Church Of St Alban The Martyr

The Church of St Alban the Martyr is a Grade II* listed building located on Brooke Street in Camden. Designed by architect William Butterfield in 1859 and constructed between 1861 and 1862, the church features a chapel added in 1891 by C.H.M. Mileham. It suffered significant damage from a fire in 1941 but was restored between 1959 and 1961 by Adrian Gilbert Scott. The church is built from red and yellow stock bricks with stone dressings and has tiled roofs, showcasing a Gothic style across its seven bays.

The exterior presents a very tall and wide structure with aisles and short transepts that connect to a western tower topped with a saddleback roof. The tower features a projecting, gabled central window with a small turret above, flanked by tall, narrow windows with geometric tracery. Due to site restrictions, the east wall is blank. The entrance is located through the south transept, which serves as a small chapel. A sculpture titled "Jesus being Raised from the Dead," created by Hans Feibusch in 1985, is located in the entry approach.

Inside, Scott's restoration presents a simple yet dignified design that replaces Butterfield's original elaborate decoration. The tower opens into the nave through a grand arch designed by Butterfield. The arcade has been rebuilt with stone at lower levels, while the upper sections are rendered. The chancel consists of two bays with one-bay aisles, and the east wall features a mural titled "The Trinity in Glory," painted by Hans Feibusch in 1966. The Stations of the Cross are also by Feibusch. There is some painted decoration on the ribs of the ceiling, and cast-iron parclose screens separate the aisle chapels. A west gallery houses the organ. The Mackonochie chapel, designed by C.H.M. Mileham, survived the bombing and contains stained glass windows from 1885 and 1898 by C.E. Kempe, as well as two Stations of the Cross from 1912 by Ninian Comper. St Alban's is regarded as one of Butterfield's finest works and remains a striking architectural composition.