Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas More

The Roman Catholic Church of St Thomas More is a brick-built church of elliptical plan designed by Gerard Goalen and completed in 1968. It occupies a restricted site on Maresfield Gardens. The building reflects the liturgical changes introduced by Vatican II and retains its original internal layout with only minor subsequent alterations. The presbytery to the west and Laszlo Hall to the east are excluded from the listing.

The walls are faced in dark brown brick with an exposed concrete-framed clerestory and roof structure. Fixtures and fittings incorporate Portland stone, Tinos marble and Travertine.

The church is approached by a steep flight of steps from street level. The plan is almost-elliptical but slightly truncated to east and west, with a forward-projecting entrance bay to the south containing stairs to the gallery and administrative rooms. The sanctuary projects into the main body of the church, which is embraced by an ambulatory carrying a gallery along the south side. To the west of the sanctuary is a side chapel dedicated to St Thomas More (formerly the Blessed Sacrament chapel), and to the south-east is a further projection originally housing the baptistery, now the Lady Chapel. The baptistery has been relocated to a raised platform west of the sanctuary.

The principal elevation is largely obscured by the steep approach steps. At the top of the steps is a broad flat-roofed porch projecting from the main body, presenting as an elliptical drum-type structure crowned by a rising concrete-framed clerestory. This is fronted by a bellcote consisting of a rectangular enclosure of closely-spaced vertical members supported on two tapered concrete piers topped by a stylised cross finial. The roof appears flat. Universal access is provided via a north-west porch. Other elevations are generally blind and concealed from view except the west end. A rear clerestory lights the sanctuary, composed of glazed panels set between deep concrete supporting beams that project beyond the wall face.

Internally, the walls are of bare-faced brown brick enlivened by vermiculated brickwork of double 'hooked' profile, which fully lines the ambulatory and forms large panels on the north wall. These were originally backed by polystyrene blocks, now decayed, intended to improve acoustics. Eighteen slim fluted concrete columns support the rear clerestory and the timber gallery along the south side. The roof is supported on deep reinforced concrete beams spanning north to south. The floor is slightly raking concrete with linoleum tile finish to the aisles, which converge at the sanctuary. A Tinos marble altar and matching ambo are raised on the sanctuary platform, accessed by terrazzo steps and retaining a steel communion rail. The tabernacle is located in a rectangular niche inset to the north wall, set on a Blessed Sacrament altar of Portland stone, relocated from the former Blessed Sacrament chapel. To the west side, the baptistery is raised on a marble platform and has a later travertine font with timber cover.

Fittings include three clerestory windows above the sanctuary filled with abstract stained glass by Paul Jefferies of Whitefriars Studios. The remaining clerestory windows are clear-glazed. A bronze and aluminium crucifix by David John hangs on the wall behind the sanctuary; its unusual positioning with exaggerated arms is intended to depict the rising Christ. A statue of St Anthony near the main entrance is also by David John, and a more conventional Madonna and Child in the Lady Chapel is by Mayer. The St Thomas More chapel is a shallow apse with a travertine stone altar and a triptych by Peter Lyall dated 2008, depicting scenes from his life, together with original timber benches on concrete supports fixed to the floor.