Flagon, silver, designed by William Butterfield, made by John Keith, 1853-4

Silver with engraved and cast decoration

Lent by North Lambeth Parish

Furnishing the Church
A new business of church furnishing arose from the great surge in church building and restoration. Between 1840 and 1900, over 100 churches were built each year. Older buildings were restored or expanded. Every denomination from Anglican and Roman Catholic to Nonconformist was reacting to the widespread religious revival and the needs of an expanding population. Fitting out such large numbers of churches required specialist firms who could supply the complete range of furnishings. Clergy no longer commissioned individual tailors, furniture makers and silversmiths. Instead, stained glass windows, cl[Erical vestments and silver altar plate could all be ordered from church furnishers like Jones & Willis, Cox & Sons and John Hardman. These specialists would supply the correct equipment, as prescribed by the church reformers. They offered a choice of material, quality and prices to suit the resources of wealthy and poorer parishes. J. Whippell & Co. About 1902 Kind permission of J. Whippell & Co., Exeter

Leading Taste
The building, restoration and furnishing of churches were important outlets for Victorian creative talent. For some architects it was the mainstay of their business. The taste for the Gothic style, which became dominant though not universal,was led by architects like A.W.N. Pugin. Many Anglican architects were affiliated to reforming societies and closely concerned with design policy. Some were employed by commercial firms such as Cox & Sons to give their products a veneer of authenticity. In England so many medieval church fittings had been destroyed in the Reformation that architects were obliged to invent new forms. William Butterfield, the first official designer of the Cambridge Camden Society, modelled flagons on smaller medieval cruet shapes.

This flagon was given to the church of St Mary the Less, Black Prince Road, Lambeth. The church had been built in 1827-8 in the commissioner's Gothic style. The designer of the flagon, William Butterfield complained that goldsmiths were "running perfectly wild in their designs for what they call 'Gothic church plate.'" As official designer for the Cambridge Camden Society, he contributed designs to their publications. This flagon, dated Easter 1854, is an example of a cheaper commercial version of the approved style.

LOAN:KENNINGTONCROSS.1-1981