied by a Lady Chapel with timber-panelled ceiling, breeze block walls, carpeted floor, stained glass windows, hanging cylindrical lamps, and a cast-concrete altar on a paved platform to the north wall.

SETTING AND SUBSIDIARY FEATURES

Three cast-concrete benches are positioned to the south, south-west and west of the south porch. Flights of seven steps flank the south and west elevations, providing access from the south porch to the car park to the east of the church. The steps are constructed of brick with concrete paving and timber handrails.