Church Of St Patrick

Church of St Patrick, Blake Avenue

A church consecrated in July 1940 to designs by architect AE Wiseman. The building was constructed to serve the rapidly growing population of East London after the First World War, following the division of the parish of St Margaret, Barking into several new parishes. The site on Blake Avenue was agreed upon after negotiations beginning in December 1937. The church was funded by an endowment from the parish of Barking, accepted by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in March 1938, and by a generous gift from local benefactress Mrs Lavinia Keene. The new parish of St Patrick's was formally established in late 1938, with Rev. GW Bowker as the nominated vicar, formerly of the Church of the Ascension, Eastbury. The building cost, including furnishings, was £10,500. The church was consecrated by the Bishop of Chelmsford in July 1940, with the stone-laying ceremony performed by Mr JBH Low in the absence of Mrs Keene due to illness. The church experienced minor plaster damage during World War Two but was otherwise unaffected despite its East London location. Alterations were carried out in 1976-7 when the nave was divided to create a church hall at the west end, a false ceiling was inserted, pews were removed, and clerestory windows were blocked due to vandalism. Further refurbishment and conservation work was completed in the early 21st century.

The building has a reinforced concrete frame with buff Dutch bricks in Flemish bond and an asphalt roof. The plan comprises an aisled nave, a hall to the west end, a chancel, an east tower, a north vestry and offices, an apsidal lady chapel to the south, and a west vestry, north-west boiler house and store.

The principal elevations face east and south toward Blake Avenue. The east elevation features a round tower flanked by curving transeptal projections containing the Lady Chapel and vestries. The tower has louvered slit openings to the belfry, enhanced by a projecting continuous concrete lintel and cill. A projecting brick panel with subtle stepped edges is decorated with a glazed turquoise tile cross. Recessed string courses mark the elevation. A foundation stone at the base of the tower reads: "To the Glory of God / This stone was laid by / Mrs. Lavinia C. Keene / The generous donor of this church / July 13th 1940" and includes a concrete lintel and cill.

The south elevation features a stepped back chancel wall punctuated with tall, narrow windows with concrete lintels. The curving transeptal Lady Chapel and chancel vestry complement the form of the tower. The nave is of greater height than the chancel. A continuous concrete lintel extends across six elongated windows at clerestory level, which were blocked in the 1970s but glazed below. A single storey flat-roofed south aisle has four windows, also with a continuous lintel. Two porches to the south-west and south have part brick walls and metal poles supporting projecting flat concrete weather hoods.

The north elevation is very similar to the south but includes a north-west boiler room. The west elevation is relatively plain with a small vestry projecting from the building line.

The interior church hall occupies the west end of the nave and is now divided off by a folding partition with central double doors, sympathetically designed to complement the overall design. This partition hangs from a steel cross girder. A new floor follows subsidence, with the former extent of pews marked out. An inserted ceiling of 1970s date is above. Modern kitchen and toilets have been added. Tapering concrete piers support the structure.

The nave has tapering concrete piers with rounded corners dividing the nave and aisles. A stepped concrete rood beam supports a bakelite cross. A chequerboard granwood floor extends throughout the nave, chancel, and Lady Chapel sanctuary. Internal walls have been newly rendered, originally exposing brick.

The chancel contains concrete pilasters and a brick apse with a tripartite reredos. The reredos features a painted sky applied to silver metal leaf in a fan shape, with a plain plaster rib border and decorative central ribbing decorated with painted lozenges. This rises from a stepped altar back veneered in walnut boards with an ebonised timber surround applied to a pine frame. Concealed uplighters illuminate the reredos. Stone from the Cathedral of St Patrick, Armagh, Ireland is incorporated in the sanctuary wall to the north. A niche is positioned to the south.

The Lady Chapel has newly rendered walls and an apsidal sanctuary. All windows have been replaced in polycarbonate.

Solid wooden double doors throughout the building, some with diagonal cross bracing and others with walnut veneer in a diamond pattern, feature rounded wooden skirting boards. Glass is plain throughout: originally amber coloured glass was later replaced with polycarbonate leaded lights, now replaced again with clear glass casements.

An altar of plywood with an oak top stands in the chancel. The chancel altar rails are metal, painted red and black, with a wooden altar rail. A hexagonal pulpit with incised decoration and matching font base are in Ham Hill stone; the font bowl is bronze supported on a Ham Hill stone drum. Simple wooden altar rails and a wooden cross with moulded arms and trefoil terminals in the Lady Chapel were brought from the Church of the Ascension, Eastbury.

The church is surrounded by railings on its east and south sides. These are plain metal railings for the most part, with three sets of attractive metal gates—two to the south and one to the north-east—hung from brick gate piers. The gates are painted in red, white, and blue and incorporate a cross central to the design. The piers and gates are contemporary with the church and part of the original composition.