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Summary

20th century church with a Byzantine Romanesque exterior and planned in the form of a St. Andrew's Cross.

Location

Protected Status

• Listed Building (II) 1256926: CHURCH OF ST LUKE

Other References/Statuses

• Church of England HER: 5125

Monument Type(s) and Dates

• CHURCH (XX - 1936 AD to 1963 AD)

Full description

Ordnance Survey, 2012, MasterMap (Cartographic). SDV348725.

English Heritage, 2012, National Heritage List for England (National Heritage List for England). SDV348729.

Church of St. Luke, Laburnum Road. Church. Begun 1936 and completed 1963, to the 1931 designs of Arthur Martin. MATERIALS: rendered walls with slate roofs; copper-clad tower roof. PLAN: planned in the form of a St Andrew's Cross, with 3 angled naves converging on the altar with an apsidal chancel. STYLE: Byzantine-Romanesque. EXTERIOR: round-arched 3-light windows to north and south sides of chancel. Squat crossing tower with pyramidal roof, shallow clasping buttresses and plat band meeting imposts of 2-light round-arched belfry windows; the tower has triangular projections with tall cavetto-moulded lights which connect to radiating chapels with similar 4-light windows. Chapels have, to west, similar 2-light windows and then angled links, each with segmental-arched surround to doorway, connected to outer faces of projecting west front; the west front has slightly projecting outer bays clasping recessed and gabled centre, with small round-arched light above continuous plat band and then large west window (round-arched and shouldered) above limestone ashlar surround framing central doorway and flanking 2-light square-headed windows; the outer projecting blocks have round-arched one-light windows. INTERIOR: of exceptional spatial quality, with the 3 naves radiating from the centre being linked together by arcades with granite columns, which are surmounted above by round-arched clerestorey windows; chapels are barrel-vaulted, and have granite columns with moulded capitals to deep rere-arches. The narthex is partitioned from the naves by a leaded glass screen, and has two staircases leading to the gallery above. Plain and severe design to high altar; pulpit is a later design, objected to by Arthur Martin who designed a moveable lectern. Remarkable for its interior spatial quality and extraordinary centralised plan, which anticipates one of the principal characteristics of post-war planning. The design for the church was revealed to the vicar, J Keble Martin (brother of the architect and celebrated author of British Flora), in a dream. Date listed: 11th December 1996.

Sources / Further Reading

Associated Monuments: none recorded

Associated Finds: none recorded

Associated Events: none recorded

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