Church Of The Ascension

CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION

This church originated in the 1690s as a chapel founded by Mrs Susannah Graham in the late 17th century. It was rebuilt around 1750 by the 1st Earl of Dartmouth, a descendant of Mrs Graham, with the eastern parts possibly dating from this rebuilding. The nave was substantially rebuilt in the 1830s (accounts vary between 1834 and 1838-9), probably retaining only parts of the 18th-century structure at the east end. After World War Two damage, the building underwent reconstruction and restoration under architect Robert Potter in 1950. The church was formally consecrated as the Church of the Ascension and given its own parish in 1883.

The building is constructed of stock brick with stone dressings and slate roofs. The plan comprises a nave, chancel, vestries and parish rooms at the east end.

The exterior features a five-bay, rectangular, aisleless nave in the classical style with tall round-arched windows linked by a stringcourse passing over their heads. The west front is broad and symmetrical, fronting directly onto the pavement. A central section breaks forward slightly and contains a central doorway with a pediment, flanked by broad pilasters each containing a tall, narrow window. These pilasters have cornices linked by a semi-circular arch with a keystone. The centre of the west end is crowned by a pediment containing a circular window, above which rises a timber cupola with an ogee-shaped lead capping. The side bays of the west front each have a rectangular doorway above which are tall round-arched windows mirroring those of the side elevations. The roof has shallow hipping and a modillion cornice below the eaves on the north, south and west faces. The east end is largely concealed behind parish rooms. The church sits between Spencer and Perceval Houses to the north (elegant brick residences of the late 17th century) and Dartmouth House to the south (former home of the earls of Dartmouth, mid-18th century).

The interior walls are plastered and whitened. The nave is a plain rectangular space covered by a flat plastered ceiling, with concealed staircases in the northwest and southwest corners leading to the west gallery. The chancel lies beyond an opening with a segmental head and comprises a single bay with an apse beyond it. Three openings lead to the apse: the central opening is round-arched with three cherub heads on the keystone; the side openings each have a fluted Corinthian column and fluted pilaster as a respond, spanned by an entablature. The apse is covered by a plastered, coffered semi-dome with plaster enrichment.

Principal fixtures include the west gallery with a panelled front supported on four columns, and a plain 18th-century pulpit. The gallery now houses a modern organ. The seats, which retain their brass numbers, are Victorian, as is the octagonal stone font decorated with foliage panels.

The building originally had galleries on three sides of the nave; the north and south galleries were removed following wartime damage. Much 19th-century wall-painting and stained glass was also removed during 1950s reconstruction work. In the 1990s, the former organ chamber to the north was converted into a vicar's vestry and a new organ was installed in the west gallery. Stalls were removed from the chancel to create additional space for concerts and similar events.