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Design of stone specials of St Paul's Church Harringay

Architectural Drawing
ca. 1988 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Located in a residential area of Harringay, North London, St Paul’s was designed by Peter Jenkins between 1988 and 1993 to replace a Victorian Gothic Revival church (built 1890-1) which was destroyed by fire on Ash Wednesday 1984.

Jenkins’ church combines traditional liturgical forms with contemporary design. The plan of the church is traditional, being narrow and rectangular with the entrance at the west end and the altar at the east. This was in part dictated by the confines of the site, but also by the church’s Anglo-Catholic liturgical tradition which preferred an axial, processional plan. This traditional plan is in contrast to the majority of contemporary churches, which locate congregations around a central altar in order to emphasise the participatory aspect of the Communion.

In scale, Jenkins’ design echoes that of its Victorian predecessor, which was built to a vast scale, able to seat 900, and visually dominated the area’s skyline. Despite being a much smaller church in capacity, seating just 140, Jenkins has maintained the church’s visual dominance, making it an architectural and spiritual focal point in the surrounding area. This aspect of the design generated serious opposition from the local council, which argued – unsuccessfully – that the new church should blend in with the surrounding architecture.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleDesign of stone specials of St Paul's Church Harringay (generic title)
Materials and techniques
pencil and ink drawing on tracing paper
Brief description
Design of stone specials of St Paul's Church Harringay, ink and pencil on tracing paper, by Peter Jenkins and drawn by John Carter, London, ca.1988
Physical description
Single isometric projection drawing of the nave window aedicules of St Paul's Church Harringay. It depicts stones around a square nave window.
Dimensions
  • Height: 882mm
  • Width: 594mm
Marks and inscriptions
  • A STONE AROUND SQUARE WINDOWS (in ink below drawing)
  • NB Refer to elevations for locations SK 87-88 / ST PAUL'S CHURCH HARRINGAY / NEW CHURCH AND PARSONAGE / STONE SPECIALS / scale 1:5 / SPH SK93 revision / Peter Inskip and Peter Jenkins Chartered Architects / 1 Newbury Street London EC1A 7HU 01 726 8977 (bottom right)
  • 'SPH/SK93 / S (Handwritten in ink on label on the bottom right)
  • USED FOR PREP OF BILLS / - NOT ISSUED WITH TENDER DOCS (Handwritten in pencil on label on the bottom right)
  • SPH(A)19 (handwritten in ink on reverse of sheet)
Credit line
Given by Peter Jenkins
Summary
Located in a residential area of Harringay, North London, St Paul’s was designed by Peter Jenkins between 1988 and 1993 to replace a Victorian Gothic Revival church (built 1890-1) which was destroyed by fire on Ash Wednesday 1984.

Jenkins’ church combines traditional liturgical forms with contemporary design. The plan of the church is traditional, being narrow and rectangular with the entrance at the west end and the altar at the east. This was in part dictated by the confines of the site, but also by the church’s Anglo-Catholic liturgical tradition which preferred an axial, processional plan. This traditional plan is in contrast to the majority of contemporary churches, which locate congregations around a central altar in order to emphasise the participatory aspect of the Communion.

In scale, Jenkins’ design echoes that of its Victorian predecessor, which was built to a vast scale, able to seat 900, and visually dominated the area’s skyline. Despite being a much smaller church in capacity, seating just 140, Jenkins has maintained the church’s visual dominance, making it an architectural and spiritual focal point in the surrounding area. This aspect of the design generated serious opposition from the local council, which argued – unsuccessfully – that the new church should blend in with the surrounding architecture.
Bibliographic references
  • Taken from notes by Peter Jenkins (Clare Lodge, Practice Archivist, 25/02/2016) "Preliminary billing stage drawing of the nave window aedicules, single isometric projection on A1 tracing paper in pencil, with dimensions, drawn by JC. Probably contemporary with STP (A) 13, made in late 1988."
  • Seeley, John, 'Phoenix Rising, St Paul's, Harringay' in Church Building (Summer 1990), p. 45
  • 'Clare Melhuish reports on the new church' in Church Building (Summer 1990), pp. 46-47
  • 'Detail: St Paul's, Harringay by Peter Inskip & Peter Jenkins' in Architecture Today, 17 (April 1991), pp. 88-89
  • Glancey, Jonathan, 'A temple of simplicity to soothe the soul', in The Independent, Wednesday 4 August 1993, p.13
  • Dorment, Richard, 'Putting high art above the altar', in The Daily Telegraph, Wednesday, August 25, 1993, p. 12
  • Maxwell, Robert, 'Sacred Space: Inskip and Jenkins in Haringey' in Architecture Today, 43 (November 1993), pp. 36-41
  • 'New Church of St Paul, Harringay (GB)' in Eurozinc (1993), p. 13.
  • 'St Paul's Harringay, Review by Clare Melhuish and Michael Jones-Frank' in Church Building, Issue 28 (July/August 1994), pp. 31-33
  • 'Spiritual Elevation, St Paul's Church, Wightman Road, Harringay, London N4', in Brick Bulletin (Autumn, 1994), pp. 18-20
Other numbers
  • SPH(A)19 - Previous number
  • SPH SK93 - Previous owner's number
Collection
Accession number
E.115-2022

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Record createdJune 10, 2019
Record URL
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