Chapel Of St Luke At Stone House Hospital, Built As The City Of London Asylum

Chapel of St Luke at Stone House Hospital

This chapel was built between 1898 and 1901 as part of the City of London pauper lunatic asylum, later known as Stone House Hospital. It was designed by Andrew Murray, the City of London Surveyor. The chapel replaced the original asylum chapel, which had occupied the upper floor of the main block above the kitchens. In 1895, it was decided to convert that space into a recreation room with a stage, as entertainment was considered an important method of improving the wellbeing of mentally ill patients. When the asylum underwent modernisation and extension between 1897 and 1903, Murray designed this new chapel alongside other significant additions including a male infirmary and female hospital. The chapel was described as "an ornamental and pleasing object" in the 1902 asylum report and was consecrated by the Bishop of Rochester in May 1901.

The building is constructed of local knapped flint with brown Portland stone dressings and quoins. The plinth features a chequerboard pattern of flint and stone in small squares. The pitched slate roofs have terracotta ridge tiles.

The chapel is an aisleless church of five bays with a polygonal apse to the east. Two separate entrance porches to the west segregate access for male and female patients. The building is situated to the north of the hospital site, in front of the main north entrance.

The west front features a pointed arched window with 14th-century tracery set below a single oculus. A pair of porches projects from this, linked by a shallower range, all of single storey. Each porch has a pair of angle buttresses, a wide moulded and shallow pointed arched opening containing double wooden doors, and a small lancet in the gable. The linking range has a pair of lancets and a central buttress. At the south-west corner stands a tall octagonal bell turret with buttresses and louvered lancets to the upper stage and a steep conical roof. In contrast to the rest of the building, this tower is largely of stone with flint dressings.

The north and south walls each have five wide windows under pointed arches with alternating stone and flint dressings. Each window contains a pair of ogee-headed cusped lancets with an elongated quatrefoil above. Buttresses with stone quoins stand between each window. The roof ridge features a central wooden flèche with quatrefoil openings and a steep tiled roof. The south side has a vestry with a stone chimney containing a pair of tall stone stacks. The east end displays a tall polygonal apse with stone frieze, crocketed finials, and narrowly pointed lancets with elongated quatrefoil over lancet. A foundation stone plaque is set at the base of the apse.

Inside, separate entrances lead to separate rest rooms at the west end. The body of the church is aisleless and forms a single space save for the chancel. Timber arched brace trusses on brackets have trefoil punctured spandrels. A moulded stone chancel arch, rounded but with a subtle point matching the exterior openings, separates the chancel.

The chancel is panelled in alabaster and richly fitted around each window and in the dado with an elaborate reredos featuring crocketed finials. Stained glass windows were provided by Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The pews are original simple wooden pieces.

The chapel's plan form identifies it distinctly as an asylum chapel. The pair of entrances and rest rooms segregated male and female patients and provided a separate rest room at the front. The interior features an arched brace timber roof and a richly panelled alabaster chancel with original plain pews. The building makes an important contribution to the architectural and social history of the site and groups well with the impressive hospital complex.