The Royal Foundation of St Katharine

The Royal Foundation of St Katharine comprises two main elements: the Master's House of 1795, possibly designed by Thomas Leverton (1743-1842), and the southern liturgical range built in 1953 by R E Enthoven (1900-1985). The liturgical range includes a chapter house, cloister and chapel with interior by Keith Murray, Robert Maguire and Ralph Beyer, reordered and altered in 2002 by Christopher Smallwood Architects.

The Master's House

The house is constructed of yellow-brown brick laid in Flemish bond, with stone dressings and a slate roof. It has a double-depth plan arranged over two and three storeys, with attic rooms and a partly double-depth cellar. The principal elevation faces west, with a small garden area to the front. The main entrance opens into a central hall with the principal ground floor rooms, and the staircase is positioned to the north. A 19th-century two-storey extension is attached to the north side.

Exterior

The main portion of the principal west-facing elevation is symmetrical and of three bays, with the central bay projecting forward slightly. A tetra-style wooden porch stands in front, with four Ionic columns supporting a plain frieze and cornice. This porch was rebuilt in the later 20th century. The outer bays have sash windows at all levels: three-over-four panes at ground and first floor, and smaller two-over-three panes at the second floor. The central bay repeats this fenestration pattern from the first floor upwards. All windows are recessed under flat gauged-brick arches, and those on the ground floor also have round-headed relieving arches with gauged-brick detailing. A continuous stone plat band runs across the elevation, with moulded side sections. The front elevation is terminated by a stone modillion cornice below a rebuilt, partly-balustraded parapet. Four internal chimney stacks rise above the gables of the concealed pitched roof.

The rear elevation faces east onto a garden quadrangle and is formed of four bays. It is broadly symmetrical except for a curved, ground-floor bay window stretching over two bays at the northern end. Fenestration consists of three-over-four paned sashes to the ground and first floors, with smaller three-over-three sashes to the second floor. All windows are recessed and stand under flat gauged-brick arches. The two southern windows at ground floor level almost descend to the ground. The window to the far left appears original, and the bay to its right now has a pair of French windows but was probably originally similar.

The 19th-century west-facing two-storey extension to the north is formed of two bays. The ground floor windows are 20th-century top-hinged multi-paned casements under flat gauged-brick arches. The first-storey windows are two-over-three replacement sashes. At the rear at first floor level there is a multi-paned curved sash window with a concrete base. On the ground floor there is a single late-20th-century casement window.

Interior

At the centre of the plan is a rectangular staircase hall which connects at its northern side through a 20th-century glazed screen to the staircase. Timber panelled doors in round-headed architraves lead to the two principal rooms at the rear of the house. The staircase hall is laid with black and white stone tiles in a geometric pattern. Stylised Ionic pilasters feature volutes replaced by sheaves of sugar cane. Columns to a similar design support the entrance to the open-well staircase. The stair has carved brackets to the strings and simple carved ends. The 19th-century wooden balusters are of the bobbin type, and the handrail is square in section. Beyond the first floor, the ends are plain and the balusters are straight.

The principal ground-floor rooms consist of a drawing room to the south side and a dining room to the north side. They have elegant late-18th-century fire surrounds, both with slender curved uprights but subtly different in their design detail. The rooms contain 18th- to 19th-century Italian and English mural paintings: in the drawing room a classical land and seascape after the 1772 engravings of Claude's Arch of Titus, the Landing of Aeneas, and a simpler mural of a classical vase; in the dining room, two panels—a seascape and coastal fortifications by Vernetone—and a painting of Italian subjects by Richard Wilson. The drawing room has a richly-moulded cornice in a foliage design and trompe l'oeil panels below the window level. The dining room has a dado rail and two round-headed corner bookcases, one of which has been used to give access to the 19th-century extension. To the south of the staircase hall there is a small room with a 19th-century fireplace and plain moulded cornice. A 20th-century door provides access to the southern liturgical range.

