Church Of St Francis

Anglican Church. Built in 1932-33 to the designs of J. Harold Gibbons, and dedicated to St. Francis on the seventh centenary of his death, the church is constructed of brick with tile dressings, concrete, and tile roofs. It is an Essay in a Romanesque manner, characterized by simple planar forms. The nave consists of four round-arched bays with a shallow barrel vaulted roof; the boards are of alternating widths, continuous along the long axis, and originally light blue with dark green mouldings. Concrete walls are painted in places. North and south aisles have lean-to roofs, and are defined by pairs of transverse interior buttresses spanning the aisles between the second and third bays, with paired, flat-arched windows. A round arch forms the west entrance, located above the organ gallery. There is a round arch to the chancel on the crossing axis. The altar, standing on a platform of polished granite steps, has been brought forward from the Lady Chapel. The chancel is situated in the position of the crossing, with a shallow transept. The chancel itself features a single groin-vaulted bay, painted blue with stars. A silver sanctuary lamp hangs from the centre of the vault. A lower segmental arch sits to the east of the altar area, marking off the Lady Chapel. This chapel has a flat-painted roof and a small round-arched east window. A painting of the crucifixion above the altar is contemporary with the church. The upper area of the chancel is lit by north and south windows, creating dramatic and mysterious light as viewed from the west end. The floor is made of wood blocks. An organ loft stair is located in the southwest corner, along with a stone baptismal font, a signature feature of Gibbons’s designs. A sacristy is situated in the northeast corner, connected to a choir vestry at the southeast corner by a flat-ceiled passage running behind the Lady Chapel. The exterior is notable for its simplicity, mirroring the interior spaces with little regard for picturesque composition. The tile patterns filling in the ends of the pantiles to the eaves are noteworthy, with various designs appearing to be the work of workmen on site. A stone low relief panel in an early Christian manner is placed over the west entrance. Virtually all original details remain intact. The beauty of the structure arises from the stately sequence of simplified forms and masses, and particularly from the repetition of round-arched forms. The directness of the design references the austere and mendicant life and work of St. Francis of Assisi.