Church Of St Stephen

TQ 2785 SW, 798-1/39/1394

CAMDEN, ROSSLYN HILL (North East side), Church of St Stephen

14/05/74

GV

I

Church, redundant at time of survey in 1995 [has now reopened]. c1869-1871. By S. S. Teulon. Purple Luton brick with stone dressings, bands and sculptures. Slated roofs. STYLE: modified Early French Gothic style with plate tracery. PLAN/EXTERIOR: 6-bay aisled nave with clerestory, transepts and apsidal polygonal sanctuary, beneath which a mezzanine floor of meeting rooms. Tall crossing tower with pyramidal roof and attached stair turret, with conical roof, on south-east angle. Gabled west front with portico of three arcaded arches on clustered columns flanked by large stepped buttresses attached to church by flying buttresses, both with sculptured figures. Below modillion parapet, nine grouped arcaded windows lighting an internal gallery. Above, a plate tracery wheel window. Aisles with lean-to roofs have square-headed 4-light trefoil tracery windows; slightly pointed arch clerestory windows of four lights and quatrefoil tracery flanked by sculptured demi-angels probably by Thomas Earp. Buttressed gabled transepts with 5-light windows, each having two rose and a wheel window; north transept with gable sculpture of King David by Earp. Buttressed sanctuary with 1 and 2-light windows having trefoil and rose window tracery. Tower has paired louvred belfry openings, clocks to each face and an arcaded gallery which extends around the stair turret.

INTERIOR: not inspected but noted to have been magnificent when complete, and retaining much of interest in its derelict state. Pale yellow, white and grey banded brick; fine brick vault to crossing, double chancel arch and vaulted sanctuary. Nave roofed in timber by massive trusses of arch-braces, Queen posts and collar purlins. Nave arcading on sandstone columns supporting brick arches enlivened in outline by dogtooth decoration and projecting headers and stretchers; capitals carved by Earp. Above, sgraffito roundels. Narthex with brick gallery opening onto nave through three segmental arches supported on coupled columns with curious unhistorical circular dosserets. Stained glass, much vandalised and some stolen, by Clayton and Bell and Heaton, Butler & Bayne. Vandalised mosaics by Salviati. Font given by and probably designed by Ewan Christian. Formerly with fine woodwork by Temple Moore, Henry Willis organ and good pulpit; all now removed.

HISTORICAL NOTE: from an original estimate for the building cost of £7,500 the final cost rose to £27,000; St Stephen's was the climax of Teulon's career and life. John Ruskin was said to have described it as "the finest specimen of brick building in all the land". The church was declared redundant in 1977 but has since reopened.

Listing NGR: TQ2708785399