On the first floor the staircase opens onto the landing through a series of round-headed arches, and the cornice has foliage above a line of bosses. The first floor landing has a modillion cornice with fretwork below. A small room has been inserted to the front of the house, possibly in the position of the original stair. The principal doors at this level also have round-headed architraves, some with an urn moulded in relief. The first floor rooms have simple moulded cornices and smaller, simpler fireplaces, some of which are 19th-century. All rooms retain their shutters. The second floor rooms have lower ceilings and are fairly plain.

The 19th-century extension to the north has a functional kitchen on the ground floor with an apartment above. The cellar runs across the width and depth of the house, and there is a deeper section with a brick-vaulted ceiling located to the south-west corner.

The Southern Liturgical Range

The southern liturgical range is constructed of light-brown brick in Flemish bond with concrete window surrounds, under a clay pantile roof. The chapel is of portal construction with stone detailing and a copper roof.

Plan and Arrangement

The two-storey southern range is attached to the south side of the Master's House and runs west to east, culminating in a chapel at its east end. There is an entrance at the west elevation. The section attached to the house (formerly the chapter house) includes a small reception hall, an office, and two meeting rooms (formerly the boiler room and chapter room). The first floor is arranged as bedrooms. The range is connected to the chapel via a cloister which is open to the north side.

Exterior

At the west elevation, the former chapter house has three bays and is symmetrical with projecting stone surrounds to the ground-floor openings. The central bay has a pair of solid timber panelled doors surmounted by a square stone plaque bearing a coat of arms with lion and dragon supporters (heraldically associated with Queen Elizabeth I). The bays either side have a single casement window to each floor. The roof is shallow-pitched, hipped, and partially hidden behind a concrete parapet.

The southern elevation is plain and leads into the south-facing wall of the cloister. The open north elevation of the cloister has a shallow-pitched pantile roof supported by five brick columns laid in Flemish bond. The floor consists of concrete paving, and the walling has been pierced with later-20th-century brick loopholes. At the eastern end there is a stone frieze depicting St Katharine and a wrought-iron gate to the chapel porch.

The chapel is gable-ended and rectangular in plan. The front west-facing gable is brick-built in Flemish bond and has a large square open porch faced in ashlar stone. On each side of the doors leading into the chapel there are stone statues: Queen Philippa to the left and King Edward III to the right. The paired entry doors are recessed within a moulded stone architrave and are constructed of diagonal boarding with inset diamond-shaped lights. Between the narthex and the nave there is another set of paired doors which have Gothic tracery and marginal stained glass. They are reputed to be from Ambrose Poynter's Regents Park chapel of 1828. Towards the top of the gable there is a central rose window commemorating the foundation, which has a stone surround. The east-facing gable has a similar example and two tall slender casements which provide light to the east end of the chapel. The brick-built side elevations have three late-20th-century large multi-paned windows set within stone segmental-headed architraves fashioned in a stripped-back Gothic style. The central example on the northern side extends to ground level. The shallow-pitched roof is copper-covered, and there is a bell supported by a bracket which projects from the top of the western gable. On the southern side of the chapel's western gable at first floor level there is a brick wall connection to the Victor Churchill building. This building is also connected on the ground floor to the former chapter house.

Interior of the Chapel

The chapel in its reordered form has windows of plain glass with Tudor-arched heads. Below the window cills there is oak panelling decorated with the coats of arms of some of the masters of the foundation from the 15th to 19th centuries. The shallow-pitched ceiling is now covered over with a dark timber-style sub-ceiling supported on stone corbels. The ceiling was originally plain and displayed its portal construction.

The chapel contains a number of fixtures and fittings from the foundation's earlier buildings. In the narthex: a circular marble plaque commemorating Anne Poynhz of 1694; a square marble plaque of 1855 dedicated to the Reverend Davies; and a large rectangular marble plaque with stone swags (text indecipherable). Either side of the narthex there is a small prayer room. The floor throughout is laid with stone slabs.

