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Architectural Drawing

ca. 1990
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
Materials and techniques
Pencil on tracing paper.
Brief description
Side elevation of St. Paul's Church, Harringay, with small front elevation sketch, pencil on tracing paper, by Peter Jenkins, London, ca.1990.
Physical description
Technical drawing of the side elevation alongside a smaller front elevation sketch.
Dimensions
  • Length: 420mm
  • Width: 300mm
Credit line
Given by Peter Jenkins
Place depicted
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 reference
Taken from notes by Peter Jenkins (Clare Lodge, Practice Archivist, 25/02/2016) Elevation study 1:200 scale in pencil by PJ showing brick facades with three simple square punched hole windows in the nave at just standing eye level for limited views out. A concrete ring beam is drawn with columnar socles supporting the transverse frames of the wind girder with an experiment of glass slots between them at the western end. Note the sloping walls of the base realising the principle of the Semperian earthwork ‘contained’ but rejected as scenographic.
Other number
SPH(A)41 - Previous number
Collection
Accession number
E.129-2022

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Record createdJune 10, 2019
Record URL
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