Roman Catholic Church Of Our Lady Of Czestochowa And St Casimir

The Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady of Czestochowa and St. Casimir, located on Devonia Road in Islington, was originally built for the New Jerusalem church (Swedenborgians). Construction began in 1852 for the schoolroom, mission hall, and accommodation, designed by Edward Welch. The chapel and south wing were started in 1865, designed by Finch Hill and Paraive, and built by the Dove brothers, with completion in 1867. The church is made of white brick with a stone facade, featuring a gabled west front faced in Kentish rag with ashlar dressings. The Gothic style includes a pointed arch porch above a recessed entrance, with a large perpendicular window above, flanked by staircase towers that are buttressed and pinnacled. The wings are faced in ashlar and consist of three storeys plus an attic and basement. The building has 5-light mullioned windows, with those on the left featuring cusped heads.

Inside, the chapel has a tall rectangular nave with an organ gallery at the west end, lined with limestone and featuring an open timber roof. The reredos, designed by Alexander Payne and carved in Caen stone by Martyn and Emms of Cheltenham, was installed in 1879. The church contains vivid stained glass windows by Polish artist and soldier Prof. Adam Bunsch, depicting the struggle for Polish sovereignty, which were installed in 1945, along with a painting behind the altar also by Bunsch. Stained glass in the clerestory and East window was added in 1952-3 by Stanley Higgins. A bronze bas-relief of the Stations of the Cross by J.Z. Henelt was created in 1945. The south wall has arched openings that provide access to a low-ceilinged side chapel, which was originally a school room. The church has been the home of the Polish Roman Catholic Mission since 1930.