In the nave there are 14th-century carved timber misericord seats and choir stalls (restored in the 19th century) from the Mediaeval Church of Saint Katharine by the Tower. There are two groups: to the east end, a set either side of the altar which have carved front panels, each depicting the head of a human figure; to the west a further set of two on the western wall which are linked by a richly-carved set of three 17th-century panels. The panels are thought to be from Poynter's earlier chapel and depict angels making music and singing. The richly carved misericords carry lively figures including an angel blowing bagpipes, an elephant and castle with a single rider, and the devil grabbing two chattering women. The sides of the chapel are fitted with mid-20th-century oak panelling decorated with the coats of arms of some of the masters of the foundation from the 15th to 19th centuries. The 18th-century hexagonal pulpit has carved panels of domes and spired churches. An inscription runs around the base commemorating Ezra the scribe. There is also an 18th-century organ from an earlier foundation chapel.

The Welsh slate altar is formed of dark-grey slabs and is located to the east end. It was designed by Keith Murray and is carved with inscriptions from Roman catacombs by Ralph Bayer. The inscription facing into the chapel reads: 'BEHOLD I LAY IN SION A CHIEF CORNERSTONE, ELECT, PRECIOUS / AND HE THAT BELIEVETH ON HIM SHALL NOT BE CONFOUNDED'.

The later-20th-century oak reredos is carved in a simplified Gothic style and has as its centrepiece a stone carved panel depicting the Adoration of the Magi (moved from the Cloister in 2004). The imagery depicts the three wise men visiting the baby Jesus. It is similar to a 15th-century painting by Benevenuto di Giovanni (National Gallery, London). Above the reredos, a circular stained glass window depicts the wheel on which Saint Katharine was tortured before her martyrdom. High on the west wall of the chapel there is a carved crucifix by Michael Groser, son of the first post-war Master, Father St John Groser. The font, which stands on a 17th-century column and has linenfold panelling, was donated by Queen Victoria. Attached to the walls of the chapel there are commemorative panels for Frederick Becker, who drowned in the Thames around 1663, and Lady Ann Poynz who died in 1729.

In front of the altar in the centre of the floor there is a compass rose of 2004, laid in granite from Saint Catherine's Monastery on the slopes of Mount Sinai, the world's oldest Christian monastery. The eight arms of the compass denote the seven days of creation and the day of the resurrection. They point to the corners of the earth and extol the viewer to 'GO, PROCLAIM THE GOSPEL TO ALL NATIONS'. The ring encircling the compass is inscribed with words of Saint Augustine of Hippo: 'WE DO NOT COME TO GOD BY NAVIGATION BUT BY LOVE.'

The Cloister

The cloister also contains a number of memorials, notably: for George Montacute of 1681, with classical surround and broken pediment; tablets for past luminaries associated with St Katharine—Sister Emily Wynyard 1832, Sister Lucy Northey 1874, George Baxter 1811, Reverend R W Baxter 1850, Andrew Coltee Ducarel 1785, William Waterson 1710, Elizabeth Grigg 1760, Mrs Pierce 1777, Mary Louise Taylor 1845, and Joanna Caesar 1694. There is also an armorial commemorating Lieutenant General Herbert Taylor 1845, with military trophies below. At the east end of the cloister wall there is a dedication to the architect (Enthoven) and a brass First World War memorial plaque commemorating six members of the foundation who lost their lives in this conflict.

Former Chapter House Interior

The interior of the former chapter house is functional, with plain later-20th-century fixtures and fittings. The staircase has a plain metal rail and balusters.

Exclusions from the Listing

The gates, piers and railings to the western boundary of the Master's house and the full extent of the boundary wall are later-20th-century replacements and are excluded from the listing. The 1953 accommodation range to the north is also excluded from the listing. These features are not of special architectural or historic interest.