The Chapel at St Saviour's Priory

The Chapel at St Saviour's Priory

The chapel forms part of St Saviour's Priory, built for the Society of St Margaret between 1925 and 1976. The priory complex is bounded by Queensbridge Road to the west, Dunloe Street to the south, Yorkton Road to the east and Haggerston Park to the north. The chapel itself is positioned at the north-east of the complex and was designed by J Harold Gibbons around 1925, though not completed until 1959. The furnishings were created by William Bainbridge Reynolds, Laurence King and Martin Travers.

Constructed in yellow and red brick with red tile dressings and a tiled roof, the chapel is accessed from the cloister to its south and west. A narthex added in 1976 provides access from the west range, while the chapel contains an organ loft at its west end and an upper chapel (the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament) positioned at the east end.

The exterior features a hipped roof. The north elevation facing Haggerston Park is partly rendered in yellow brick laid in English bond. The south and west elevations, also in yellow brick, are partially obscured by the cloister. The south elevation has four round-headed windows with red tile dressings. The west elevation contains two upper square openings that light the organ loft, with a crucifix positioned between them. The main entrance is from the south at the west end, with a secondary entrance from the 1976 west block leading into the narthex.

At the east end, a projecting squat tower contains the upper chapel at its top floor and is topped with a hipped roof surmounted by a slender metal cross. On the south side of the roof is a brick bellcote beneath a gablet attached to the adjoining priest's house chimney. Beneath the tower's moulded eaves is a carved stone rood group, with the central crucifix set within a semi-circular niche featuring a brick surround and tile dressings. At ground floor level is a triple-light window with vertical tiles in the tympanum, and a squat planked door, probably for coal deliveries or storage.

The interior contains fixtures and fittings dating from 1925 through 1959. The narthex features wooden block flooring and timber wall panelling, with a carved statue of St Margaret of Antioch in a cartouche on the north wall. The screen between the narthex and nave is panelled to half-height with mullioned openings above. The central door surround displays intricate carving of vine motifs, with carved strapwork panels featuring foliation and angels at the top of each opening.

The nave has a barrel-vaulted roof painted blue, pinched at the west end to accommodate the hip. It contains five bay arcades, blind to the north and with windows in round-arch openings to the south. The windows feature mullions and transoms with decorative leading and stained glass panels. The west end houses the organ loft; the organ itself dates from 1962 and is by Noel Mander. Beneath it is a carved and panelled balustrade with pendants, below which are stalls with pairs of misericords featuring carved timber bench ends depicting St Cecilia and King David. The north and south walls contain carved stalls for the sisters in the three middle bays, with intricately carved strapwork canopies topped by angel figures and pendants, foliate details to the backs and uprights, and carved misericords featuring birds and animals. These misericords were carved by one of the sisters, though the artist responsible for the other carvings is unknown, and it remains unclear whether Gibbons designed them.

The raised sanctuary at the east end contains a high altar by Laurence King, above which hangs a tester (canopy) painted blue with gold stars, a sunburst and a carved dove, also by King and dating from 1959. A statue of the Virgin and Child by Travers stands on the north wall on a silvered pedestal. Behind the altar, a central round-arched opening is blocked to approximately half-height then open above, screened by painted and gilded wrought iron gates by William Bainbridge Reynolds. Each gate is adorned with cherubs holding wreaths, surrounded by crowned shields bearing the Instruments of the Passion. Above is a flying cornice with decorative uprights supported by brackets, surmounted at the centre by a figure of Christ with outstretched arms flanked by crowns.

Round-arched openings flank the sanctuary; the one to the right leads to the priest's house, while that to the left provides access via transverse stairs to the Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament or upper chapel at first floor level. This upper chapel has a groin-vaulted ceiling painted blue with gold stars and ribs featuring a central sunburst. The semi-domed apse at the rear is painted gold with orange marble wall panels and a white marble frieze at the springing of the dome carved with cherubs, hens and chicks. A white marble canopy is positioned at the centre, beneath which stands a black marble altar illustrated with a Crown of Thorns and three nails.