Church Of St Giles

SOUTHWARK

TQ3276 CAMBERWELL CHURCH STREET 636-1/11/126 (South side) 30/06/54 Church of St Giles

GV II*

Church. 1842-44. By Scott & Moffat, architects. Coursed grey Kentish regstone with white ashlar dressings; copper roof. STYLE: Middle Pointed. PLAN: cruciform plan with plate tracery and bold broached spire rising over crossing between nave, long chancel and gabled transepts. EXTERIOR: nave with clerestory and lower aisles of 5 bays with gabled entrance porches in 2nd bay from end on both sides. Chancel of 3 bays. Windows to north and south are pointed double lancets beneath a foil between stepped buttresses. Stepped angle buttresses to outer corners. Heavily detailed tower of 2 stages, the lower of blank arcading, the upper with paired, 2-light bell openings. Octagonal spire above. INTERIOR: has arch braced roof; lierne vault at crossing and very high tower arches. Alternately round and octagonal piers with foliated capitals to nave. In the chancel is retained the C14 sedilia and piscina from the former church. South transept as Lady Chapel, north as organ chamber. STAINED GLASS: in the large east window by Ward & Nixon to designs by Ruskin and Oldfield; in chancel remains by Lavers & Barraud. Transepts have glass by Comper to replace 2 Morris windows destroyed in War. West window by Ward & Nixon incorporates some C13 pieces. Undercroft of 5 barrel-vaulted brick aisles. Church built to replace medieval church which was destroyed by fire in 1841. (Howell P: Victorian Churches: London: 1989-: 81).